VIETNAM TODAY

Vietnam’s southern region is expected to experience two cold air surges by the end of this month, with temperatures in some areas in the southeast falling to 16-17 degrees Celsius.

Vietnam’s biggest banks reported record deposit inflows and double-digit credit growth in 2025, strengthening their funding base as lending demand rebounded with the economic recovery.

Police in Vietnam’s central province of Ha Tinh have detained three men accused of stealing dogs while carrying dangerous weapons, seizing six dogs and a range of crime tools.

The Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel Akitsushima arrived in Danang on January 19 for a five-day goodwill visit aimed at strengthening Vietnam-Japan maritime ties.

Illegal pavement encroachment continues along Pham Van Dong Boulevard in HCM City, where eateries have turned sidewalks into dining areas despite an ongoing enforcement drive.

Two foreign tourists were rescued after being swept by strong waves and trapped in a rocky crevice while swimming off the coast of Dak Lak Province on January 19.

Authorities in Vietnam's central city of Danang have warned a foreign tourist who wrapped ripe bananas around his body to attract and feed wild monkeys on Son Tra Peninsula.

The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam on Monday convened its preparatory session at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi.

Hanoi police have fined a 53-year-old man VND 2.5 million (about USD 95) for approaching foreign tourists in the Old Quarter and offering them drugs, authorities said.

A strong cold air mass is moving south, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures across northern Vietnam from January 21, with severe cold forecast in mountainous areas.

Gia Lai Province has approved a 300-hectare industrial park project worth nearly VND 1.8 trillion, designed to develop under an ecological industrial park model.

Party General Secretary To Lam has accepted the invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the Gaza Peace Council and affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to participate as a founding member state.

Indonesian search and rescue forces on January 18 found wreckage of a missing aircraft believed to have crashed a day earlier while approaching a mountainous area on Sulawesi Island.

Economic diplomacy has helped Vietnam expand export markets for agricultural produce, supporting growth despite global trade headwinds and deeper integration into global supply chains.

By 2025, Vietnam had trade relations with more than 230 markets and had signed 17 FTAs with 65 economies, placing it among the most active participants in bilateral and multilateral trade frameworks.

Law-making for development is fundamental, strategic, and long-term while law-making for prevention and control remains regular and important, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 17.

Apartment prices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City rose sharply in 2025, with prime projects recording gains of up to 30 per cent year on year, according to the Ministry of Construction.

Night-time flights will be increased at six airports during the Tet holiday from February 1 to March 1 to meet rising travel demand, Vietnam’s civil aviation authority said.

Vietnam plans to export 7 million tonnes of rice in 2026, down from 8 million tonnes last year, with a gradual reduction to just 4 million tonnes by 2030, according to the Vietnam Food Association.