Vietnam’s central coastal city of Da Nang received nearly 4,200 international cruise passengers during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday, including more than 1,000 people aboard the Seabourn Encore, which docked on Thursday, authorities said.

A recent survey shows that digital communication continues to shape how families in Vietnam stay connected alongside traditional in-person gatherings, reflecting a broader shift toward online interaction in daily life, even during Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), the most important annual time of family reunion.

The Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison and 14 other historical and scenic sites in Hanoi are offering free admission through February 22, the sixth day of the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Tesla has reduced the price of Cyberbeast, its most-expensive Cybertruck pickup truck model, to $99,990 from $114,990 in the United States, according to pricing information on the automaker's website on Thursday.

Alphabet Inc's Google and Southeast Asian technology conglomerate Sea Ltd announced a new tie-up on Thursday that will develop artificial intelligence tools for Sea's e-commerce and gaming products.

A tourist boat anchored off Phu Quoc Special Zone in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam suddenly caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday, with flames later spreading to a nearby fish raft, causing an estimated VND1.9 billion (US$73,161) in damage.

The chief executive of Lotte Entertainment Vietnam knelt and bowed three times before an audience during a cinetour event in Hanoi for the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) film ‘Mui Pho,’ urging viewers to support the movie as it posts the lowest box office revenue among this year’s four Vietnamese Tet releases.

Johnson & Johnson is preparing a potential sale of its orthopedics unit, in a deal that could top $20  billion, with the company eyeing private equity firms as the most likely buyers, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Police in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam said on Thursday they had arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly snatching jewelry from a woman, causing her to lose control of her motorbike and die in a collision.

Hospitals across Vietnam welcomed 2,011 newborns on Wednesday, the second day of the Lunar New Year, according to a Ministry of Health report.

Good morning from Vietnam!

TOKYO -- Japan's transport ministry plans to ban the use of power banks on airplanes as early as April, it was learned Wednesday.

Party General Secretary To Lam witnessed the signing and exchange of contracts and cooperation agreements between Vietnam and the United States in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon (local time), covering science and technology, digital transformation, aviation, and healthcare.

OTSU, SHIGA PREF. -- Japanese police arrested a 22-year-old Syrian man on Wednesday on suspicion of abandoning a woman's body in a wooded area in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan.

A boat carrying seven people, including seniors and children, capsized on the Gianh River in Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam on Thursday, the third day of the Lunar New Year, killing two and leaving two others missing.

BERLIN -- Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed growing calls in Germany for controls on access to social media platforms by children, saying he had become increasingly persuaded of the need for compulsory limits by evidence of the harm done by the deliberate spreading of fake news and other forms of online manipulation.

Vietnam has been ranked the world’s cheapest country for travel and expatriate living for the fifth consecutive year, with 89 percent of foreign respondents satisfied with the cost of living there, according to French news outlet Journal du Net, citing global surveys of foreign residents.

The domestic market has become more vibrant on the second day of the Lunar New Year (Tet) as shopping activity increases compared to the first day, reported the Agency for Domestic Market Surveillance and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Pauline Tamesis, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, has affirmed that the country’s growing diplomatic network and balanced foreign policy position it as a bridge-builder in an increasingly divided world, while deeper cooperation with the UN will focus on climate action, inclusive development, and the transition toward a high-income, sustainable economy.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Police in Lam Dong Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have arrested two 18-year-old suspects just 16 hours after they allegedly robbed a jewelry shop on Monday, the eve of the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet).

TOKYO -- Japanese convenience store chain Lawson Inc. will expand into India, seeing high growth potential in the world's most populous country, officials have said.

HIROSHIMA -- The main tower of Hiroshima Castle will close on March 22 due to aging, marking the end of public access inside the building after it was destroyed by the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing and restored as a symbol of reconstruction of the western Japan city.

With a compound annual growth rate forecast to reach nearly 40 percent during the 2025-31 period and ranking sixth worldwide in trust and adoption, Vietnam is rapidly emerging as a new ‘golden land’ in the global artificial intelligence race.

FRANKFURT -- European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde plans to leave her job before next year's French presidential election to allow Emmanuel Macron to have an input into picking her successor, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Microsoft on Wednesday said it is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help expand AI to countries across the 'Global South'.

Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam welcomed 2,400 international tourists arriving on two luxury cruise ships on the first day of the Lunar New Year, marking a festive start to the tourism season at Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

After celebrating the Lunar New Year (Tet) with family, many people like to start traveling on the third day of the holiday, with early-spring festivals being popular and meaningful spots to visit to start a new year.

A Hanoi bus driver was caught with alcohol in his breath while operating a bus on the first day of the Lunar New Year, police said.

Vietnamese traffic police detected 1,570 drunk driving violations nationwide on Tuesday, the first day of the Lunar New Year, despite early warnings and public advisories, underscoring persistent risks on the roads during the Tet holiday period.

Police in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have detained a foreign national accused of stealing more than US$5,800 in cash, bank cards, and personal belongings from two diners at a local restaurant.

Tu Du Hospital, based in Ho Chi Minh City, presented gold gifts symbolizing good fortune to five babies born at the stroke of the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2026.

Foreign tourists visiting the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) Book Street Festival on Le Loi Boulevard in Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City say the blend of music, vibrant decorations, and book displays has given them a warm and memorable impression of Vietnam’s Tet.

Several of Europe’s leading football clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur, have extended creative Lunar New Year greetings to fans in Vietnam through their official social media channels.

From learning how to recycle old clothes to bringing end-of-life garments to collection points, students in Ho Chi Minh City are being guided toward responsible fashion consumption from an early age.