VIETNAM TODAY

Vietnamese customers began receiving the first iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max units worldwide at 8 am on September 18, as retailers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City saw long queues.

Floodwaters from the Ma River carried large amounts of timber, tree trunks and rubbish onto beaches in Sam Son Ward, Thanh Hoa Province, after days of heavy rain.

Vietnamese drone manufacturer CT UAV has successfully designed and tested a new heavy-lift unmanned aerial vehicle capable of transporting payloads of up to 100kg.

Hanoi's drainage system has shown signs of improvement during days of heavy rain, with many areas that suffered severe flooding in 2025 remaining clear or draining significantly faster.

Tourists have been advised to postpone or limit trips to Tam Dao after prolonged heavy rain triggered landslides along mountain roads in the popular tourist area in northern Phu Tho Province.

Vietnam imported more than 44,000 completely built-up vehicles from China in the first eight months of 2026, with import value exceeding USD 1.56 billion, customs data showed.

A first-year university student is feared to have been swept away by floodwaters after riding a motorbike through a deeply flooded street in Hanoi on September 17.

Torrential rain is forecast to shift towards central Vietnam from September 18, with some areas expected to receive more than 100mm and intense downpours raising the risk of flooding.

Hanoi has set up four inter-agency teams to conduct unannounced inspections of school meal programmes as part of efforts to tighten food safety and quality controls during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Hanoi authorities have ordered inspections and strict enforcement against hundreds of illegally built workshops and sheds encroaching on the Nhue River corridor.

Dozens of tonnes of debris have washed up on Nhat Le Beach in Quang Tri Province after days of heavy rain and flooding, prompting a large-scale clean-up operation.

The Vietnam Traffic Safety Innovation Contest 2026 was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, aiming to identify practical solutions that promote safer and more responsible road use.

Ten Vietnamese fishermen who encountered difficulties while working in Malaysia's Perak state have been safely returned to Vietnam with assistance from Vietnamese authorities.

Authorities in Quang Ninh have detained five fishing boats after they were caught using prohibited bottom-dredging gear to illegally harvest shellfish in Ha Long Bay.

Authorities have recovered 17 more sets of soldiers' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing the total number found at the site to 663.

Vietnam's railway operator has suspended several passenger trains and transferred travellers by road after flooding in Thanh Hoa disrupted services on the north-south railway.

Several tourist attractions in Ninh Binh Province have suspended or restricted activities as rising river levels and continued flooding pose safety risks to visitors.

Vietnam raised retail fuel prices sharply on September 17, with petrol increasing by nearly VND 1,400 per litre and diesel by VND 1,460 per litre.

Three members of a family were killed after a landslide triggered by heavy rain struck their home in Phu Tho Province early on September 17, burying them under debris.