Sa Dec Square in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam buzzed with excitement on Wednesday evening as hundreds of thousands of visitors gathered for the opening of a hot-air balloon performance program, ushering in the New Year with a vibrant visual spectacle.

Trading personal data in Vietnam will carry fines of up to ten times the illegal profits earned starting January 1, 2026, as the country enforces a sweeping new law aimed at strengthening digital privacy and consumer protection, officials said.

BERLIN - Thieves used the quiet Christmas period to drill their way into the vault of a German retail bank and make off with at least 10 million euros' worth of money and valuables from customers' deposit boxes, police said on Tuesday.

Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday inaugurated the renovated Le Loi Boulevard, a key downtown thoroughfare, following nearly 20 days of work to upgrade infrastructure and revitalize the city center ahead of New Year celebrations.

A single lucky ticket won Vietlott’s Mega 6/45 jackpot worth VND17,185,095,500 (US$650,650) in the Wednesday evening draw, marking one of the final big lottery prizes of 2025 in Vietnam, the state-run Vietnam Lottery Company (Vietlott) announced.

The Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of Ho Chi Minh City said on Wednesday night that the unit had held a ceremony to officially open the N2 overpass branch of the An Phu Interchange project to traffic.

Vietnamese authorities have announced fireworks displays in multiple cities and provinces to mark the arrival of 2026, with events scheduled around midnight on Wednesday.

Vietnam’s competition authority has ordered VNG Corporation to urgently implement three consumer protection measures on its Zalo messaging platform, after the company sought to delay a scheduled working session amid heightened scrutiny over its updated user data collection practices.

Hanoi police have arrested the director of Ngoc Viet Education Co. Ltd. on fraud charges after a highly anticipated music concert was abruptly canceled, leaving audiences demanding refunds and triggering a criminal investigation, authorities said on Tuesday.

A 50-year-old Romanian man suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after playing pickleball with friends at a sports facility in Hanoi, but he was successfully saved thanks to timely emergency intervention by doctors a few days ago.

A content creator from Yamaguchi has posted a video showing himself using fish stock to cook a dish he called ‘Vietnam pho,’ prompting widespread discussion on social media.

Police in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have uncovered an illegal dog slaughter operation during an unannounced inspection, seizing more than 320 kilograms of meat from 29 slaughtered dogs and a quantity of prohibited fireworks.

TOKYO -- Tokyo police arrested a 35-year-old Chinese man Tuesday on suspicion of stabbing a woman in the Takadanobaba district of the Japanese capital's Shinjuku Ward on Monday.

Health authorities in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam on Monday reported a shocking case in which a nearly-10-meter-long pork tapeworm was discovered parasitizing the body of a local man, raising renewed concerns about food safety and parasitic infections linked to eating raw or undercooked foods.

Saigon Marina IFC Tower has been illuminated with special lighting since Monday, featuring the colors and symbols of Vietnam and the United Kingdom to mark a new milestone in bilateral ties and celebrate the twinning relationship between Ho Chi Minh City and Liverpool.

As 2026 approaches, Mang Den Commune, a highland tourism destination in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam, enters its most beautiful season of the year, with mild weather, endless stretches of pine forest, and blooming cherry blossoms, making it an ideal holiday getaway.

Vietnam and Russia have made notable progress in trade cooperation in recent years and are moving toward their goal of raising two-way trade to US$15 billion by 2030 as part of broader bilateral cooperation, Russian Trade Representative to Vietnam Viacheslav Kharinov said on Monday.

Authorities in Tan Hao Commune, Vinh Long Province, southern Vietnam have called for a temporary suspension of karaoke activities to create a quieter environment for students to prepare for their first-semester examinations.

The Vietnamese government has issued new regulations under which individuals who trade gold bullion with unlicensed organizations could face fines of up to VND20 million (US$761.4) as part of a new decree taking effect in early 2026.

The People’s Committee of Ca Mau, the southernmost province of Vietnam, has approved an investment plan for a large-scale waste-to-energy plant project with a total capital of over VND1.7 trillion (US$65 million).

Winter Storm Ezra disrupted holiday travel across the U.S. Northeast, Midwest and Great Lakes for a third straight day on Monday, causing thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations as airlines scrambled to recover and meteorologists warned of a brewing «bomb cyclone» that could further snarl trips ahead of the New Year's holiday.

Ho Chi Minh City is pressing ahead with the development of a US$2 billion AI data center at Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park, forming a dedicated cross-agency task force to clear procedural hurdles and accelerate implementation of the project.

As Vietnam pushes toward making English a second language in schools, a leader of Ho Chi Minh City’s English-teaching community says the biggest challenges are not teacher ability but the conditions under which teachers work.

Museums in Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 4.46 million visitors in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 40 percent, reflecting growing public interest in cultural heritage and museum activities, heard a conference held at the Municipal Theater on Monday.

LONDON - Ask executives in the healthcare industry about the future market for weight-loss drugs and the analogies are telling: monthly GLP-1 medicine subscriptions like a streaming video membership; dose decisions managed on a smartphone app; access made as easy as buying a pair of Nikes.

Police in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Monday evening successfully intervened to stop a distressed woman carrying her infant from jumping off the Bai Chay Bridge, preventing a potential tragedy and ensuring the safety of both mother and child.

Vietnam’s economic diplomacy secured nearly 350 agreements and commitments with international partners in 2025, contributing to national development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a conference reviewing the foreign affairs sector’s performance this year, held in Hanoi on Monday.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have helped a Turkish tourist recover a lost iPhone after he accidentally left it in a ride-hailing taxi, an incident highlighting ongoing efforts by local police to support residents and foreign visitors.

SYDNEY -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday an independent review into law enforcement agencies set up after the Bondi mass shooting will assess whether authorities could have taken additional steps to prevent the terror attack.

TOKYO -- A five-year-old boy died after becoming trapped in an escalator at a ski resort in Otaru in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, according to local police.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government is set to begin full procedures to select locations for casino-featuring integrated resorts following Osaka, western Japan.

Three young children drowned on Sunday after slipping into a coffee irrigation pond in Ea Kly Commune, Dak Lak Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, while swimming with friends, local authorities said, highlighting ongoing concerns over child drowning risks in rural regions.

State-owned commercial lender Vietcombank plans to increase the charter capital of Vietcombank Securities Company (VCBS) by VND10 trillion (US$380 million) to VND12.5 trillion ($474 million) from VND2.5 trillion ($94.8 million).

Asian stocks were at six-week highs on Monday, while the dollar hovered near its lowest in almost three months on expectations of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates next year, which have also sparked a fierce rally in precious metals.

«Avatar: Fire and Ash» retained the top spot at the North American box office after it debuted the week before, reeling in $64 million during the weekend after Christmas, industry estimates showed Sunday.