Vietnam’s law-making National Assembly has officially adopted a resolution establishing Dong Nai Province as a centrally-governed city, set to take effect on April 30.

Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna has described Ho Chi Minh City as a dynamic ‘tiger’ full of ambition, expressing confidence in expanding cooperation between Estonia and Vietnam’s southern economic hub.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly hosted a special friendship program at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi on Friday morning on the occasion of the state visit to Vietnam by the Republic of Korea's President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse Kim Hye Kyung.

TOKYO -- Starting July, Japan will lower application fees for 10-year passports to around 9,000 yen.

TOKYO -- Mine-Akiyoshidai, a karst plateau in western Japan, has been designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

OSLO - Norway said on Friday it would present a bill in parliament by year-end to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, making technology companies responsible for the task of age verification.

InterContinental Nha Trang has appointed Christian Rasmus as executive assistant manager, the hotel said in a statement.

Meta plans to cut a tenth of its workforce, looking for productivity gains from its remaining workers as it invests heavily in artificial intelligence.

Hanoi will offer free bus and metro rides to residents and tourists during the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day break and the Reunification Day and International Workers' Day holiday.

The health department in Dong Thap Province, located in southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, on Wednesday confirmed the death of a 58-year-old man from rabies, raising concerns about infection risks beyond direct dog bites.

ATHENS/ ROME -- Greece will no longer be the euro zone's most indebted country by the end of this year, with its public debt set to fall below Italy's, according to sources and data from Italy's new budget plan.

The suggestion by an envoy of Donald Trump that Italy should replace Iran at this year's World Cup provoked embarrassment from Azzurri fans on Thursday, with Italian media reminding readers that the idea has a very familiar feel.

Nike said on Thursday it is laying off about 1,400 people to streamline workflows, as the struggling sportswear company fights through a years-long sales slump.

AG&P LNG, a subsidiary of U.S.-based energy investment firm Nebula Energy, has agreed to acquire the remaining stake in the Cai Mep LNG terminal in Ho Chi Minh City, paving the way for full ownership and a stronger presence in Vietnam’s liquefied natural gas sector.

PARIS, France -- An envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked world football's governing body FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup, according to the Financial Times.

British International Investment (BII) launched a 1.1 billion-pound ($1.48 billion) climate finance initiative on Thursday, aiming to draw private capital into clean energy projects across India and Southeast Asia, where coal is still dominant in power generation.

COPENHAGEN - Two local trains collided head-on in Denmark on Thursday, injuring at least 17 people, four of whom were in a critical condition, the emergency service told Reuters.

A hailstorm swept across the summit of Fansipan in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon, pelting the area with ice stones measuring between one and three centimeters in diameter.

A collision involving six automobiles caused hours of severe traffic congestion on Phu My Bridge in Cat Lai Ward, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday night.

Good morning from Vietnam!

TOKYO -- A nationwide survey by the health ministry showed Wednesday that about 23 pct of some 13,000 sauna facilities across Japan do not have emergency buttons.

Police in Lam Dong Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have filed charges against several people following a gunfire incident and violent clash in a residential area of Da Lat, authorities said on Tuesday.

Vietnam is expected to become Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP), behind Indonesia, between 2026 and 2031, after surpassing Thailand and several regional peers, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

BERLIN - The number of immigrants residing in the European Union climbed to a record high of 64.2 million in 2025, up about 2.1 million from a year earlier, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Centre for Research and Analysis on Migration at RFBerlin.

President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday afternoon for a four-day state visit at the invitation of Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse, accompanied by a high-profile delegation of leading business figures.

SINGAPORE -- Dawn Medical Technologies has acquired a controlling stake in Pinnacle Health Equipment, the companies said on Wednesday, giving the CBC Group-backed buyer a foothold in Vietnam.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Four long-time friends from Australia made a memorable trip to Vietnam, revisiting favorite destinations and exploring new ones, including Ha Long Bay, where they enjoyed a luxury overnight cruise and traditional cuisine.

China does not view a trade surplus with Vietnam as a strategic objective, underscoring a willingness to expand imports of high-quality Vietnamese goods as part of efforts to rebalance bilateral trade, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei told a press briefing in Hanoi on Tuesday.

The net worth of Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong rose by about US$1.7 billion on Tuesday, lifting him to 69th place on Forbes’ global rich list, as shares linked to his Vingroup advanced.

A Vietnamese court has sentenced five Lao nationals to four life terms and one 20-year prison term, while Vietnamese defendants received two death penalties and other jail terms, in a major drug trafficking case involving more than 143 kilograms of narcotics smuggled from Laos into Vietnam.

Vietnam’s growing influence in the global footwear industry is drawing increasing attention from Europe, as MICAM Milano, one of the world’s leading footwear trade fairs, steps up efforts to connect with Vietnamese businesses and designers.

In the heart of India's capital city New Delhi, a few men are practising the ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing, training the birds to navigate long distances, as they preserve a skill passed on for generations.

Shreveport police said on Monday that they were working to determine why a man shot and killed seven of his children and an eighth child the day before, but said the eruption of violence appeared to be part of an ongoing domestic dispute.

Ho Chi Minh City is stepping up its green transformation agenda with the launch of the ‘Green Vietnam 2026’ initiative, a platform aimed at accelerating sustainable development and positioning the southern metropolis as a leading hub for green transition in Southeast Asia.