MELBOURNE -- Signatory countries to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, decided at a ministerial meeting Friday to launch membership talks with Indonesia, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.

Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday, strutting to victory after several dramatic missteps before the final round, including staging a walkout when an organiser of the beauty pageant chastised her.

Vietnam’s shrimp exports surged 22 percent year on year to US$3.9 billion in the first 10 months of 2025, with China remaining the largest buyer, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

TOKYO -- Most moss spores germinated normally after spending about nine months in outer space, a team of researchers in Japan said Friday, confirming that mosses can survive for an extended period in the harsh space environment.

TOKYO - A Japanese regional governor said on Friday he would allow a partial restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's biggest, as Japan tries to revive its nuclear sector and reduce fossil fuel imports.

CHENNAI -- Indian officials are investigating whether safety lapses in the supply of a pharmaceutical ingredient were responsible for contaminating cough syrup that has killed at least 24 children in recent months, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Vietnamese health authorities have ordered a nationwide review and recall of U.S.-made ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula after reports of infant botulism cases linked to the product in the United States.

The 2025 KOCHAM Charity Night, organized by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (KOCHAM), raised nearly US$1.2 million in cash and in kind contributions from South Korean businesses operating across the country.

Widespread flooding and landslides have killed 41 people and left nine missing across central Vietnam as of 6:30 am on Friday, with more than 68,000 homes submerged and major highways blocked by deep water and debris.

Singapore’s UOB Bank on Thursday released its ASEAN Consumer Sentiment Study, which found that 94 percent of the Vietnamese consumers surveyed feel confident managing their personal finances, with many maintaining regular saving habits.

Despite being in their 60s and 70s, many seniors are enthusiastically joining the free swimming classes organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Aquatic Sports Center under the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

The Ministry of Public Security's Drug Crime Investigation Department on Thursday held a ceremony to recognize outstanding achievements in the national anti-drug campaign, in which investigators broke up a major transnational drug-trafficking network operating from the Golden Triangle into Vietnam, arresting 13 traffickers and seizing some 800 kilograms of synthetic narcotics.

For the first time since its sacred ritual objects were restored, the fully reassembled national treasure of the Tara Bodhisattva statue has been opened for public viewing at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, alongside 18 other national treasures.

Vietnam’s chances of reaching the 2027 Asian Cup finals came down to an upcoming disciplinary decision by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), despite the team earning a 2-0 victory over Laos and standing second in Group F.

Australians younger than 16 will be removed from Facebook and Instagram on December 4, tech giant Meta said Thursday, as Canberra prepares to enforce sweeping laws banning teens from social media.

Students at Ho Chi Minh City’s Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted on Tuesday rehearsed a Vovinam music-martial arts routine for Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20) celebration, part of preparations for a record attempt scheduled for the end of the month with up to two million participants.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City has sentenced five defendants, including Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, to jail terms for deceiving consumers through the false advertising of Kera Supergreens Gummies, a vegetable supplement sold by Chi Em Rot Group JSC (CER Group) and Asian Life JSC.

A South Korean ferry ran aground after the helmsman became distracted by his mobile phone, a member of the coast guard told AFP on Thursday.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration Nguyen Van Duoc and President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Milos Vystrcil agreed on Wednesday to expand cooperation across multiple sectors and support the re-opening of the Czech Consulate General in the city.

Rescuers plucked stranded people from the rooftops of submerged homes as widespread flooding inundated central Vietnam, where authorities said on Thursday at least 16 people have died.

«It has become common for people to suffer on the streets owing to the lack of public toilets, with women facing even greater challenges than men.»

TOKYO -- The Japanese government will soon hold the first meeting of a new panel of experts to discuss ways to realize a society of orderly coexistence with foreign people, Jiji Press has learned.

After a decade away from the silver screen since her leading role in ‘Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories…’ (2015), Do Thi Hai Yen returns to cinema with ‘Ky Nam Inn’ (2025), in which her leading role of quiet depth and emotional complexity marks a personal ‘return’ to her dream of filmmaking she has always carried.

Road access to Da Lat, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam, located in newly-merged Lam Dong Province, has become increasingly difficult due to the closures of three major passes on National Highway 20, including D’Ran, Prenn, and Mimosa, following landslides.

Floodwaters on the Ba River in Dak Lak Province, central Vietnam rose past the historic 1993 level by approximately 1.07m on Wednesday evening, driven by widespread heavy rain and massive inflows into hydropower reservoirs across the region.

Researchers warned Wednesday that rising global consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) poses a major threat to health, calling for countries to subject some products made by huge food companies to marketing restrictions and taxes.

A rescue team in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam freed an eight-year-old girl trapped under debris after heavy rain triggered a landslide that struck her family’s house in Xuan Truong-Da Lat Ward on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

SYDNEY - Turkey will host next year's UN climate summit while Australia will lead the conference's negotiations among governments, under a compromise deal taking shape in talks in Brazil, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

Good morning from Vietnam!

NEW YORK -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that it will invest US$912 million in five U.S. plants to further localize production of hybrid vehicles, which continue to sell well in the country.

PARIS -- A special exhibition on Japanese manga was unveiled to the press at the Guimet Museum in Paris on Tuesday, with the venue packed with reporters and photographers engrossed in the exhibited works.

A new round of floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in central Vietnam since the weekend has killed at least eight people, a government report said on Wednesday, with traders also warning that it could hamper the ongoing coffee harvest.

Finland Outlook 2026, a major education and career event scheduled for this weekend in Ho Chi Minh City, will offer students and young professionals updated information on studying, working, and living in Finland, with representatives from Tampere and top Finnish vocational and applied sciences institutions attending.

Scientists have detected some of the oldest signs of life on Earth using a new method that recognizes chemical fingerprints of living organisms in ancient rocks, an approach that also holds promise in the search for life beyond our planet.

Three out of seven colonial-era villas located at the 1 Ly Thai To site in Vuon Lai Ward, Ho Chi Minh City have suffered severe structural deterioration and require urgent intervention, while the remaining four villas are still deemed structurally sound.