Two Vietnamese cities -- Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City -- have been included in a global ranking of the world’s best cities for 2026 published by British magazine Time Out.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government adopted at a cabinet meeting Friday bills aimed at introducing a system under which public health insurance will fully cover childbirth costs.

The Ho Chi Minh City administration has ordered tighter inspections of hotels, karaoke bars, massage parlors, and other service businesses to prevent disguised prostitution and related illegal activities.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said it would raise concerns with regional and global football authorities if a ruling on an eligibility case involving Malaysia's national football team in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers is deemed unfair.

Officers at Da Nang International Airport in the eponymous city in central Vietnam have returned a backpack containing nearly US$5,000 and 40,000 Indian rupees to an Indian tourist after it was accidentally left behind.

Vietnam adjusted retail fuel prices from 10:00 pm on Thursday, with mixed increases and decreases across products, marking the third adjustment in three days as global oil prices fluctuated widely.

Vietnam’s passport has climbed six places since the December 2025 ranking to rank 84th globally in the Henley Passport Index 2026, reflecting gradual improvements in international mobility for Vietnamese citizens.

Ho Chi Minh City has launched a 150-day campaign to complete 1,000 new classrooms before the start of the 2026-27 academic year in early September.

Police in Hanoi have fined a 23-year-old electric vehicle salesman VND7.5 million (US$286) for posting false information on social media claiming petrol prices could surge to VND40,000 ($1.5) per liter.

Three children in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have shown signs of recovery after receiving a rare botulism antidote supplied by the World Health Organization (WHO) following food poisoning, health officials said.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is driving a surge in global demand for semiconductor chips and large-scale data centers. Behind this technological race lies another critical competition: securing reliable supplies of strategic materials.

Helicopter sightseeing tours over Ho Chi Minh City were resumed on Wednesday, offering travelers aerial views of the southern hub and surrounding areas after a hiatus since 2022.

The partnership between ravens and wolves goes back to Norse mythology -- Odin's birds scouted ahead and led prey to the god's canines, a relationship that provided food for all.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines announced on Thursday that it had increased seat capacity on its Europe-Vietnam routes by nearly 1,000 seats during the peak travel period amid operational constraints linked to the tensions in the Middle East.

Authorities in Hanoi said on Thursday an exposed electrical wire caused an unusually hot section of sidewalk that recorded temperatures of 40–50 degrees Celsius in Ung Hoa Commune.

Vietnamese singer Son Tung M-TP has been nominated for TC Candler’s annual ‘100 Most Handsome Faces in the World’ list for the fifth time, according to the U.S.-based culture and beauty commentary platform.

Thien Viet Securities JSC (TVS) has officially invested US$4 million in Dat Bike, Vietnam’s homegrown electric motorbike manufacturer, during the latter's Series B funding round, marking the participation of a domestic investment bank in the electric vehicle sector.

SAITAMA -- A male leukemia patient between 10 and 19 died and two other young male patients are unconscious after spinal injections of anticancer drugs at a hospital in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo, hospital officials have said.

TOKYO -- Japan will release its oil reserves as early as Monday amid soaring crude oil prices, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday.

A ship of the Vietnam People’s Navy has returned to Ho Chi Minh City after successfully taking part in the MILAN 2026 multilateral naval exercise in India, a mission combining international defense exchanges with long-distance training at sea.

Voters in Ho Chi Minh City voiced their hope for the development of transport infrastructure connecting the city with key coastal destinations such as Can Gio, Vung Tau, and Con Dao to boost tourism and economic growth at a voter meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Ho Chi Minh City police have taken a tougher stance against inappropriate behavior in public spaces, with street hooliganism emerging as a key target of enforcement.

A strengthening cold front is forecast to affect Vietnam beginning Thursday, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds to northern mountainous areas and the central provinces from Quang Tri to Quang Ngai, according to the national weather center.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted Resolution A/Res/80/249 designating October 1 as International Coffee Day, according to the World & Vietnam Report, the press agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

LONDON -- Britain's media and privacy regulators on Thursday demanded that major social media platforms do more to keep children off their services, warning that companies were failing to enforce their own minimum age rules.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has arranged an emergency shipment of botulism antitoxin to treat three children in critical condition after suspected botulinum poisoning in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, a WHO representative said on Wednesday.

Ho Chi Minh City is preparing to develop a mobile application that will allow residents to monitor environmental quality directly on their smartphones, while also strengthening enforcement against environmental violations.

Japanese department store operator Takashimaya is planning to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, as it looks for new growth drivers while facing declining Chinese tourism in Japan.

Ride-hailing platforms Grab and Be have launched short-term support programs for drivers in Vietnam following recent fuel price increases, offering bonuses and fuel subsidies instead of immediately raising fares.

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Ho Chi Minh City has proposed expanding cooperation with South Korea’s Daejeon City in science and technology, innovation, high-quality human resource training, and smart city development.

TOKYO -- Japanese alcoholic drink maker Asahi Breweries Ltd. plans to resume shipments of all its products starting April 7 after a halt due to a computer system failure caused by a cyberattack on its parent.

TOKYO -- East Japan Railway Co. has said it will launch a trial in April of a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor pantographs on trains running on its busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo to detect defects in train cars at an early stage.

ACCV Holdings has announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its subsidiary, Asia Clean Capital Vietnam Pte. Ltd. (ACCV Pte), to funds now managed by Gresham House – a UK-headquartered specialist asset manager – after the integration of SUSI Partners into its Energy Transition division.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade raised retail gasoline prices while cutting kerosene rates in its latest fuel price adjustment on Tuesday, drawing on the petroleum price stabilization fund.