The elevation of Vietnam–European Union relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership carries both symbolic and practical significance, signaling deeper political trust and expanded scope for economic and technological cooperation, according to analysts.

TOKYO -- The number of foreign workers in Japan as of the end of October 2025 jumped 11.7 pct from a year before to 2,571,037, hitting a record high for 13 years in a row amid the country's labor shortages, the labor ministry said Friday.

JAKARTA/SINGAPORE -- Indonesia's chief economic minister promised increased financial market transparency and improved corporate governance on Friday, after the stock exchange chief resigned to take responsibility for a $80 billion share rout.

FRANKFURT -- The euro zone economy grew quicker than expected last quarter as consumption and investments kicked into higher gear, offsetting low exports and the exceptional uncertainty emanating from U.S. trade policy, Eurostat data showed on Friday.

Vietnam's Phan Huy became the youngest-ever designer to present a collection on the official Haute Couture calendar in Paris aged just 27 on Thursday, rounding out a week of major fashion debuts and celebrity sightings.

Police in Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province have seized about 4.6 tonnes of coffee products suspected of being adulterated with soybean powder, authorities said on Thursday.

Efforts by authorities in Vietnam’s largest cities to clear sidewalk encroachments and restore pedestrian space are gaining momentum and reshaping street life, but they are also sparking debate over how to balance urban order, safety, and a deeply ingrained street culture.

Vietnam has not recorded any Nipah virus infections, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday, while stressing that authorities are strengthening surveillance at border checkpoints and coordinating closely with the World Health Organization (WHO).

TOKYO -- Two giants stare each other down before colliding with a dull thud. After years on the sidelines, sumo is back center stage as part of Japan's soft power arsenal overseas.

SINGAPORE - Stocks were volatile in early Asian trading on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed a bipartisan deal to avert a fresh government shutdown and said he has decided who he will nominate to lead the Federal Reserve.

Vietnam secured a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup on Thursday after Thailand thrashed Kuwait 6-1, settling Group B with a match to spare.

Vietnamese President Luong Cuong and European Council President António Costa announced on Thursday that Vietnam and the European Union (EU) have officially upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, marking a historic milestone after 35 years of diplomatic relations.

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Ho Chi Minh City authorities and Phat Dat Real Estate Development JSC on Wednesday broke ground on Binh Chuan 3 Elementary School, a VND145-billion (US$5.5 million) project fully funded by the private sector to ease classroom shortages in Thuan Giao Ward.

Apple on Thursday forecast higher-than-expected revenue growth of up to 16% for the March quarter, powered by strong demand for its iPhones and a sharp rebound in China and accelerating demand in India.

A man in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam has been charged with theft for retrieving his own motorbike after it was impounded by police over a drink-driving offense.

Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to have at least 28 percent of its students enrolled in basic science, engineering and technology disciplines by the end of 2026, as part of an effort to build a skilled workforce to support innovation, digital transformation and long-term economic growth.

TOKYO -- Japanese police conducted 13 undercover investigations into so-called dark part-time jobs through last month, National Police Agency sources said Thursday.

TOKYO -- The number of people who died by suicide in Japan in 2025 came to 19,097, standing below 20,000 for the first time since the statistics began in 1978, preliminary government data showed Thursday.

TOKYO - Toyota Motor sold a record 11.3 million vehicles globally in 2025, the company said on Thursday, retaining its crown as the world's top-selling automaker for a sixth consecutive year.

LAHORE/HANOI -- Authorities in Pakistan have ordered enhanced screening of people entering the country for signs of infections of the deadly Nipah virus after India confirmed two cases, adding to the number of Asian countries stepping up controls.

Vincom Retail JSC on Thursday announced the launch of Vincom Collection, a new brand of experience-focused commercial streets to be developed in major Vinhomes urban areas and key tourism destinations across Vietnam.

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics forecast a worsening chip shortage this year driven by the AI boom, with strong memory demand benefiting its mainstay chip business but creating headwinds for its other units like smartphones and displays.

Amazon confirmed 16,000 corporate job cuts on Wednesday, completing a plan for around 30,000 since October, while leaving open the possibility of further reductions.

Police in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam have discovered and confiscated nearly four metric tons of food products of unknown origin that were about to be released onto the market ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet.

LONDON - Action-packed dark comedy «One Battle After Another» led nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards on Tuesday, with vampire thriller and box office smash «Sinners» also widely recognised at Britain's top movie honours.

There was a time when many Vietnamese parents believed online safety was someone else’s problem, trusting that their well-behaved children were immune. Yet the moment such confidence takes hold is also when the protective line shielding children from fake news, harmful content and toxic information online becomes dangerously thin.

BOGOTA -- A plane crash in northeast Colombia on Wednesday killed all 15 people on board, including a local lawmaker, state-run airline Satena said.

CHENGDU, CHINA -- Twin giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, arrived in Sichuan Province in southwestern China on Wednesday after leaving Tokyo's Ueno Zoo the previous day.

TOKYO -- Overseas assets held by wealthy residents of Japan in 2024 rose 26.3 pct from the previous year to a record high of 8,194.5 billion yen, the National Tax Agency said Wednesday.

PARIS -- Japanese physicist Toshiko Yuasa is among the 72 female scientists set to join the currently male-only list of names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower, the city of Paris has said.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Parts of Australia sweltered in record temperatures of close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as the country sweated through a prolonged heat wave.

NEW YORK -- Two artifacts found at a lake shore in Greece are the oldest wooden tools to be uncovered so far and date back 430,000 years.

Hanoi police have charged four people, including the directors of three environmental services companies, over the illegal dumping of thousands of tonnes of construction waste on agricultural land in the capital, authorities said on Tuesday.

The Ho Chi Minh City police department’s economic crime division has uncovered a shocking case of food safety violations, involving the use of industrial chemicals to process thousands of metric tons of snail meat for sale on the market.