Society

Vietnam has rejected what it described as “biased and inaccurate” assessments contained in a recent update on religious freedom released by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Police in the central province of Quang Tri have seized a shipment of 149 gun components that was being transported illegally to Hanoi.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has proposed extending student fare discounts to metro and ferry services under a draft decree implementing the Education Law.

Hanoi plans to install an additional 2,460 AI-powered traffic cameras in 2026 at major intersections, bridges, hospitals and bus terminals, as part of efforts to modernise traffic management.

A Hanoi household owning a 421 sq m plot beside Hoan Kiem Lake is set to receive about USD 17.7 million in compensation as authorities prepare to build a major new square and park in the area.

Ho Chi Minh City police used an AI camera system to locate an iPhone lost by an Australian tourist, recovering the device within 10 minutes of receiving the report.

An unexploded 227-kilogramme bomb containing more than 87 kilogrammes of explosives has been found about 50 metres from a market and bus station in Hue, authorities said.

Nearly 1.7 million people have left Vietnam’s Mekong Delta over the past decade, driven partly by climate pressures on farming and fisheries, a World Bank report says.

Three people were killed and two injured after an ambulance crashed into a parked container truck and burst into flames on the Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway early on December 18.

Vietnam’s total fertility rate has dropped to 1.93 children per woman, below replacement level, highlighting a continuing trend towards smaller families.

Hanoi’s AI-powered traffic camera system recorded 393 violations in its first three days of operation, mainly red-light offences, exceeding detections made by traditional patrols.

Hanoi has approved its first underground parking project in the Old Quarter, to be built beneath the Phung Hung-Bat Dan flower garden in Hoan Kiem Ward.

Three Vietnamese carriers will operate the first commercial flights to Long Thanh International Airport on December 19, marking the inauguration of the country’s newest aviation hub.

The rapid spread of pickleball courts in Ho Chi Minh City is disrupting nearby neighbourhoods, with constant noise from early morning until late at night affecting residents’ daily lives.

Air quality in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has deteriorated again after two days of improvement, with air quality index (AQI) levels in several areas rising to unhealthy levels.

Vietnam has begun administering a new-generation RSV vaccine, offering timely protection for older adults and people with underlying health conditions against serious respiratory diseases.

Ho Chi Minh City has put into operation the Le Minh Xuan Bus Terminal, covering nearly 14,000 square metres, making it the largest bus terminal on the city’s outskirts to date.

Nine objects believed to be wartime grenades and landmines have been found along the Lo River in Vietnam’s northern province of Phu Tho, prompting an emergency response from local authorities.

Citizens were recommended to stay updated on and strictly comply with regulations and guidance issued by local authorities.