Here are the leading news stories about Vietnam you do not want to miss today, December 7.

Politics

-- The ninth National Patriotic Emulation Congress, gathering 1,800 delegates who hold such titles as Hero of Labor; Hero of the People’s Armed Forces; and Meritorious and People’s Teacher, Doctor, Artist and Artisan, kicks off today in Hanoi to honor their role models in all spheres of life.

-- Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met his Lao counterpart Somsavat Lengsavad to seek measures to have cooperation agreed for 2016-2020 materialize during their talks in Hanoi on Sunday, when they reviewed cooperative achievements in the 2011-15 period.

Society

-- A shallow 2.5-magnitude earthquake hit the central province of Thua Thien-Hue around midday on Sunday, with no major damage or injuries reported.

-- Four suspects have been held by police in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat for staging a traffic accident to steal VND226 million (US$10,089) from the driver of a Thanh Buoi passenger bus on Friday, officers said Sunday.

-- A 15-year-old girl killed herself by jumping into a river in the southern province of Tien Giang on Sunday, leaving two suicide notes saying she was depressed after being scolded by her parents for having her electric bike seized by police in a traffic violation two days earlier.

-- Run for the Heart, an annual event organized by the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association and the Embassy of Canada, took place in Hanoi on Sunday, raising around VND1.3 billion ($58,036) to help disadvantaged children with cancer and heart disease receive treatment.

Business

-- Seven Japanese businesses showcased their modern food processing technology that could help Vietnam elevate its agro-products at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday.

-- Vietnam exported 6.2 million metric tons of rice in the January-November period, up four percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has reported.

-- A delegate of 32 Japanese businesses and agencies will visit Ho Chi Minh City from Monday to Saturday to seek opportunities for cooperation in agriculture, according to the Japan External Trade Organization.

 Sports

-- Spain’s Sergio Garcia, the world’s No.12 golfer, won the Ho Tram Open, part of the Asian Tour, which is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia, in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Sunday.

-- Team Vietnam on Sunday added 13 gold medals to their collection on the third day of competition at the 8th ASEAN Para Games, a multi-sport event for Southeast Asian athletes with disabilities, in Singapore. The team ranks fourth now on the medal tally.

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