Good morning from Vietnam!

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday that a proposed supplementary budget will include spending to help local governments address attacks by bears.

Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang provided explanations regarding a proposal to grant prisoners the right to donate organs and tissues, and to preserve their eggs or sperm, at a National Assembly (NA) sitting on Wednesday morning.

Nutifood has announced a bold global expansion plan, partnering with Australia’s ViPlus Dairy to bring its premium Nutifood GippsNature products to international markets.

Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of US$19.56 billion in January-October, driven by the foreign-invested sector, according to data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance.

Every weekend, a group of young volunteers in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam gathers to collect trash from public spaces, hoping to make their hometown cleaner and greener.

Vietnam’s tourism authorities said on Wednesday that about 72,000 tourists from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will visit Da Nang on charter flights next year, as the central coastal city seeks to revive one of its key international markets.

Fifty workers developed food poisoning symptoms after eating lunch at a company on National Highway 1A in Dong Hung Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, local authorities said on Tuesday.

Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, calling for more sustainable cooling solutions.

A Chinese woman who masterminded a multibillion-dollar bitcoin scam and evaded authorities for years was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in jail by a UK court Tuesday.

One or two storms or tropical depressions could form over the East Vietnam Sea between now and December 10, possibly affecting Vietnam's mainland, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said on Tuesday.

TOKYO -- A team of researchers from entities such as the Institute of Science Tokyo said Tuesday they have developed an artificial intelligence model that can detect a high risk of diabetes using only electrocardiogram (ECG) data.

Vietnam and India reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral defense cooperation during the 15th Vietnam–India Defense Policy Dialogue in Hanoi on Monday.

TOKYO -- Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency said Tuesday that an evaluation body of UNESCO has recommended six items from the country, including float festivals, for inscription on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Health experts have identified key factors behind recent food poisoning cases linked to ‘banh mi’ and are urging strengthened safety measures as Ho Chi Minh City faces a surge in Salmonella-related infections.

A buffalo that lived for more than 40 years — more than double the average lifespan of the species — has died, its owner said, after years of being regarded as a ‘family treasure’ in a province in north-central Vietnam.

SINGAPORE - Private funding for Southeast Asia's internet economy grew 15% from a year earlier to $7.7 billion in the 12 months to June 2025, lagging the global growth rate of 25% for private equity and venture capital investments, an industry report said on Tuesday.

Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) has once again raised its full-year GDP growth forecast for Vietnam from 7.5 to 7.7 percent, citing robust exports, steady industrial output, and stronger foreign direct investment (FDI) disbursement as key drivers.

Northern Vietnam will see a marked shift to dry, sunny weather from Wednesday before a strong northeast monsoon sweeps in around Sunday or Monday, likely bringing the coldest conditions of the season so far, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam has declared a state of emergency following widespread destruction caused by storm Kalmaegi, which left tens of thousands of homes damaged and critical infrastructure crippled.

The COP30 climate summit opened on Monday with the U.N. climate chief urging countries to cooperate rather than battle over priorities, as efforts to limit global warming are threatened by a fracturing international consensus.

NEW YORK -- Visa and Mastercard announced a revised $38 billion settlement with merchants who accused the card networks of charging too much to accept their credit cards, hoping to satisfy a judge who rejected a smaller accord as inadequate.

Located at 263 Hong Bang Street in Cho Lon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, a more-than-40-year-old bakery has long piqued curiosity over its name — Tan Da coconut cake.

In a small workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, sheets of discarded plastic, once destined for the trash, are being reborn as handbags — part of designer Pham Thi Kim Hang’s mission to turn waste into wearable, sustainable fashion.

TOKYO -- Public hospitals operated by local governments across Japan are facing increasingly severe financial pressure.

As Vietnam is about to celebrate Teachers’ Day on November 20, English-language education provider DOL English is using the occasion to highlight both the pressure facing today’s teachers and the company’s efforts to support them in an era of rapid technological change.

Residents of the Quy Hoa leprosy village in Quy Nhon Nam Ward, Gia Lai Province, central Vietnam were left homeless after storm Kalmaegi tore through the coastal area, destroying roofs and homes of leprosy patients and their families.

SYDNEY - Rain has helped curb the spread of a wildfire in New Zealand's oldest national park, though mist and foggy weather conditions forced the grounding of all rescue aircraft and delayed some firefighting efforts, authorities said on Monday.

MANCHESTER - Manchester City laid down a clear statement of intent in Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game as a manager with a crushing 3-0 defeat of Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday.

Vietnam’s coffee brand Three O’Clock officially entered the Indian market on Saturday, launching three stores simultaneously in Gurugram through an international franchise partnership.

SINGAPORE -- Global shares rose on Monday on optimism that an end to the historic U.S. government shutdown could be in sight, while the dollar was nursing losses from last week.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested 22-year-old Doan Quoc Viet, the operator of the TikTok account ‘Du Bau Troi,’ for allegedly posting videos that insulted people from both northern and southern Vietnam and fueled regional discrimination.

Thanh Cong (TC) Group aims to begin local production of Skoda electric vehicles (EVs) at its Thanh Cong Viet Hung auto plant in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, with potential models including the new-generation Elroq and Enyaq.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Vietnam’s renowned ST25 rice has once again made global headlines by winning the World’s Best Rice Award 2025, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, marking the third time the Vietnamese rice has been crowned the world’s finest.