A reader in Ho Chi Minh City says stray livestock and pets are still common in his neighborhood. In apartment buildings, keeping dogs and cats has long been a source of friction. Beyond administrative penalties, owners may face criminal liability if their animals cause serious injury or death. The dispute has fueled long-running tensions in many buildings, prompting some management boards to explicitly ban dogs, cats, livestock, and poultry altogether. In practice, apartment rules that prohibit livestock already include dogs and cats, even if enforcement remains uneven.

On the evening of January 16 in Hanoi, the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA) held its 2025 year-end ceremony and officially announced the fourth edition of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV), set to take place from June 28 to July 4, 2026. She affirmed the city's commitment to ensuring DANAFF IV will be held with increasing professionalism, safety, and effectiveness. The festival’s core remains its two competitive categories: Asian Cinema and Vietnamese Cinema. Beyond screenings, DANAFF IV will further its mission to nurture the foundations of Vietnam’s film industry. By combining artistic excellence with public engagement and industry-building initiatives, DANAFF IV is poised to reaffirm Da Nang’s place on the global cinematic map.

This string of achievements not only reflects his musical prowess but also the serious, well-guided path he’s taken in pursuing formal music education. Among his accolades, the most prominent is the First Prize in the professional piano category at the Hanoi Student Music Festival 2025–2026, organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. Alongside this honor, Phu Quy also earned a gold medal in the professional category at a competition held by the Vietnam Musicians' Association, and another gold at an international piano contest hosted in Vietnam. Three golds in one school year signal both consistency and serious commitment on his artistic journey. His triple gold success in 2025–2026 - including the first prize from Hanoi’s education department - goes beyond personal recognition.

This new scam, dubbed “online abduction”, has become increasingly common. Police in Ha Dong share case details to raise awareness about online abduction scams. Amid this digital crime wave, online abduction stands out as especially dangerous. But online abduction doesn’t rely on advanced hacking. And third, asking for help is not weakness - it’s a survival skill.”He concludes: “Online abduction isn’t just a tech scam - it’s psychological crime.

Nguyen Le Phat celebrates after scoring Vietnam’s opening goal against the United Arab Emirates in their quarterfinal match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026. Players of Vietnam (in red) and the United Arab Emirates challenge for the ball in their quarter-final match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026. Nguyen Dinh Bac celebrates after scoring Vietnam’s second goal against the United Arab Emirates in their quarterfinal match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026. Highlights of Vietnam’s 3-2 extra-time victory over the United Arab Emirates in the quarterfinals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026. Vietnam’s Pham Minh Phuc celebrates after scoring the winning goal against the United Arab Emirates in their quarterfinal match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026.

The loan is provided by four of Vietnam's top banks, including Vietcombank, VietinBank, BIDV and Agribank, EVN said in a statement. The Southeast Asian country is seeking to ramp up its power generation capacity to keep up with its expanding economy, which grew 8% last year. The loan will cover around 56% of the funding needed for the 1,500-megawatt Quang Trach II power plant to be built in the central province of Quang Tri, EVN said. The plant is scheduled to be fully operational by 2030. ($1 = 26,235 dong)

In concrete terms, nearly 297,500 businesses entered the market last year, up 27.4% year on year and 1.3 times the number of businesses exiting the market. Of these, almost 195,100 were newly established, with total registered capital of 1.9 quadrillion VND, representing increases of 24.1% in both number and registered capital. Total additional registered capital injected into the economy last year reached nearly 6.4 quadrillion VND, up 77.8% from 2024. Within this, additional registered capital from existing businesses exceeded 4.4 quadrillion VND, a surge of 118.3%. Meanwhile, 76,900 businesses ceased operations while awaiting dissolution procedures, an increase of 0.9%, and 35,900 businesses completed dissolution procedures, up 66.1%.

Emerging from this paradox is chọcho, a digital platform designed to unlock idle resources and foster a culture of mindful sharing. According to the Global Fashion Agenda, the world produces approximately 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year. This circulation not only reduces pressure on the waste disposal system and saves resources, but also contributes to solving social welfare problems. This represents a fundamental shift from “private ownership” to “community sharing,” where an item's value is measured by its utility rather than its time spent in storage. A tech-driven approach to community sharingThe chọcho platform leverages technology to address household waste by facilitating a “give-and-receive” network through a voluntary gifting model.

Vietnamese consumers spent more than 1.17 trillion VND (44.5 million USD) a day on online shopping in 2025, with revenues for major e-commerce platforms soaring sharply, statistics from data market research platform Metric.vn show. This represents a figure of over 1.17 trillion VND (44.5 million USD) per day. Beauty products accounted for 29.5% of total sales, generating more than 74.4 trillion VND, followed by home and living with 56.7 trillion VND and women’s fashion with 54.5 trillion VND. There were 601,800 shops active on the four major e-commerce platforms, down 7.4% over the end of 2024. Around 83% of domestic e-commerce revenue was concentrated in HCM City and Hanoi, Metric’s data show./.

To date, four related laws have been promulgated, including the revised Railway Law, the Construction Law, the Law on Planning and the Law on Investment. For the first time, Vietnam has issued standards and technical regulations specifically for high-speed rail, including nine construction technical regulations, 219 sector-specific national standards, 37 general standards, and 146 standards aligned with European and international benchmarks. Deputy Director of the Vietnam Railway Authority Nguyen Tien Thinh said relevant agencies have comprehensively reviewed the mechanisms and policies authorised by the National Assembly to ensure they are applied in the most appropriate and effective manner. Investment preparationAt the fifth meeting of the Steering Committee for key national railway projects in early January, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed the need to shift decisively from institutional building to implementation. Minh has also assigned the Thang Long Project Management Board as the project owner, replacing the Railway Project Management Board, and tasking it with overall responsibility for project quality, progress and costs.

The 21-year-old mother from the southern province of Tay Ninh became pregnant with dichorionic diamniotic twins through in vitro fertilisation in June 2025. During the first trimester, both fetuses developed normally, and prenatal screening tests showed low risks of abnormalities. At 20 weeks, follow-up ultrasound confirmed that one fetus was developing normally while the other had ceased development. At hospital, doctors confirmed that the non-viable fetus had miscarried, while part of the umbilical cord and the entire placenta remained in the uterus. Despite complications, including an E. coli infection detected during hospitalisation, the medical team managed to extend the pregnancy to 32 weeks.

Foreign invested-projects have disbursed a total of 27.6 billion USD, up 9% year-on-year, the highest level in the past five years. These industries also have the largest export shares and drive growth, with around 78% of Vietnam’s export turnover coming from foreign-invested enterprises. Macroeconomic indicators further reflect strong investor confidence. These factors reinforce Vietnam’s position as a safe and reliable investment destination. Investor confidence sets stage for FDI inflows in 2026Rgarding FDI outlook, Viet said prospects for 2026 are very positive, particularly as key laws and resolutions passed in 2025 begin to take effect.

Images captured by the AI system are transferred to relevant police units depending on the type of violation. The AI system is intended to provide more consistent, transparent, and effective monitoring. Police said they will continue operating the AI system alongside other measures to ensure public safety during these major events. Photo: SuppliedEarlier, between December 13, 2025 and January 12, 2026, the AI camera system recorded 6,351 traffic violations eligible for fines. On busy two-way roads with complex intersections, average travel times dropped 20-25 percent, and throughput spiked 8-15 percent.

Vietnam’s under-23 team celebrate after their 3-2 victory over the United Arab Emirates in the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, January 17, 2026. Photo: Ted TranCheck out the latest news in Vietnam today:Politics-- State President Luong Cuong on Friday presented decisions appointing 16 ambassadors of Vietnam to foreign countries, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Ho Chi Minh City-- Construction of the My Xuan B1 social housing project with approximately 1,200 apartments in Phu My Ward, Ho Chi Minh City began on Friday, aiming to provide affordable homes for workers and residents in the area. Travel-- Aside from airports operating 24/7, Vietnam’s national aviation authority has approved extended night flight operations at six airports from February 1 to March 1 this year, to meet surging travel demand during the Lunar New Year holiday. Sports-- Vietnam’s national under-23 football team have booked a place in the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over the United Arab Emirates in the quarterfinals in Saudi Arabia early on Saturday.

The other projects include the Rach Chiec National Sports Complex, Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh – Tham Luong), Can Gio Bridge, and Phu My 2 Bridge. The central stadium, soundproof retractable roof, air-conditioning, with 70,000 seatsAccording to the plan, the Rach Chiec National Sports Complex will cover a total area of more than 186.78 hectares. On the international level, the Rach Chiec stadium exceeds regional covered stadiums such as Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong (50,000 seats) and Singapore National Stadium (55,000 seats). A multi-functional complex capable of hosting 90% of Olympic sportsThe Rach Chiec National Sports Complex is planned as a multi-functional complex capable of accommodating about 90% of Olympic sports. With its scale and design, Rach Chiec is expected to become a “new growth pole” in HCM City’s eastern region, where top-level sports events, international concerts, and cultural festivals will take place year-round.