What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hanoi on Thursday, as part of the latter's state visit to Vietnam. Putin arrived in Hanoi in the wee hours of Thursday and concluded his visit the same day.

Society

-- Huge iridescent clouds graced the sky over Hanoi on Thursday, thrilling residents who eagerly snapped photos and shared them on social media.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Investment Project Management Board on Thursday announced the progress of a US$524 million environmental sanitation project, featuring the largest wastewater treatment plant in Southeast Asia using advanced Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology. As part of the project's eight components, this plant, located in Thanh My Loi Ward, Thu Duc City, will treat wastewater to environmental standards before discharging it into the Saigon River.

-- Con Dao tourism is being directed toward a unique path of green development, aiming for high-end, sustainable tourism, said Trinh Hang, director of the Department of Tourism in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, on the sidelines of a conference connecting Con Dao with provinces in the southeast region on Thursday.

Business

-- Pacific Airlines has said it is expected to resume its operations on June 26, relying on only one aircraft leased from national carrier Vietnam Airlines. This is one of three aircraft Vietnam Airlines will lease to Pacific Airlines. 

Education

-- The University of Sydney Vietnam Institute was formally launched in Hanoi on Thursday evening. This is a hub of nearly 100 local and international scientists conducting multidisciplinary research in health, agriculture, arts, social sciences, business, and Net Zero initiatives, heading for improving locals' lives.  

Sports

-- Spain qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2024 with a match to spare on Thursday after beating defending champions Italy 1-0 in a dominant display which ensured that La Roja would go through as Group B winners, according to AFP.

World News

-- "Deadly heatwaves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again fuel record-breaking heat that could surpass last summer as the warmest in 2,000 years," Reuters reported.