BERLIN -- Matcha is in short supply as the Japanese green tea is at the center of a global boom.

TOKYO -- Japan's Environment Ministry plans to compile by March an action plan aimed at reducing large amounts of clothing waste from households.

Phu Quoc International Airport in Phu Quoc Special Zone, an island in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam, is operating at full capacity to handle a record surge of international visitors, with around 80 flights arriving daily as the island cements its status as a top tourist destination in early 2026.

Despite clear road markings and signage, the bicycle lane on Mai Chi Tho Boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City has been widely encroached upon by motorbikes and cars, posing high safety risks for cyclists.

A beachfront bar in Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam has responded after a video surfaced of its employees threatening foreign tourists with a shovel and a plastic chair on a public beach, saying the altercation began when the tourists allegedly harassed a female staff member.

BEIJING/SINGAPORE -- A boom in battery storage has bolstered the demand outlook for lithium in 2026, driving hopes for an accelerated turnaround for an industry struggling with oversupply.

The second Sa Dec Flower and Ornamental Plants Festival in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam attracted more than 1.17 million visitors over nine days, including around 1,700 international visitors, according to local authorities.

Vietnam will require every house, apartment, and real estate asset nationwide to be assigned a unique electronic identification code starting March 1, as per a government decree issued to standardize data on the housing and property market.

The Cinema Department of Vietnam has requested that Netflix remove the Chinese TV series ‘Shine on Me’ from its website and app after the drama was found to feature the illegal nine-dash line, which China uses to assert unlawful claims over most of the East Vietnam Sea, violating Vietnam’s national sovereignty.

After more than two years of renovation, the Saigon River bank area on the Thu Thiem side, once part of Thu Duc City in Ho Chi Minh City, has taken on a striking new appearance, marked by a green public park and open, welcoming landscapes, with a field of blooming sunflowers being a highlight.

Traffic fatalities across Vietnam fell sharply during the four-day New Year holiday, with deaths down nearly 32 percent compared with the same period last year, according to a rapid report released by the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector generated more than VND2.63 trillion (US$100 million) in revenue during the four-day New Year holiday, signaling a strong start to the new year, according to the municipal tourism authority.

The Honda Activa e:, an electric scooter, is widely seen as a strong candidate to enter the Vietnamese market ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year although there has been no official confirmation.

Vietnam’s stock market upgrade to secondary emerging-market status by FTSE Russell has drawn interest from some of the world’s largest investment funds, including institutions managing trillions of dollars in assets, the country’s securities regulator said.

President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark's prime minister to stop «threatening» the territory.

Police in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam said on Sunday they were investigating an illegal gambling operation on Ha Long Bay after detaining 30 people during a raid on three fishing boats.

Local authorities in Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam are investigating an incident in which foreign tourists were threatened by a group of Vietnamese men armed with a shovel and a plastic chair at a public beach, after a video of the confrontation spread widely on social media.

Good morning from Vietnam!

The People’s Committee of Da Nang City in central Vietnam has approved a controlled, time-limited test allowing a company to trial a new technology for converting digital assets into fiat currency and vice versa.

Hanoi welcomed a record number of tourist arrivals during the four-day New Year holiday from January 1 to 4, with the capital receiving around 560,000 visitors, a surge of roughly 250 percent year on year, according to the city’s Department of Tourism.

Thai media have expressed concern that Vietnamese fresh durians may soon overtake Thai durians in the Chinese market, as Vietnam’s share is approaching 50 percent.

World number six Taylor Fritz may not be at full fitness for this month's Australian Open after the American said a niggling knee issue had prevented him from pushing too hard in his season-opening defeat at the United Cup.

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland - When a devastating fire broke out in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, some New Year’s revellers seemed unsure at first whether to take it seriously.

Vietnam is serious concerned about escalating tensions in Venezuela and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from using force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated.

Police in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam were questioning a taxi driver accused of tricking a South Korean tourist by switching banknotes, an officer told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday night.

Police in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam have penalized a couple for cooking food on railway tracks, an incident that drew public attention after their daughter filmed the act and posted it on TikTok.

A homestay in Phu Quoc Special Zone, an island in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam, has been inspected and suspended after authorities uncovered violations of lodging business regulations following complaints from foreign guests about unfulfilled bookings.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Cybersecurity experts at Kaspersky warn that personal and financial data in the retail sector are facing increasing threats, based on their analysis of 2025’s retail and e-commerce security.

For years, longer holidays often meant longer stretches of excessive noise mostly produced by karaoke activities from cities to rural areas in Vietnam. But the 2026 New Year holiday feels noticeably calmer, at least in my neighborhood, because karaoke singers have finally lowered their volume.

Thousands of workers have stayed on the job through the New Year holiday to accelerate the construction of major infrastructure projects in Phu Quoc Special Zone, an island destination administered by An Giang Province in southern Vietnam, to serve the 2027 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Tesla ceded its crown as the world's top electric vehicle maker to China's BYD after annual sales fell for a second year, hit by rising competition, the expiry of U.S. tax credits and brand backlash.

SAO PAULO -- A head-on collision between a bus and a truck left at least 11 people dead on Friday in southern Brazil, the country's Federal Highway Police said in a statement.

Road traffic accidents claimed 41 lives nationwide on Friday, the second day of Vietnam’s four-day New Year holiday, down nearly seven percent year on year, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Vietnamese railway attendants went to unusual lengths to help passengers after recovering gold jewelry mistakenly thrown away on a train and returning a forgotten handbag containing cash and bank cards, the national railway operator said.