TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday unveiled a plan to establish a panel of experts as early as this summer to discuss ways to strengthen the country's intelligence capabilities, a senior ruling party official said.

Governments and airlines scrambled Tuesday to repatriate tens of thousands of travellers stranded in the Middle East following the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by Israel-US strikes on Iran.

VinEnergo Energy JSC, a member of Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, has launched its first overseas renewable energy portfolio totaling 10GW across Asia and Europe, which is the first step toward developing 100GW of capacity over the next three years as it seeks to become a globally competitive renewable energy enterprise.

Hanoi police on Tuesday said they had dismantled a transnational cyber fraud ring that impersonated Japanese police and judicial officials, arresting seven foreign suspects accused of swindling about VND11 billion (US$420,000) from victims in Japan.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has issued Circular 09/2026 consolidating regulations on foreign language and Vietnamese language proficiency testing.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has revoked the registration of 291 cosmetic products, including items marketed under brands such as Paula’s Choice, Lemonade, and Dove, and ordered a nationwide recall of all unexpired batches, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) said.

Vietnam has aired its opposition to the use of force against sovereign states, warning that escalating hostilities in the Middle East have caused heavy damage, endangered civilians including Vietnamese nationals, and disrupted global economic stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism has issued a directive requiring travel companies to halt outbound tours to conflict-affected areas.

Xuan Thien Group has proposed investing in an industrial-agricultural complex integrated with urban, tourism, and energy components, with a total value of approximately VND260 trillion (US$10 billion) in the coastal area of Ca Mau, the only locality in Vietnam that borders both the East Vietnam Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup has proposed a major offshore wind power project in the southern province of Ca Mau, seeking approval to develop a 3,000MW facility aimed at exporting electricity.

Authorities in Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City have ordered a local ‘banh mi’ shop to suspend operations after several customers were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning.

Hundreds of thousands more children face acute malnutrition in Afghanistan this year amid a hunger crisis exacerbated by foreign aid cuts and violence on the border with Pakistan, a U.N. official said on Tuesday.

A family of four from the United States spent some US$3,000 per person on a 10- to 12-day year-end journey through Vietnam, choosing not luxury resorts or crowded tourist attractions, but the rhythms of everyday rural life.

Vietnam will receive the highest number of Taiwan scholarships in 2026, with 76 awards allocated, far surpassing other countries, the second of which receives only about 50.

Flight cancellations, sudden route changes, being stranded abroad, returning home or continuing their journeys under heightened caution have become unwanted, unforgettable experiences for many Vietnamese travelers as armed conflicts have erupted across parts of the Middle East.

Vietnamese airlines have announced a series of support measures for passengers affected by the temporary closure of Lien Khuong International Airport, the key aviation gateway to Da Lat in the Central Highlands region.

Vietnam has ordered companies to temporarily suspend sending workers to the Middle East as conflict in the region intensifies, the Department of Overseas Labor Management said.

Vietnam’s EV maker VinFast on Tuesday announced the completion of its three strategic automotive brand lines and unveiled two new ultra-luxury models, including the Lac Hong 800S and Lac Hong 900S.

Police in Dak Lak Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have initiated criminal proceedings against a fishing boat captain accused of organizing the illegal exit of four crew members by steering them aboard his vessel into Philippine waters to conduct unauthorized fishing, where it was later detained by local authorities.

SINGAPORE - Global oil and gas shipping rates soared, with supertanker costs in the Middle East hitting all-time highs, as the U.S.-Iran conflict intensified after Tehran targeted ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping data and industry sources on Tuesday.

Hanoi has set an ambitious target of ensuring that 50 percent of its communes and wards are free of drugs by 2030, alongside a commitment to reduce the number of drug users by at least five percent annually.

Vietnam has stepped up efforts to protect its citizens in Israel around the clock as the Middle East conflict continues to unfold, with all Vietnamese nationals in Israel and across Gulf countries reported safe, according to Vietnam's diplomatic missions.

Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam have teamed up with relevant forces to discover and seize some four metric tons of food products of unknown origin in a crackdown on unsafe food trading in the province.

Police in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam caught 13 foreign nationals gambling illegally in a hotel basement in Nha Trang late on Sunday, seizing US$3,500 in cash and documents related to the operation.

Foreign visitors to Phu Quoc Special Zone, an island in An Giang Province, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, are increasingly seeking immersive activities along the Cua Can River, including traditional fishing and riverside tree planting, in addition to the island’s famed beaches.

A seven-year-old girl from Hue City in central Vietnam narrowly escaped death after being bitten by a Malayan krait while sleeping, in a race against the ‘golden 24 hours’ that was won only after five vials of antivenom were urgently airlifted from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue with the help of a volunteer airline passenger.

The notorious Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera was laid to rest in a simple grave Monday in a ceremony that featured trucks overflowing with flowers, traditional music and dozens of masked soldiers in armored vehicles.

Nguyen Thanh Tung, chairman of the board of directors of state-run Vietcombank, has been nominated as a candidate for the 16th National Assembly in Ho Chi Minh City.

Good morning from Vietnam!

TOKYO -- As Japan struggles with a nationwide shortage of drivers, major automakers, leading telecommunications companies and startups are ramping up efforts to introduce autonomous driving on local public bus routes.

Authorities in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam have approved a flood prevention project along the Red River valued at VND13.269 trillion (US$505 million), aiming to protect the provincial center and surrounding areas from recurring inundation.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East has not only disrupted luxury tours but also left export shipments stranded in warehouses, forcing Vietnamese businesses to struggle under growing pressure.

LONDON -- Britain is seeking the views of parents and children on whether to ban access to social media for under-16s, as well as possible restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots.

Vietnam has taken swift measures to protect its 38 citizens in Iran, including evacuating embassy staff and their families to a safer location, after clashes involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran erupted on Saturday, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Nguyen Luong Ngoc.

COPENHAGEN -- Maersk, the major container shipping company, said Sunday it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the narrow Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, next to Iran, for «safety» reasons.