Kim Sang Sik’s winning formulaAt the 33rd SEA Games and throughout 2025’s international tournaments, Coach Kim Sang Sik made a strong impression with his bold rotation policy. Players like Thanh Nhan and Van Thuan delivered crucial goals after coming off the bench, helping Vietnam push through difficult moments. Coach Kim Sang Sik has impressed with his use of substitutions. Coach Kim will need to do more than just bring on fresh legs - he must ensure that bench players can seamlessly integrate into the team’s style and rhythm when called upon. If this gap can be closed, U23 Vietnam has every reason to dream big at the continental level.

He emphasized timely allocation of resources for strategic infrastructure, data systems, critical technologies, and high-quality human capital, paired with mechanisms to ensure investment efficiency. Leaders at all levels must understand their personal responsibility for progress and outcomes, and these outcomes must become core criteria for performance evaluation, commendation, or accountability. By Q1 2026, a full data inventory must be completed, with systems that are accurate, complete, clean, and live - meaning continuously updated. For 2026 and the 2026–2031 period, what are the expected outcomes, and what is the rollout timeline? What will the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the two National Academies, and the Union of Science and Technology Associations do?

Coffee exports also shattered records, raking in $8.68 billion - a staggering 54.4% increase from the previous year. As Vietnamese coffee improved, it became the preferred choice for more and more global markets,” he said. Durian rules the fruit export throneFruit and vegetable exports reached approximately $8.6 billion, a 20% increase over 2024. Cashew and pepper exports also hit new highs, reaching $5 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. Vietnam now has nearly 8,000 industrial-scale processing facilities linked to exports and about 22,000 smaller agricultural processing units.

Zalo has published clarifications in its updated terms of service, explaining the need for user data. According to a Zalo representative, the platform requires certain user data as outlined in its Terms of Service to ensure stable service performance, deliver application features, and safeguard user accounts. For example, when accessing third-party applications via Zalo, users are shown a prompt and must actively agree to share data. In accordance with Vietnam’s personal data protection laws, Zalo declared that it will delete any previously collected data for users who do not agree to the updated Terms of Service. Finally, Zalo affirmed that no further action is needed from users who have already agreed to the updated terms.

The controversy unfolded just days ahead of January 1, 2026, when Vietnam’s Law on Personal Data Protection came into force. According to Quan, service providers bear primary responsibility for publicly disclosing how user data is collected and used. “As a Vietnamese law enforcement agency, we will take all necessary measures to ensure the full and fair enforcement of the Law on Personal Data Protection, without discrimination between domestic and foreign enterprises,” Quan said. Thi emphasized that under the Law on Personal Data Protection, all organizations involved in controlling or processing personal data are required to establish a dedicated personal data management function. In Vietnam, he said, organizations must designate personnel responsible for overseeing personal data processing and ensuring legal compliance, adding that data protection requirements should be incorporated from the earliest stages of information system design.

Fireworks explode in Ho Chi Minh City to ring in 2026. -- State President Luong Cuong on Wednesday received the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, who came to bid farewell at the end of their tenures in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Society-- Colorful fireworks exploded across the skies of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and many other localities at midnight to mark the New Year in Vietnam. -- State President Cuong sent New Year cards to all ministries, departments, agencies, the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, and local authorities in the wee hours of January 1. -- Residents and visitors packed several areas in downtown Ho Chi Minh City such as Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street on Wednesday night to await the countdown program celebrating the arrival of the New Year.

Citing Saigon International University as an example, Son said that forcing the removal of the word “international” could result in a new name that is both confusing and unreasonable. The use of the word “National” reflects its status as Singapore’s leading national university. In the US, universities such as Florida International University or Alliant International University freely use the term “International” in their names to build brand identity, helping increase the proportion of international students to around 20–30 percent. Meanwhile, public universities such as Ohio State University or California State University use the word “State” to reflect public funding sources and state-level roles, without needing special approval or facing restrictions. He noted that if the regulation is applied rigidly, some universities such as “International University – Vietnam National University, HCMC” could be forced to change their names, weakening their image, brand, and ability to attract international students.

Photo: Concept TechApple’s next-generation flagship, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, expected in 2026, will feature the new A20 Pro chip built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 2nm process, signaling a major leap in mobile computing power and efficiency. Leading in transistor density and power efficiencyTSMC’s 2nm process is projected to lead the industry in transistor density and power performance. With the A20 Pro (2nm), transistor density may reach 310–330 million/mm², nearly tripling performance since the iPhone 11. Enhanced version N2P coming nextAlongside the standard 2nm process, TSMC is preparing to launch N2P, an enhanced version optimized for performance. If Apple stays on course, the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max and future models like the iPhone 20 won’t just be more powerful in the traditional sense.

When he first approached agriculture, especially with two “unusual” animals, bamboo rats and black Mong chickens, Hieu had almost no experience. In 2022, he bought 20 bamboo rats to try raising them. Once he gained enough knowledge, he bought 25 couples of bamboo rats to raise again. He now has two bamboo rat farms with a total of about 300 breeding animals. Hieu said bamboo rats are easy to raise, rarely get sick, and eat cheap, readily available food such as bamboo, sugarcane, and corn.

Khai also held the record of the highest entrance scorer in the history of the High School for the Gifted, under Vietnam National University HCMC. In grade 12, Khai continued to win the First Prize in the National Excellent Student competition. Khai has also demonstrated leadership qualities by co-organizing a programming competition that attracted more than 150 students in HCMC. So I wanted to create a playground where everyone could get familiar with programming,” Khai shared. Khai is currently studying foundational Computer Science courses and exploring his interests to find the most suitable path.

A group of international tourists pose for a photo in Hoi An Ancient Town, Da Nang City, central Vietnam on the night of December 31, 2025 amid the vibrant festive atmosphere welcoming the New Year 2026. Fireworks light up the sky over Hoi An Ancient Town in Da Nang City, central Vietnam on the night of December 31, 2025, as the city rings in the New Year 2026. “I wish all delegates, local people, and tourists, including international visitors, a healthy, happy, successful, and peaceful 2026,” he said. Tourism has remained robust during this period, with about 1.6 million tickets sold for visits to the ancient town and the nearby Kim Bong carpentry village. The Hoai River in Hoi An Ancient Town, Da Nang City, central Vietnam is filled with local and international visitors on both its water surface and banks on December 31, 2025 amid lively celebrations welcoming the New Year 2026.

New education policies take effect January 1, 2026. The law also assigns the Government the responsibility of detailing the wage framework to ensure this “highest-ranking” principle is honored. “Connecting knowledge to life” selected as the national textbook seriesThe Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) recently selected the “Connecting Knowledge to Life” series by Vietnam Education Publishing House as the official national textbook to be used uniformly across the country from the 2026–2027 academic year. Provincial education directors granted authority to hire teachersOne of the most impactful reforms involves decentralizing teacher recruitment. Middle school diploma officially abolishedThe amended Education Law, effective from January 1, 2026, also changes the structure of Vietnam’s national qualifications framework.

For the second consecutive year, sharpshooter Trinh Thu Vinh has been named Vietnam’s Athlete of the Year, securing an overwhelming lead in votes from sports journalists and experts. She was followed by athletics star Nguyen Thi Oanh (751 points), footballer Nguyen Dinh Bac (693), canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong (551), and swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang (539). At SEA Games 33, born in 2000, Trinh Thu Vinh delivered high-stakes performances that thrilled spectators and brought glory to Vietnam’s shooting team. Vietnam’s U22 national football team was named Team of the Year with 1,660 points, far surpassing the women’s 4x400m relay team (635) and the women's sepak takraw team (560). Swimmer Vi Thi Hang won the award for Outstanding Athlete with Disabilities, while her coach Nguyen Dang Vien was named Coach of the Year for athletes with disabilities.

On December 31, the Ministry of National Defense held a formal ceremony to announce the President’s and Minister of Defense’s decisions appointing four military officers to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang presents appointment decisions to the UN-bound officers. Captain Nguyen Huy Khai, an external relations officer from Military Hospital 175, was appointed to replace Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huy Tuan as a Contingent-Owned Equipment (COE) Staff Officer at the MINUSCA mission. First Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, from the Vietnam Coast Guard, was appointed to replace Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thi Minh Nguyet as a Training Staff Officer at MINUSCA. Photo: PVShe is the first female Coast Guard officer deployed as an individual to a peacekeeping mission.

One of the newborns who cried out at the exact moment the New Year arrived at Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, January 1, 2026. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi TreIn the final hours of 2025, the maternity department at Tu Du Hospital was filled with a heightened sense of urgency and anticipation. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi TreAt exactly midnight on January 1, Nguyen Thi Phung Nhi, a 28-year-old resident of Ho Chi Minh City, gave birth to her first child, a baby boy. Le Thi Quynh Nhu, 32, assisted by Dr. Ho Thi Phuong, delivered her baby when the New Year 2026 arrived. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi TreFifteen minutes after midnight, another baby boy was born to Bui Thi May, 32, following a difficult labor.