Society

A prolonged cold spell in northern Vietnam has pushed more elderly people to seek medical care, with hospitals reporting a rise in respiratory and chronic cases.

HCM City will add 500 electric bicycles to its public transport system before the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, aiming to expand green travel options and improve links with buses and metro services.

Vietnam’s passport has climbed to 86th place in the Henley Passport Index 2026, its highest position in five years, after rising four ranks from the previous edition.

A proposed rail line linking Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai aims to cut logistics costs by more than USD 2 billion a year by connecting major industrial zones with the Cai Mep Port complex.

Traffic congestion has intensified at a key Hanoi junction after construction barriers were expanded for the Ring Road 1 project, further narrowing lanes at one of the city’s traffic black spots.

Hanoi police held a large-scale rehearsal on Wednesday morning to prepare escort and traffic arrangements for the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party.

At least four people were killed and six others injured after three vehicles collided on a major expressway in Thanh Hoa Province, causing lengthy traffic disruption, police said.

Vietnam consumed 4.6 billion litres of beer in 2024, ranking eighth globally, as emerging markets drove growth while consumption fell in China and the United States, according to Kirin Holdings.

Nearly 2,000 AI-powered traffic cameras in Hanoi issued penalty notices for 6,300 violations in their first month, with running red lights accounting for more than two-thirds, police said.

Vietnam ranked 38th worldwide in artificial intelligence diffusion, according to the AI Diffusion Report 2025 published by the Microsoft AI Economy Institute (AIEI).

A banh mi shop in Ho Chi Minh City has been fined VND 15 million (USD 577) after a suspected mass food poisoning incident sent 125 people to hospital, local authorities said.

A street vendor in Hanoi has been fined after allegedly trying to overcharge foreign tourists for a traditional conical hat in the Old Quarter, police said.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested the owner of a food production facility accused of using banned chemicals to make fresh noodles.

Vietnam customs have seized more than 1,000 fake AirPods in transit shipments, exposing serious breaches of intellectual property and customs regulations.

A whale carcass weighing about 40 kg has been found washed ashore along the coast of Quang Tri Province.

Two women were killed in a suspected bomb explosion in Phu My Bac Commune, Gia Lai Province, while they were buying and sorting scrap metal, local authorities said.

Metro Line No 1 linking Ben Thanh and Suoi Tien logged nearly 19 million passenger trips in its first year, giving a major boost to public transport in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security on January 10 staged a deployment ceremony and security drill in Hanoi to prepare for the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The Ministry of Public Security staged a rehearsal in Hanoi on January 10, deploying around 5,000 policemen to finalise security preparations for the forthcoming 14th National Party Congress.