VIETNAM TODAY

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for accelerated efforts to remediate land contaminated by bombs and mines left from past wars, aiming to complete cleanup nationwide by 2045.

Standard Chartered has maintained a positive view of Vietnam’s economic outlook in 2026, although its growth forecast remains more cautious than the Government’s ambitious 10 per cent target.

Nearly 2,000 AI-powered traffic cameras in Hanoi issued penalty notices for 6,300 violations in their first month, with running red lights accounting for more than two-thirds, police said.

Vietnam ranked 38th worldwide in artificial intelligence diffusion, according to the AI Diffusion Report 2025 published by the Microsoft AI Economy Institute (AIEI).

A banh mi shop in Ho Chi Minh City has been fined VND 15 million (USD 577) after a suspected mass food poisoning incident sent 125 people to hospital, local authorities said.

Visitors to Thailand Week 2026 will be able to enjoy a variety of attractive promotional programmes, lively trade promotion activities and daily lucky draws offering numerous quality Thai products.

Business confidence among European companies operating in Vietnam rose to its highest level in seven years in the fourth quarter of 2025, the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) said.

Northern localities in Vietnam are forecast to experience a very strong cold air surge around January 21-22, bringing widespread severe cold across the region.

A street vendor in Hanoi has been fined after allegedly trying to overcharge foreign tourists for a traditional conical hat in the Old Quarter, police said.

Average per capita income rose to VND 5.9 million (USD 227) a month in 2025, up 9.3 per cent year on year, reflecting improving jobs, wages and effective social security policies, official data shows.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested the owner of a food production facility accused of using banned chemicals to make fresh noodles.

Vietnam customs have seized more than 1,000 fake AirPods in transit shipments, exposing serious breaches of intellectual property and customs regulations.

A pod of about 15 dolphins has been spotted swimming unusually close to the shoreline off Sam Son Beach in Thanh Hoa Province.

A whale carcass weighing about 40 kg has been found washed ashore along the coast of Quang Tri Province.

Residents in central Vietnam have handed over rare wildlife after discovering protected animals wandering into their home gardens, enabling authorities to arrange their return to the wild.

Vietnam’s aviation sector transported a record 83.5 million passengers in 2025, up 10.7 per cent year on year, the highest level ever recorded.

Two women were killed in a suspected bomb explosion in Phu My Bac Commune, Gia Lai Province, while they were buying and sorting scrap metal, local authorities said.

Vietnam exported more than 8.06 million tonnes of rice in 2025, earning over USD 4.1 billion, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Customs.

Ben En National Park in Vietnam’s central province of Thanh Hoa has rolled out scientific studies and conservation projects to protect biodiversity, with a focus on rare and endangered wildlife.