Vietnam’s construction and real estate industries must adopt green building standards or risk losing foreign investment and access to global supply chains, experts warned at an industry conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

Though neither a social media influencer nor a professional tour guide, Nguyen Duy Tu, Party secretary of Van Son Commune in northern Vietnam's Phu Tho Province, has attracted millions of views with self-produced tourism videos, winning audiences over with his authentic style and everyday attire of a button-up shirt, trousers, and simple flip-flops.

TOKYO -- Japan's House of Councillors on Friday enacted a bill to revise a law to ease restrictions on the use of personal data for artificial intelligence development while strengthening safeguards against misuse.

Ho Chi Minh City has received three sets of archival records from Texas Tech University in the United States identifying locations where Vietnamese soldiers killed during the first phase of the 1968 Tet General Offensive and Uprising may have been buried.

The Ministry of Health and the French Embassy on July 9 co-hosted the Vietnam-France High-Level Conference on next-generation vaccine technologies.

Employees of aircraft maker Airbus have gone on strike across most of Spain until the end of July over what unions describe as deteriorating working conditions.

BERLIN - Germany has recorded an estimated 5,120 heat-related deaths so far this year, most of them in late June when weekly average temperatures far exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health said on Thursday.

Many cafés and restaurants across Vietnam have stopped playing Vietnamese songs as background music, fearing potential copyright disputes and opting to avoid legal risks while seeking greater clarity on the country's music licensing requirements.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City announced on Thursday that five additional sets of war martyrs’ remains and two sets of personal relics were discovered at Le Thi Rieng Park, bringing the total number of remains found at the site to 16.

International financial experts said on Thursday Vietnam should develop its planned international financial centers around its own strengths rather than compete directly with established hubs such as Dubai and Singapore, emphasizing that institutions, talent, and governance will determine long-term success.

Authorities in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, are reviewing newly submitted historical records, wartime aerial photographs and witness accounts that could help identify 17 sets of human remains believed to be those of Vietnamese war martyrs, which were recovered decades ago from a suspected wartime mass grave in the former Quang Nam Province.

Police in Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, have arrested 11 Chinese nationals allegedly involved in an online fraud ring that operated a fake e-commerce platform to defraud French citizens.

TOKYO -- Japan's Terra Drone Corp. plans to set up a system enabling domestic production of up to tens of thousands of interceptor drones a year, the company's head, Toru Tokushige, has said in an recent interview.

Vietnam imported diamonds worth more than US$121.5 million in the first six months of this year, with India being the country’s biggest supplier, according to preliminary data released by the Department of Vietnam Customs on Wednesday.

BEIJING/SUAO, Taiwan/TOKYO - China and Taiwan were bracing for possibly the most destructive tropical storm in years as Typhoon Bavi churned southeast of Taiwan on Thursday, with winds near 200 kph (124 mph), and as parts of China were still reeling from Typhoon Maysak.

BEIJING -- China's Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled an SUV series named Sky Nomad, accelerating the technology company's push into automobiles as growth slows in its mainstay smartphone market.

As airlines expand their fleets and route networks, flight attendants are once again in high demand in Vietnam. Carriers are offering starting salaries of more than VND20 million (US$769) a month, waiving training fees, providing living allowances of up to VND3 million ($115), and promising opportunities to work on international routes to attract and retain recruits.

TOKYO -- Japan's health ministry plans to defer, for the time being, tighter regulations on heated tobacco products that have been under consideration as part of its review of measures against secondhand smoke, informed sources said Wednesday.

Vietnam is stepping up efforts to position itself as an emerging destination for the global halal tourism market, with officials calling for nationwide adoption of halal standards and the development of Muslim-friendly tourism infrastructure to attract one of the world's fastest-growing travel segments.

The investment appetite in Vietnam’s real estate market underwent a major transformation in the first half of 2026, as projects with green certifications and energy-saving features became a prerequisite for securing million-U.S. dollar mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals.

A Bryde's whale mother and calf have delighted residents and wildlife photographers after being spotted feeding close to shore in the waters off Vung Boi, An Luong Commune, Gia Lai Province, south-central Vietnam over the past several days.

Good morning from Vietnam!

SINGAPORE -- Japan and Singapore have signed a memorandum on cooperation to promote the peaceful use of space.

WAJIMA, ISHIKAWA PREF. -- A celebration ceremony for an airport named after blockbuster Japanese animation series Pocket Monster, or Pokemon, was held in the city of Wajima in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa on Tuesday.

Vietnam has introduced deadlines for airlines to process ticket refunds for passengers affected by flight delays, cancellations, or denied boarding under new air transport regulations.

Vietnamese authorities have recovered more than 1,300 sets of war martyrs' remains and three mass graves as part of a 500-day nationwide campaign launched in early April to locate and identify war martyrs' remains.

A family in southern Vietnam is waiting for DNA test results after authorities uncovered human remains at a park in Ho Chi Minh City that may belong to a soldier killed during the 1968 Tet General Offensive and Uprising, raising hopes of ending nearly six decades of uncertainty.

The Vietnam Social Security and the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the 2026-28 period, cementing their commitment to strengthening cooperation in sustainable health insurance and advancing more data-informed healthcare in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to attract more high-quality investment from Japan, particularly in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital transformation, as it works with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to deepen business ties while strengthening its integration into global supply chains.

All forest management units in central Vietnam's Quang Ngai Province have adopted Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing, and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies to monitor forest changes, helping sharply reduce forestry violations.

Two French travelers were pleasantly surprised to receive Vietnamese banknotes while watching a traditional spiritual ritual in Hanoi, a memorable cultural experience they said they would cherish long after returning home.

Vietnam has decided to provide US$300,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance to Venezuela following the devastating double earthquakes that struck the country on June 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.

Ho Chi Minh City is evolving beyond a traditional tourist destination into a thriving fashion shopping hub, with many local fashion retailers reporting that international visitors now account for 60-70 percent of their revenue.

Early environmental monitoring data have pointed to improving air quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City following the nationwide roll-out of E10 biofuel gasoline, but an official cautioned that it is too early to conclude that the improvements are directly attributable to the fuel switch alone, heard a press briefing held in Hanoi on Tuesday.

U.S. diplomats and football fans gathered at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match between the U.S. and Belgium.