VIETNAM TODAY

Flash flood has caused up to four deaths and injured three people in the southern-central province of Binh Dinh. Torrential rains have also flooded several provinces in central and southern-central Vietnam.

A 2,000-square-metre timber storage in Hanoi's Ngoc Hoi Industrial Zone was nearly burnt down this morning.

The Central Inspection Committee has reprimanded and ordered self-criticism for various officials for their involvement in the wrongful promotion of former vice chairman of Hau Giang Province, Trinh Xuan Thanh.

Vietnamese agricultural products may lose their identity if the country does not start to register for intellectual property protection globally, heard a recent conference.

Fast food giant McDonald's said it has dropped a labor supply agency in Malaysia after claims emerged that it was underpaying its migrant workers and housing them in appalling conditions.

The Ministry of Finance has asked to temporarily stop customs clearance for BMW auto shipments imported into Vietnam except in cases of diplomatic immunity.

Population policies should change from focusing on population and family planning to focusing on population and development, said Associate Professor Nguyễn Đình Cử, former director of the Institute of Population and Social Studies, at a conference in Hanoi.

The International Kite Festival will take place in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria –Vung Tau from December 6-11, expecting to draw 67 artisans from 23 countries and territories, according to the organising board.

The Vietnamese government has just allowed US energy giant ExxonMobil to join in with the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group in Ca Voi Xanh, the largest gas field found so far in the East Sea.

Nearly 250 scientists from 40 countries are expected to participate in the Asiacrypt conference scheduled to open in Hanoi soon.

The world's big cities will need US$375 billion of investment to curb climate change, a major gathering of mayors heard.

Customs officials in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 reported that they have detected 529kg of elephant tusks illegally imported into Vietnam under the cover of wood.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, became Thailand's new king on Thursday after he accepted an invitation from parliament to succeed his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October.

Many hospitals in HCM City have detected more children who are infected HIV from their mothers.

A cross-country run is scheduled for December 11 in Hanoi to call for action against the extinction of wild animals and to raise public awareness on the issue.

Vietnam advanced 14 places in the Enabling Trade Index of the World Economic Forum, now ranking 73rd out of 136 economies, according to the Global Enabling Trade Report.

Traffic accidents killed 7,907 people and injured 17,184 others between December 16, 2015 and November 15, 2016.

HCM City authorities approved the construction of an underground parking lot in the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

Authorities in Thanh Hoa Province has just given the go-ahead for Nghi Son Refinery to discharge waste water into the sea for six months to clean their pipes.