Check out what is in the news today:

Politics

-- Consuls General in Ho Chi Minh City expressed optimism about the city’s growth and cooperation with their own countries during a meeting on Tuesday with local leaders, including Dinh La Thang, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee.

Society

-- A police officer in Chau Thanh District in Tay Ninh Province, approximately 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, revealed that the district’s police department had admonished a lieutenant for mortgaging his Communist Party of Vietnam membership card for a loan of VND200 million (US$8,845).

-- A festival meant to pray for bumper catches, which took place on a beach in the central city of Da Nang on Tuesday, featured archives on Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago and specialties made from aquatic products sourced from the country’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa fishing grounds.

-- An official in Quynh Luu District in the north-central province of Nghe An said on Tuesday that local authorities had inaugurated a village gate, which cost nearly VND3 billion ($132,681) to build.

-- An official at Cat Bi International Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong has confirmed that nearly 60 flights to and from the aerodrome were canceled for journeys scheduled for Monday noon to late Tuesday due to thick fog.

Business

-- Foreign experts attending a ceremony to announce the “Vietnam Report 2035” on Tuesday are positive that Vietnam can attain the goals mentioned in the report if measures are adopted properly and institutional reform is accelerated.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance on Tuesday worked with coach operators at Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station who are reluctant to lower their fares though oil and gas prices in Vietnam have plummeted since the beginning of this year.

-- Hirotaka Yasuzumi, managing director of the Japan External Trade Organization office in Ho Chi Minh City, noted at a meeting on Tuesday that the investment environment in Vietnam is getting worse despite the government’s efforts in recent times. A large number of Japanese businesses have been plagued by a lack of legal transparency and complicated tax and administrative procedures.

-- The Vietnam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade revealed on Tuesday that Turkey’s Ministry of Economy had imposed a tariff of $174 per metric ton on granite tiles imported from Vietnam in their “anti-tax avoidance” lawsuit against the product.

-- Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup has issued VND3 trillion ($132.68 million) worth domestic bonds. 

Lifestyle

-- The third annual edition of the Cam Nam Corn Festival, which highlighted delectable dishes made from the staple, took place in Hoi An City, located in the central province of Quang Nam, on Tuesday morning.