Sovico Group, a founding shareholder of air carrier Vietjet Air, has been committed to completing a feasibility study for metro line No. 4 in Ho Chi Minh City in the second quarter of 2026 and aims to start work on the project in the first quarter of 2027.

Vietnam’s coffee chain market is among the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia, with popular brands Milano Coffee and Highlands Coffee listed among the region’s largest operators, a report released on Monday by Momentum Works showed.

Japan will provide a next-generation official development assistance (ODA) loan worth 50 billion yen (US$315 million) to Vietnam, featuring streamlined procedures and faster disbursement to support the country’s green transition and climate goals, officials said at a high-level workshop in Hanoi.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government decided at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to begin active cyber defense operations on October 1, as part of efforts to prevent major cyberattacks.

TOKYO -- Japan's Foreign Ministry has launched a new office tasked with actively engaging in the efforts to broker peace in countries in conflict.

LONDON -- About 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024, according to new United Nations estimates, a sign progress to reduce child mortality rates was stalling even before global aid budget cuts last year.

WELLINGTON - New Zealand's government will introduce legislation on Wednesday to tighten deportation, asylum and immigration enforcement rules, saying the changes are needed to tackle serious offending, migrant exploitation and bad-faith claims.

Vietnam is expected to see the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) shift toward a warmer phase in 2026, increasing the risk of stronger storms and heavier rainfall even as overall storm numbers may not rise, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Police in Hue City, central Vietnam said on Tuesday they had recovered a mobile phone stolen from a U.S. tourist and arrested a suspect following a street snatch.

A rabid dog bit three people in Da Nang, health authorities said on Tuesday, as the central Vietnamese city has reported seven rabies outbreaks in animals since the start of 2026.

Good morning from Vietnam!

European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela will visit Hanoi from March 23 to 25 to step up European Union (EU) investments in Vietnam and support the country’s sustainable economic growth, according to the EU Delegation to Vietnam.

«We do see more and more Vietnamese exhibitors and participants joining us,» Johnson Ng, director of service promotion at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), told Tuoi Tre News at a press briefing on the opening day of the 2026 Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) on Tuesday.

AOMORI -- Four people died after a collision between a cargo ship and a fishing boat off the northeastern Japan prefecture of Aomori in the early hours of Tuesday.

TOKYO -- A group of researchers including Wataru Kojima, an associate professor of animal ecology at Yamaguchi University's Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, has found that most female Japanese rhinoceros beetles mate only once in their lifetime, which is rare for an insect.

China is prepared to expand imports of high-quality goods from Vietnam, particularly agricultural products, in a move aimed at fostering balanced trade between the two countries, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi said at a high-level bilateral meeting in Hanoi on Tuesday.

On the streets of Da Nang City in central Vietnam, a small cup of ‘oc le,’ tiny sea snails no bigger than shirt buttons, draws steady crowds despite, or perhaps because of, the effort it takes to eat them.

Bangladeshi migrant Ahmad Ali, 55, was doing his regular round delivering drinking water to residents in the United Arab Emirates when Iran launched its first retaliatory attacks against Gulf countries.

MEXICO CITY -- Iran's football federation is «negotiating» with FIFA to relocate the country's first-round matches at the World Cup to Mexico from the United States, citing the conflict in the Middle East, Iran's embassy in Mexico said Monday.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Traffic surveillance cameras in Ho Chi Minh City have detected more than 84,500 traffic violations since the start of 2026, city police said on Monday.

Vietnam’s cinema industry achieved a historic milestone in 2025, with audiences spending nearly VND5.6 trillion (US$213 million) on movie tickets, a 24-percent increase compared with the previous year.

PARIS -- Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to appear in court on Monday to appeal a conviction for criminal conspiracy over attempts to procure campaign funds from Libya, for which he received a five-year jail sentence last year.

The foreign ministers of Vietnam and China held strategic talks in Hanoi on Sunday, as part of the 17th session of the Vietnam-China steering committee for bilateral cooperation and the first ministerial-level strategic dialogue involving foreign affairs, defense, and public security.

More than a decade ago, Lo Lo Chai was a quiet village at Vietnam’s northernmost tip in Lung Cu Commune, Tuyen Quang Province, little known even to domestic travelers, but today it has become a lively and attractive tourist destination bustling with visitors, thanks in part to a Japanese traveler.

SEOUL -- South Korean fans and media basked in the success of «KPop Demon Hunters» on Monday after the film clinched two Oscars and added to the country's growing pantheon of cultural hits.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for closer coordination between Vietnamese and Japanese agencies and partners to ensure that the LOTUSat-1 Earth observation satellite is launched by late 2027 and put to effective use.

NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. -- Two ships capsized on Monday off the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, leaving two people dead and two others injured.

A 79-year-old Vietnamese man was hospitalized after being bitten by a cobra and carrying the snake home, Da Nang Hospital said on Monday.

Vietnamese traffic police have issued remote fines to 60 drivers who stopped or parked illegally on expressways linking Ho Chi Minh City with south-central coastal provinces, authorities said on Monday.

LOS ANGELES -- First-time nominee Michael B. Jordan won the best actor Oscar on Sunday for playing twin brothers in the genre-bending vampire tale 'Sinners.'

The global economy is experiencing sharp volatility, prompting many Vietnamese businesses to hesitate before signing new contracts amid rising risks, so stronger and more comprehensive support mechanisms from the government are increasingly seen as essential.

Sovico Group, a founding shareholder of air carrier Vietjet Air, has proposed investing about VND94 trillion (US$3.6 billion) in five transport infrastructure projects in Ho Chi Minh City under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, according to a proposal submitted to the municipal government.

Sun PhuQuoc Airways, a subsidiary under Vietnamese conglomerate Sun Group, launched a direct route between Phu Quoc and Nha Trang on Sunday, connecting two of Vietnam’s most popular beach destinations.

Military-run telecom group Viettel has been ranked the world’s strongest telecommunications brand, representing a breakthrough for the Vietnamese firm after two consecutive years in second place.