Vietnam on Friday opened a new facility of its International Financial Center (IFC) in Da Nang City, marking another step in its efforts to build a globally competitive financial hub after the first IFC facility opened in Ho Chi Minh City in December.

WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) -- Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has turned off its image creation feature for non-paying users following backlash over its use to create sexualized deepfakes of women and children.

Vietnam’s military has deployed six helicopters to a Hanoi airbase as part of heightened security preparations for the 14th National Party Congress, with experienced aircrews placed on standby to support safety and defense missions during the high-profile political event.

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing's largest variant of its best-selling 737 MAX jet, the MAX 10, to move to the second phase of flight testing on the plane's long-delayed certification campaign, according to a source familiar with the program.

Six members of the same family in northern Vietnam were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning on Thursday evening after eating seeds from a jicama plant, prompting health authorities to order an urgent investigation.

Diets high in salt and animal protein and low water intake are contributing to Vietnam having one of the world’s highest rates of urinary stone disease, Vietnamese urologists said on Friday at a medical conference in Ho Chi Minh City.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Two major retail and distribution groups in Vietnam were listed as key customers of Halong Cafoco, which is at the center of a major food safety scandal in which contaminated pork was stockpiled for canned meat production, according to the company’s midyear 2025 financial statements.

English courses for preschool children are proliferating across Ho Chi Minh City, even enrolling babies past their first birthday and promising that the earlier they learn, the sooner they speak, leaving many parents torn between following the trend and choosing the right time for their child.

The Japanese government and ruling coalition plan to submit a bill to this year's ordinary session of parliament that would give legal force to the use of maiden names in daily life by people who have changed surnames upon marriage.

TOKYO -- Japanese astronaut Makoto Suwa will make a long-term stay at the International Space Station around 2027, marking his first space mission, science minister Yohei Matsumoto told a press conference Friday.

Canada will provide more than CA$81 million (about US$58.4 million) to fund ten development projects in Vietnam, Canadian Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced during his three-day visit to the country, which concluded on Thursday.

Canada’s Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai visited the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday afternoon as part of his three-day official visit to Vietnam from January 6 to 8.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper has reviewed major milestones in Vietnam-U.S. relations, highlighted Ho Chi Minh City’s pivotal role in bilateral cooperation, and reaffirmed his continued commitment to advancing ties as he prepares to conclude his tenure.

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean initiative to boost the IPO market with a fast-track route to a Nasdaq dual listing has garnered a warm response from potential issuers, though bankers caution thin liquidity and a high valuation requirement could limit take-up.

The international community has spoken highly of Vietnam's economic performance in 2025 and expressed confidence in its outlook for 2026, according to information released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

The real estate market in Ho Chi Minh City has shown signs of recovery after a prolonged downturn, with business activity returning to positive growth from late 2024 and continuing to improve through 2025, city authorities said on Thursday.

Leaders of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam praised the country’s young talent for driving future growth in digital technologies, particularly crypto and blockchain, heard a panel discussion held in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

LAS VEGAS -- AI companies are on the hunt to design the ideal device to deliver AI's superpowers, and some new enterprises are convinced that headphones or earbuds are the way.

Good morning from Vietnam!

A «serious medical condition» with a crew member aboard the International Space Station has led NASA to bring the astronaut and three crewmates back to Earth months earlier than planned, the first such emergency return in the orbiting laboratory's 25-year history, senior space agency officials said Friday.

TOKYO -- Asian black bear sightings in Japan from April to November 2025 totaled 47,038, marking the highest figure since comparable data became available in fiscal 2009, according to the Environment Ministry.

TOKYO -- Japan's program to effectively eliminate high school tuition from fiscal 2026 is heightening concerns among public high schools that a shift toward private education will increase further.

The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has effectively walked back the previous administration's policy of expanding production of rice, Japan's staple food, under pressure from farming groups.

A fire erupted at a seven-story house in Hanoi on Thursday morning, leaving one person injured after he jumped from a height to escape the flames.

Hundreds of workers are racing to meet construction milestones at Hanoi’s new West Lake Opera House, a landmark cultural project with a total investment of more than VND12.7 trillion (US$483.5 million).

Many hospitals in northern Vietnam are reporting a growing number of peripheral facial nerve paralysis cases, mostly caused by cold exposure, as the region experiences its coldest weather since the start of winter.

SHANGHAI - Furniture retailer IKEA is closing seven stores in China from February 2, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Good morning from Vietnam!

The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion under the Ministry of Health will need about 122,000 units of blood in the first three months of 2026 to treat patients at more than 180 medical facilities across northern Vietnam.

Foreign investors and local businesses should act quickly and step up investment in various key sectors in Vietnam, focusing on value-chain upgrading, ecosystem development, reliability, and sustainability, John Low, managing partner for Southeast Asia at Roland Berger, told the Vietnam Vanguard Summit 2026, held in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

TOKYO -- Volunteers from Japan's Children and Families Agency have launched an awareness-raising campaign to alleviate the anxiety of children who struggle to talk about their problems with adults.

Doctors at Children’s Hospital No. 2 in Ho Chi Minh City have successfully treated a premature South Korean newborn weighing just 1.2 kilograms who suffered from neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, hospital officials said.

In the early days of 2026, many public spaces across Ho Chi Minh City have taken on a fresh new look, with flowers, decorative installations and greenery drawing large numbers of residents and visitors for strolls and photo-taking.

Japan's Tamagotchi toys were a 1990s playground craze and the virtual pets that demand food and attention are still a hit among retro-loving Gen Z and nostalgic parents.