HANOI -- At least 27 people died after a tourist boat capsized in stormy weather in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay on Saturday, state media reported.

A Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense delegation, led by Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, conducted an inspection on Thursday of preparations to receive foreign military delegations attending Vietnam’s 80th National Day celebrations in Hanoi and Phu Tho Province.

A coastal embankment road completed in 2023 has transformed Hon Yen, or Yen Island, in south-central Vietnam into a popular destination for tourists and social media users.

Vietnam has become the world’s ninth-largest banana exporter and is among the top global exporters of coconuts, officials said on Friday, as the country aims to boost fruit exports and reach billion-dollar revenue targets for products like passion fruit and pineapples.

Storm Wipha, the third storm to enter the East Vietnam Sea this year, has strengthened to level 10 (89-102 kph) and is forecast to affect Vietnam’s northern coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Thanh Hoa between Monday night and early Tuesday next week.

DURBAN -- Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 countries stressed the importance of central bank independence while pledging to boost cooperation in a joint statement issued on Friday after a two-day meeting in South Africa.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft on Friday said it will stop using China-based engineers to provide technical assistance to the U.S. military after a report in investigative journalism outlet ProPublica sparked questions from a U.S. senator and prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to order a two-week review of Pentagon cloud deals.

LOS ANGELES -- Netflix said on Thursday that it used generative artificial intelligence to produce visual effects that appeared for the first time on screen in one of its original series, employing a technology that has been a source of anxiety throughout Hollywood.

SEOUL -- Torrential rains that lashed South Korea for a fourth day on Saturday kept nearly 3,000 people from returning to their homes, while livestock were stranded up to the neck in rising waters as the death toll reached four with two missing, authorities said.

Storm Wipha became the third storm to hit the East Vietnam Sea this year after entering the maritime area early on Saturday, according to the country’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Hanoi will break ground on metro lines No. 2 and No. 5, with a total estimated investment of some VND97.5 trillion (US$3.7 billion), on October 10 and December 19, respectively.

HANOI -- African swine fever outbreaks are spreading in Vietnam, threatening to disrupt food supplies in the Southeast Asian country, the government warned on Friday.

Storm Wipha is showing development patterns similar to 2024's destructive typhoon Yagi and is expected to enter the East Vietnam Sea early on Saturday, likely becoming the third storm to affect the Southeast Asian country in 2025, according to the national weather forecast center.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang has reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent position that all maritime disputes must be resolved by peaceful means, with full respect for diplomatic and legal processes, without the use or threat of force, and in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

NAIROBI -- The world's oldest multilateral climate fund, the Global Environment Facility, is planning a new wave of wildlife conservation bonds in a bid to help African countries save endangered species and ecosystems.

TOKYO -- Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. said Thursday that it will sell to local governments a policy to cover property damage caused by bullets fired during wild bear extermination.

Hanoi's existing power infrastructure is not capable of supporting widespread deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in residential areas, the municipal Department of Construction said in a report to local authorities.

Vietnam’s Air Force on Thursday conducted its first six-aircraft Yak-130 training flight in preparation for a flyover marking the country’s 80th National Day.

Medical staff from a health station in Thuong Trach Commune, Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam successfully assisted a 25-year-old Lao woman in giving birth by the roadside near the border area, the health station confirmed on Thursday.

Global aircraft engineering and maintenance service provider Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) on Thursday held a large-scale recruitment and career orientation event at the Vietnam Aviation Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, drawing the participation of hundreds of students eager to explore international career opportunities.

After the management board of Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City suspended a vendor for three days following a diner’s complaint about being charged VND1 million (US$39) for four bowls of ‘bun mang vit’ (Vietnamese duck rice vermicelli soup with bamboo shoots), a portion of boneless duck, and a plate of salad, the incident has stirred a public backlash, with many deeming the penalty too lenient.

The planned closure of Lien Khuong International Airport in Lam Dong Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, has been postponed to March 2026 from November 2025 after a recent agreement between provincial leaders and the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV).

Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for the presence and use of the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

ROME -- Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, died on Thursday in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said. He was 56.

Good morning from Vietnam!

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE -- A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month supports the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, said a source briefed on U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence.

Top pilots from units across Vietnam began their first training session on Thursday at Hoa Lac Airfield in Hanoi, preparing for the 80th anniversary celebrations of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2, known as the A80 mission.

With a single arm and unwavering determination, 26-year-old Van Anh Tuan slices his racket through the air, returning shot after shot on a humid court in southern Vietnam — chasing a dream that once seemed lost.

PeaceTrees Vietnam announced on Wednesday that it had safely removed a large quantity of explosive materials discovered in a resident’s backyard in Khe Sanh Commune, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam, according to Nhan Dan (People) newspaper.

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD.TO), opens new tab on Thursday pulled its $47 billion bid to buy Seven & i Holdings, citing a lack of constructive engagement by the Japanese retailer.

ROME - Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced.

Thousands of vehicles were caught in a severe traffic jam on the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway on Wednesday afternoon, particularly in the direction from Dong Nai Province to Ho Chi Minh City, with congestion peaking near Long Thanh Bridge, where repair work was underway.

A group of volunteers in northern Vietnam are working to remove plastic and household waste from Lan Ha Bay, a popular tourist destination known for its emerald waters and limestone islands, amid growing concerns over marine pollution.

Police in Hanoi on Thursday detained a driver involved in a devastating multiple pile-up on Nguyen Trac Street in Duong Noi Ward that left one person dead and three others, including two young children, seriously injured on Wednesday night.