Good morning from Vietnam!

A passenger bus carrying divers plunged into a ravine in Hoa Thang Commune, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam on Monday afternoon, leaving four people dead and 12 injured, according to local authorities.

Vietnam’s Vingroup has proposed a project to upgrade and expand Rung Sac, the only road linking central Ho Chi Minh City with the outlying Can Gio Commune, to up to 10 lanes under a public-private partnership plan worth about VND19 trillion (US$721.4 million).

Vietnam will now impose fines of up to VND3 million (US$114) on anyone caught drinking during work or school hours, or selling alcohol to minors under 18, as per a new government decree intended to tighten control over how alcohol is used, sold, and advertised.

With 87 percent of Vietnamese children using the Internet daily for five to seven hours, experts warned that safeguarding them in the digital space has become a pressing issue.

Drinking alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, and spirits, is associated with more than 230 diseases and injuries, with no level of consumption considered safe for health, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC).

Vietnamese authorities have uncovered a series of food safety violations involving chemically treated bean sprouts, including a case in which about 2,900 tonnes were distributed and the latest incident where a woman is accused of selling more than 510 tonnes.

A diving group in Phu Quy Special Zone, administered by Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province, witnessed a breathtaking sight when a pod of nearly 100 whales swam alongside them near Hon Tranh Island.

Tran Thanh Man was re-elected chairman of Vietnam’s 16th National Assembly in Hanoi on Monday after winning all 491 votes cast by attending lawmakers.

Good morning from Vietnam!

A truck driver rescued a toddler who wandered into traffic on National Highway 1 in Hue City, central Vietnam, authorities said on Sunday.

A large-scale bean sprout producer in Lao Cai Province, northern has been indicted for allegedly using a prohibited substance in production for over two years, a violation linked to serious human health risks including potential damage to vital organs, local police said.

Nearshore seawater in Vung Tau and Rach Dua Wards in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern hub, turned unusual green and purple on Saturday, with a microalgal bloom suspected to be the cause.

DAKAR -- Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco.

HOUSTON -- They're sipping smoothies, snapping phone pics, dealing with crashed email and fixing broken toilets: astronauts, they're just like us.

SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom -- Arsenal suffered a shock FA Cup quarter-final exit as the Premier League leaders crashed to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat against second tier Southampton on Saturday.

Factory A32 in Da Nang City, central Vietnam is carrying out advanced life-extension and maintenance work on fighter jets, a highly technical process aimed at extending the operational lifespan of the aircraft that have been in service for decades.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Nearly 1,000 hours beneath the sea have shaped the instincts of Vietnamese submarine officer Senior Lieutenant Le Van Thu. As the operator of combat control systems aboard a Kilo 636-class submarine, he must make split-second decisions to keep both his vessel and crew out of harm’s way.

The first-ever Francophone Comics Festival in Ho Chi Minh City kicked off on Saturday, drawing crowds of comic fans of all ages, both Vietnamese and foreign.

TOKYO -- Japan's Children and Families Agency has established a system to subsidize costs required for procedures to seize salaries and assets to secure child support payments from former spouses.

An Austrian tourist was rescued by police and local residents in northern Vietnam after getting lost and injured in a remote forest in Lang Son Province, authorities said on Saturday.

Vietnam and China have expanded their cross-border QR payment arrangement, allowing Chinese visitors to use China’s Alipay app to scan VietQRGlobal codes and make payments directly in Chinese yuan at millions of acceptance points across Vietnam, in a bid to boost tourism flows, trade, and digital financial connectivity.

Vietnam will impose administrative fines of up to VND50 million (US$1,890) on individuals who commit violations in social protection and child welfare, as part of newly-issued Government Decree 98.

The Hanoi Department of Construction has rejected recent media reports claiming that the city plans to make bus services free for all residents, saying the information is inaccurate and has caused public misunderstanding.

HYDERABAD, India - Soon-to-be brides and grooms seeking shortcuts to shed pounds before the big day have become the latest consumer target for weight-loss drugs in India.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday confirmed that the upcoming Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1) holiday will follow the previously announced schedule, despite public calls to extend the break to nine days.

Hundreds of officers and personnel from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, alongside on-site emergency teams, took part in a fire prevention and rescue drill at Phu My Thermal Power Company on Friday.

Vietnam’s vast network of reservoirs holds untapped potential for aquaculture development, with annual revenues expected to reach VND16 trillion (US$605 million), heard a conference held in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam on Friday.

A major water pipe burst in southern Ho Chi Minh City will cause low water pressure in multiple communes and wards for 48 hours, starting 10:00 pm on Sunday, as authorities work to repair the damaged pipeline, the city’s water utility Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO) said.

«Our impatience actually slows everyone down, turning orderly intersections into gridlock and making the journey longer.»

Good morning from Vietnam!

Ho Chi Minh City attracted nearly US$2.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first quarter of 2026, expanding nearly 220 percent year on year, with a $125 million TikTok Shop Vietnam project among the most notable new investments, the city’s finance department told a press briefing on Thursday.

TOKYO -- Local authorities in Japan are warning people to watch out for bears as they emerge from hibernation.

TOKYO -- Microsoft Corp. said Friday it will invest US$10 billion in Japan between 2026 and 2029 to beef up artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure capacity in the country and reinforce cybersecurity cooperation with the government.