The five top winners of the 2025 ‘In Search of the Best Pho Cook’ competition have earned the prestigious Golden Star Anise award and will showcase their ‘pho’ cooking skills at the upcoming Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore in October.

As of 1:00 pm on Sunday, storm Ragasa already intensified to level 14–15, with maximum sustained winds near the center reaching 150–183 km/h and gusts exceeding level 17, according to Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Stepping through the gates of India's Mayo College is like journeying back 150 years. Yet, the school that was once reserved for princes now educates a new elite.

LONDON/ATHENS - A group of top shipping companies including leading Greek players said on Thursday they want changes to a United Nations deal tabled for adoption in October that seeks to cut marine fuel emissions, adding complications to the draft accord after U.S. opposition.

A tropical storm was brewing over a chain of islands on the edge of the vast Tethys Ocean - the ancient predecessor to the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea - one day roughly 150 million years ago, and a baby pterosaur was caught in the powerful winds.

The French Residence in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday opened its doors to the public for European Heritage Days, inviting visitors to stroll beneath towering old trees, admire historic architecture, and discover rare artworks inside the villa.

By Saturday evening, storm Ragasa had intensified further to level 13, with gusts reaching level 16. It is forecast to strengthen into a super typhoon at level 16 (184–201 km/h), with gusts exceeding level 17 within the next 24 to 48 hours, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

A series of works by Thai artist Fuanglada Verdillon, created after she relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, are on display at her eẽhibition ‘Color of Saigon.’

Lotte Properties HCMC has notified Ho Chi Minh City authorities of its intention to terminate its contract for a US$762-million smart city project, but has not submitted formal documents to exit the investment, the municipal finance department said.

The State Bank of Vietnam has issued Circular 27 requiring domestic money transfers of VND500 million (US$19,000) or more, or the equivalent in foreign currency, to be reported to the central bank’s Anti-Money Laundering Department.

A former French colonial police station and detention center in central Ho Chi Minh City, once used to interrogate and imprison Vietnamese resistance fighters, may soon be designated a historical site and opened for cultural tourism.

JAKARTA -- Two bodies have been recovered in the search for seven Freeport Indonesia workers trapped underground at a major copper mine since September 8 due to heavy mudflows, Indonesian media reported.

Tesla has been approved to start testing autonomous robotaxi vehicles with a safety monitor in Arizona, the state transportation department said in an email to Reuters on Friday.

Vietnam's leading private conglomerate Vingroup on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PT. Sulsel Andalan Energi, a regional-owned enterprise in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to collaborate on large-scale renewable energy projects, with an initial focus on solar power.

LONDON -- Irish designer Paul Costelloe took fashionistas back to 1960s California while Turkish-born Bora Aksu celebrated cracks and imperfections at London Fashion Week on Friday.

Vietnam is facing challenges in building the infrastructure necessary to support a growing electric vehicle (EV) market, amid a heavy reliance on imported energy equipment and bottlenecks in technology, capital, and innovation. Experts warn that without swift action, Vietnam risks missing opportunities in green economic transition and energy innovation.

Tucked deep within the dense Melaleuca forest of U Minh Ha in Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam, a new ecotourism attraction is giving visitors a window into the country’s wartime past.

With only four months remaining in 2025, Vietnam's tourism industry faces a significant challenge in achieving its ambitious goal of welcoming 25 million international visitors — a figure that would mark the highest in the country's history and match Thailand’s total for 2023.

Storm Ragasa strengthened to level 11 (103-117 kph) with gusts up to level 14 (150-166 kph) early on Saturday morning and is forecast to intensify rapidly, possibly reaching super typhoon strength as it enters the East Vietnam Sea in the next three days, according to the country’s national weather agency.

Vietnam has for the first time placed in the top 20 worldwide for both fixed‑line and mobile internet speeds, according to the internet performance tool Speedtest, run by U.S. company Ookla.

The administration of Ho Chi Minh City has proposed that the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) establish an office in the city to strengthen cooperation and investment, particularly as the city is in the process of developing an international financial center.

TOKYO -- Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has arrested three Vietnamese men for allegedly shoplifting some 100 kilograms of rice.

BOSTON -- A group of Japanese researchers won this year's Ig Nobel Prize for biology on Thursday for their discovery that painting cows in a zebra pattern makes them less attractive to blood-feeding insects.

The People's Court of Quang Tri Province in north-central Vietnam on Thursday sentenced five Laotian nationals to life in prison for illegally trafficking nearly 100 kilograms of drugs from Laos into Vietnam.

Storm Ragasa is expected to enter the East Vietnam Sea on the morning of September 23 and may reach super typhoon strength with sustained winds of 184-201 kph and gusts above 220 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Schools in Ho Chi Minh City will ban students from using mobile phones during recess under a pilot program starting in October, the city’s education department said on Thursday.

Prior to the official release of the iPhone 17 in Vietnam on Friday, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper found that more than 200,000 iPhone 17 devices had been pre-ordered, with the cosmic orange version proving the most popular.

Google will integrate Gemini into its Chrome browser for users in the U.S. starting Thursday, just weeks after a federal judge spared the company from a forced breakup in an antitrust case.

BERLIN -- Germany's parliament approved on Thursday the nation's first annual budget since sweeping reforms to loosen fiscal rules were passed earlier this year, securing record investments to revive the economy while committing to an increase in defence spending.

The Palestinian Embassy in Vietnam has issued a public statement clarifying that it has no connection with organizations or individuals in the country reportedly calling for donations to support people in the Gaza Strip.

Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province has approved the first phase of a fuel depot project aimed at supplying aviation fuel to Cam Ranh International Airport and the south-central region, the provincial administration said on Thursday.

Vietnam's leading private conglomerate Vingroup has become the most valuable company on the local stock exchange, replacing state-run lender Vietcombank.

Scientists estimated Wednesday that rising temperatures from human-caused climate change were responsible for roughly 16,500 deaths in European cities this summer, using modelling to project the toll before official data is released.

Chimpanzees consume the equivalent of at least one alcoholic drink per day as they eat ripe, fermenting fruit, says a study out Wednesday that addresses one possible reason why humans are drawn to booze.

Inter Miami and Lionel Messi have agreed to extend the Argentine superstar's contract to remain in Major League Soccer (MLS) beyond next year's World Cup, according to a source close to the matter.