Good morning from Vietnam!

More than 4,000 foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City have applied for level-2 digital identification (ID) through the VNeID app since the beginning of this month, with local police processing over 400 applications daily.

Many Vietnamese travelers buying a package tour to Australia have expressed frustration as Australian airline Jetstar’s flight JQ62 was severely delayed, disrupting their schedules, incurring additional costs, and significantly affecting the quality of their vacations.

The Australian government, in partnership with Dear Our Community, has announced the launch of the Australian Alumni Business Network, a new initiative that is intended to connect Australian-educated Vietnamese professionals and strengthen people-to-people and business ties between Australia and Vietnam.

TOKYO -- The proportion of people in Japan who think that their living conditions are more comfortable than a year before has fallen to the lowest level in over 15 years, according to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey for June.

Local authorities in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam have identified two previously little-known waterfalls in a primary forest area that could be developed for eco-tourism, a local official said on Monday.

Ho Chi Minh City’s water supplier Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) has announced a water outage and weakened water supply for this weekend in many wards citywide due to maintenance and equipment upgrades at Thu Duc Water Plant.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government on Tuesday launched a new office at the Cabinet Secretariat to oversee policies related to foreign residents.

The Vietnamese team has won four gold medals at the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Dubai, tying with China and the United States for the number of golds, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has requested relevant agencies to urgently study and propose plans to restrict high-emission vehicles, specifically gasoline-powered vehicles, in areas at risk of environmental pollution.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose heavy tariffs starting August 1 is posing a major challenge to several ASEAN countries, with Malaysia facing a 25-percent tariff and Thailand 36 percent, while Vietnam could make a difference due to its bold and rapid responses.

TOKYO -- The number of patients with fifth disease, or slapped cheek syndrome, in Japan hit the highest level in some 26 years in the week that ended June 22, according to data compiled by the Japan Institute for Health Security.

TOKYO -- The average correct answer rates in Japanese language and math sections of a national achievement test for students in Japan in fiscal 2025 fell from the previous year, the education ministry said Monday.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck off the coast of Indonesia's Tanimbar Islands region on Monday, the country's geophysics agency said, adding there was no tsunami potential.

Underground infrastructure relocation for Ho Chi Minh City’s metro line No. 2 is around 60 percent complete and is being fast-tracked to ensure its sod-cutting takes place in December as scheduled, according to the city’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR).

CATANIA/ITALY -- Monia, a Sicilian woman in her early forties, was overjoyed when she discovered in October 2022 she was expecting her first child. Her doctor, however, recommended a genetic test due to her age, and the result was one no parent wants to receive.

CMC Corporation said on Sunday it received approval from Ho Chi Minh City's Saigon High-Tech Park management board to invest over US$250 million in a large-scale data center project at the park.

Editor’s note: The views and experiences shared in this article are solely those of the author, an Australian citizen who has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for over 10 years and is married to a Vietnamese national. This piece reflects personal experiences and observations, and readers are reminded that their own experiences may vary.

VinSpeed High-Speed Rail Investment and Development JSC, a newly established company under Vietnam’s Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, announced on Sunday it is accelerating recruitment to prepare for two major high-speed railway projects in southern and northern Vietnam.

A new «Superman» movie from Warner Bros hauled in an estimated $122 million to lead weekend box office charts in the United States and Canada, a strong domestic debut that kicked off a new era for DC comic book heroes on the big screen.

Some schools and roads remained shut on Monday as New Zealand’s Tasman and Nelson regions started cleaning up after heavy rain over the weekend caused flooding, landslides and forced evacuations.

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI/MONTREAL -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing (BA.N) have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has tasked Hanoi authorities with eliminating fossil fuel–powered motorbikes within Belt Road No. 1 from July 1, 2026, as part of urgent measures to tackle environmental pollution.

A large and deep sinkhole has emerged next to Palm Garden Resort in Hoi An, Da Nang City, central Vietnam, accompanied by numerous structural cracks, alarming both guests and staff who suspect the adjacent construction of the Marriott Hoi An Resort & Spa may be responsible.

A police officer from An Nhon Bac Ward, Gia Lai Province, central Vietnam was tragically killed while walking for exercise as a pair of wheels detached from a container truck and struck him on Saturday.

Securing World Heritage status for Australia's Murujuga rock art will help protect the ancient Indigenous carvings, located in an industrial hub, the government said on Saturday.

Vietnam’s state-run lottery company Vietlott announced on Saturday the winner of the American-style Power 6/55 jackpot 1, which is worth over VND344.9 billion (US$13.2 million), the highest-ever jackpot prize in Vietnam.

Vietnam is among the countries growing increasingly attractive to tourists from emerging markets, becoming a popular travel destination, especially for beach tourism, according to a recent report by advertising technology company Yango Ads.

Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women's Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title.

Good morning from Vietnam!

A bus driver transporting 45 passengers was caught with high breath alcohol concentration on the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway in southern Vietnam on Saturday morning.

A subsidiary of Vietnamese realty developer Kinh Bac City Development Holding Corporation (KBC) has registered indirect control of a new Trump-branded real estate firm in Vietnam, filings with the country’s State Securities Commission show.

A patrol team from the management authority of Hon Cau Marine Protected Area in Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province discovered a nest of green sea turtle eggs on Friday, marking a hopeful sign for efforts to protect this endangered species.

Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 14,370 dengue fever cases in the first 27 weeks of 2025, a 153-percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, with six deaths reported so far, the city’s Center for Disease Control (HCDC) announced on Friday.

Hospitals and blood centers across Vietnam, from Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho to Hanoi and Nghe An Province, are experiencing critical shortages of blood for life-saving treatments.