Fines for adultery-related conduct will double in Vietnam, rising from the current range of VND3-5 million (US$114-190) to VND5-10 million ($190-380), according to a new government decree set to take effect on May 18.

As saltwater intrusion has intensified across Vietnam’s Mekong Delta since early April amid the hot dry season, local authorities and residents are increasingly moving from blocking salinity at all costs to adapting and coexisting with it to mitigate its impacts.

Factory A32 in Da Nang has reached two major milestones in maintaining and extending the service life of modern fighter jets, particularly the Su-27UBK and Su-30MK2, underscoring Vietnam’s growing self-reliance in advanced military aviation maintenance.

Slow travel is positioning the Saigon River as a strategic asset in attracting high-spending visitors to Ho Chi Minh City as many international travelers are willing to spend thousands of U.S. dollars for a leisurely river journey tracing cultural heritage from the southern metropolis to Cambodia’s Siem Reap.

Domestic migrants in India, who often travel thousands of kilometres for work are weighing up whether to leave New Delhi for good as energy resources choked by the Middle East conflict dwindle.

Vietnam consistently creates favorable conditions for the country’s Catholic community to operate and develop, enabling it to lead both good secular and religious lives while contributing to the nation, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said during a meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Saturday.

Iran’s Chargé d’Affaires to Vietnam Mohammad Mirali Mohammadi has confirmed ongoing coordination between Vietnamese and Iranian authorities regarding a proposal to facilitate the passage of Vietnamese vessels through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, amid continued tensions in the Middle East.

Bayern Munich romped to a 5-0 win at St Pauli on Saturday, breaking a 54-year Bundesliga goalscoring record and moving to within touching distance of a 35th league crown.

HOUSTON - The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew streaked through Earth's atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after nearly 10 days in space, capping the first voyage by humans to the vicinity of the moon in over half a century.

Vietnam’s law-making National Assembly (NA) has passed a landmark resolution reducing taxes on gasoline and oil to zero until the end of June in a bid to stabilize domestic fuel prices amid volatile global energy markets.

Accumulated garbage continues to affect multiple areas of Binh Hung Hoa Ward in Ho Chi Minh City, with waste seen floating in canals, piled along roads, and scattered inside a cemetery.

PORT-AU-PRINCE - At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.

SYDNEY - A cyclone battered New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, cutting power to thousands of residents and forcing hundreds to evacuate, as officials warned conditions would worsen through the day.

A new nursing home in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam officially opened on Saturday, offering free long-term care for up to 300 elderly people without family support.

As temperatures have soared across Ho Chi Minh City since early April, a prolonged heatwave is reshaping consumer habits and driving a surge in demand for cooling products such as drinks, juices and ice cream.

Prolonged extreme heat in Vietnam, with temperatures in some localities nearing 42 degrees Celsius in recent days, is increasing stroke risk, while a growing number of young patients is being reported, doctors said.

Demand for electric vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City has picked up sharply in recent weeks, with buyers placing deposits and waiting for deliveries as more affordable models enter the market and fuel prices climb, dealers and industry representatives said.

Health authorities in Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam on Friday confirmed one death linked to suspected meningococcal meningitis after three suspected cases were identified and treated at a provincial hospital, prompting intensified disease monitoring and preventive measures.

In a community center in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss program -- 'Trade Fat for Beef'.

Police in northern Vietnam have charged a 62-year-old driver with resisting officers after he took a traffic violation file and locked himself inside his Mercedes during a dispute over a speeding offense, authorities said.

TOKYO -- Japan's industry ministry said on Saturday it has approved an additional 631.5 billion yen ($3.96 billion) to accelerate research and development at chipmaker Rapidus.

Vietnamese police detained three South Korean nationals wanted under Interpol red notices and handed them over to South Korean authorities on Thursday, authorities confirmed the same day.

MADRID -- At least one person died and 27 were injured after a bus carrying British tourists crashed down a ravine on the Spanish island of La Gomera, emergency services said on Friday.

Authorities in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam on Friday confirmed a seventh suspected rabies-related death in 2026 after a 66-year-old man died following severe symptoms linked to dog bites, amid warnings of rising infection risks during ongoing hot weather.

Rising property prices in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang are pushing up living costs and putting pressure on low-income workers, with many earning under VND10 million (US$380) a month finding it increasingly difficult to get by, officials and residents said.

LONDON - Diminishing demand for late-night drinking and rising operating costs mean London's nightclubs are having to work harder than ever to keep their doors open.

AKITA -- A study is planned to analyze the impact of bear appearances on the daily lives and mental health of elderly residents in Akita Prefecture, which had the largest number of bear attack victims in Japan in fiscal 2025.

The People’s Committee of Da Nang City in central Vietnam has given its nod to the investment in two social housing projects in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, with a combined capital exceeding VND1.56 trillion (US$59.2 million).

Doctors at Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City have saved two young boys in critical condition from hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a strain known for its rapid and severe neurological complications, a hospital official confirmed on Friday.

The United States has launched two large-scale trade investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 covering dozens of countries and territories, including Vietnam, over concerns related to excess capacity and forced labor, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health on Friday reported a sharp increase in the number of students suspected of food poisoning at Binh Quoi Tay Elementary School in Binh Quoi Ward, with 148 cases recorded as of this morning.

SYDNEY - Australian energy and water utilities warn the strain on capacity from a more than A$100 billion ($70 billion) data centre build-out in the country's biggest state could sharply push up household bills.

Forty-six commercial banks in Vietnam pledged to lower both deposit and lending interest rates at a meeting with the State Bank of Vietnam on Thursday in a bid to ease financial pressure on businesses and households.

For two decades, researchers observed members of the Ngogo chimpanzee group of Kibale National Park in Uganda spend their days eating fruits and leaves, resting, traveling and grooming in their tropical rainforest abode. But this stable community then fractured and descended into years of deadly violence.

Leading Japanese printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer Meiko Electronics will invest US$50 million to establish a new subsidiary in Vietnam, expanding production capacity as demand rises amid supply chain shifts to ASEAN, the company said in a statement.