VIETNAM TODAY

Hanoi authorities have ordered the rapid establishment of a task force to accelerate development of the capital’s nearly 1,000-km metro network for the 2026-2030 period.

Police in Haiphong City have seized 987 wild birds from three pet shops accused of illegally keeping and trading protected wildlife.

The USD 2.2 billion LNG power project in Nghe An Province has officially begun construction, marking a major milestone for Vietnam’s national energy infrastructure.

About 900 metres of stream embankment have severely eroded, putting 28 households along Ngoi Hut stream in Lao Cai Province at risk.

Ho Chi Minh City has recorded its first monkeypox case of 2026, according to the city’s health authorities.

Hanoi is planning to build a second international airport and gradually restrict private vehicles in the historic inner city under its new long-term master plan.

The entire Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway will open to traffic from 5 pm on May 18 after authorities in Dong Nai Province approved a temporary traffic plan for the remaining 16 km section of the route.

Floodwaters on rivers in eastern Quang Ninh Province were receding slowly on May 17 after heavy rain, with authorities warning of landslide risks in mountainous areas.

Showers and thunderstorms are forecast across several parts of Vietnam from May 18 to May 19, with some areas expected to experience heavy to very heavy rain.

Vietnam’s health authorities are strengthening border quarantine measures and monitoring developments in Ebola outbreaks reported in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Authorities in Quang Tri Province released three endangered sea turtles back into the sea on May 17 after the animals were rescued from fishing nets near Con Co Island.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms caused VND 10.2 billion (USD 392,000) in damage in Cao Bang and Dak Lak provinces.

A fisherman in Vinh Long Province rescued an endangered sea turtle after finding it trapped in a fishing net while harvesting clams along the coast.

A whale was filmed feeding near the coast of Gia Lai Province on May 17, drawing widespread attention on social media after footage of the rare sighting circulated online.

Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has proposed a VND 39 trillion (USD 1.5 billion) expansion of Cam Ranh International Airport to increase annual capacity to 36 million passengers by 2050.

A rare herd of gaurs has been recorded by camera traps in Yok Don National Park, marking a positive sign for wildlife conservation efforts at one of Vietnam’s most biodiverse national parks.

Heavy rain in Cao Bang Province triggered flooding and severe road damage, with a passenger bus swept away by floodwaters and several transport routes disrupted.

Vietnamese customs authorities have uncovered large quantities of undeclared iPhones, laptops and other electronic devices suspected of being illegally imported through northern border checkpoints.

Three children have been found dead and another remains missing after a drowning incident in Dak Lak, where four children disappeared while swimming in a river during hot weather.