VIETNAM TODAY

The northern region of Vietnam will see scattered showers and thunderstorms, with localised heavy rain, while central areas face heat.

About 10 Vietnamese banks have announced lending-rate cuts or preferential credit packages of up to 2.5 percentage points a year to ease funding pressures on businesses.

Hanoi Metro reported a record first-half net profit after revenue surged more than 39 per cent, driven by higher ticket sales and government subsidies.

Long Thanh International Airport is expected to require 1,032 workers for operations, with expertise in incident response, advanced technology, big data and passenger services still needed.

Hanoi traffic police are using drones to detect violations from the air, including vehicles using emergency lanes and stopping or picking up passengers illegally.

Dong Nai City has approved the conversion of 2.67 hectares of planted forest for construction of the Ma Da Bridge, an eight-lane project expected to be completed in 2028.

A former Palestinian ambassador to Vietnam has undergone minimally invasive knee surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital after more than two months of persistent pain following an accident.

Dong Nai People's Council has approved a resolution to halt the investment plan for the Vinh Tan waste-to-energy plant, a project worth nearly VND 2.3 trillion (USD 88.46 million).

Nearly two kilometres of beachfront railings in Nha Trang are being removed and replaced after more than a decade of exposure to waves and the marine environment left sections deteriorated.

A widespread heatwave across central Vietnam is forecast to continue until August 18, with temperatures exceeding 37 degrees Celsius in some areas.

Nguyen Huu Tuan, a Vietnamese high school student, has won gold medals at two international Olympiads within a week, including the 2026 International Olympiad in Informatics.

More than a third of primary school pupils in Ho Chi Minh City are overweight or obese, prompting concerns over a growing public health challenge.

Authorities in An Giang Province are working to pinpoint the location of more than 300 soldiers who died in Tram Du forest during the war.

HCM City hotel rates rose 20 per cent year on year in the second quarter, with occupancy above 70 per cent on strong international, business and MICE demand despite fewer flights.

Three kites fitted with lights disrupted 21 flights at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on August 13 after they were detected as a potential threat to aviation safety.

The nearly 58-km Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway is expected to fully open to traffic in September, with construction now 99 per cent complete.

Airfares to popular destinations remain widely available ahead of Vietnam's five-day National Day holiday, but prices are higher and seats scarcer on some return flights at the end of the break.

Nearly 12 million passenger trips were recorded on HCM City buses in just over a month of free travel on 134 routes, up 44 per cent year on year.

HCM City and southern Vietnam are expected to see sunny conditions during the day and scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, with high tides posing a risk of flooding.