VIETNAM TODAY

Ho Chi Minh City will exempt more than 94,000 businesses from port infrastructure fees for three years, aiming to cut logistics costs despite a projected USD 276 million loss in budget revenue.

A stronger south-west monsoon and a low-pressure trough over the East Sea will bring heavier rain to Ho Chi Minh City and southern Vietnam in the coming days, raising the risk of localised flooding.

Japan attracted nearly 28,500 Vietnamese workers in the first six months of the year, accounting for 43 per cent of all overseas labour placements from Vietnam.

A court in Tay Ninh Province has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for transporting more than 3kg of illegal drugs from Cambodia into Vietnam.

A tropical depression in the northwestern Pacific is forecast to strengthen into a storm, with its circulation potentially affecting the northeastern East Sea around June 23-24.

Authorities are awaiting scientific findings on the decline of hundreds of hectares of forest in U Minh Ha National Park before proposing restoration measures.

Dak Lak Province plans to unveil 257 investment projects worth about USD 40 billion as it seeks to attract capital for infrastructure, energy, urban development and services.

A new heatwave forecast to hit northern and central Vietnam next week has prompted the National System and Market Operator (NSMO) to step up measures to ensure stable electricity supply.

Ho Chi Minh City has proposed a VND 16.4 trillion (USD 625 million) urban renewal project covering the Ma Lang and Ga-Gao neighbourhoods in the city centre.

Hanoi plans to increase lunch subsidies for primary school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds as part of efforts to improve nutrition and support students attending full-day classes.

Ho Chi Minh City has proposed a USD 1.8 billion urban expressway linking Ho Tram and Long Thanh International Airport to boost regional connectivity and economic growth.

Investigators in Hanoi have identified around 17,000 holiday ownership contracts linked to an alleged fraud scheme, with suspected losses exceeding USD 103 million.

A man and two boys were swept away while swimming in a deep section of a river in Lam Dong Province, prompting an ongoing search operation.

Hanoi police have charged two people in connection with the alleged smuggling of more than 10,000 tonnes of imported chicken feet that were sold on the domestic market without paying taxes.

Authorities in Nghe An Province have approved a VND 2.1 trillion (USD 82 million) industrial park project covering more than 170 hectares in the Dong Nam Economic Zone.

HCM City has proposed a VND 29.3 trillion (USD 1.1 billion) redevelopment project that would place part of Ton Duc Thang Street underground and expand public space along the Saigon River.

Northern Vietnam is forecast to experience an intense heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures in Hanoi potentially exceeding 40 degrees Celsius due to the urban heat island effect.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have proposed a 14-kilometre sea crossing linking Can Gio and Vung Tau, with total investment estimated at more than VND 93 trillion (USD 3.6 billion).

The Vietnamese Ministry of Construction plans to expand EV charging infrastructure and introduce new policies to support green transport and cut urban emissions.