Here are the leading Vietnamese news stories in brief for December 18, 2014.

Politics

-- Vietnam and South Korea are slated to enter the ninth round of negotiations on their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) from today, December 8, to December 12, the latter’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced Sunday.

Society

-- A Vietnamese-Australian woman was caught hiding 379.69 grams of drug in her bras, underwear, and anus when she was checking in at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat airport on Sunday.

-- Pirates attacked a Vietnam-flagged ship off Singapore’s coast early Sunday, killing one crewmember, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre reported late the same day.

-- The National Traffic Safety Committee has proposed to have a service to accompany drunk drivers back home to reduce traffic accidents caused by those driving under alcohol influence.

-- A 50-year-old man died after his motorbike crashed into a truck in the southern province of Dong Nai on Sunday.

-- Typhoon Hagupit is expected to enter the East Sea on Monday night and become the fifth storm to hit Vietnam this year, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Business

-- The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has ordered domestic airlines to develop appropriate flying schedules to reduce flight cancelations and delays.

-- More than 30 businesses joining the maiden Online Friday, launched in replication of the Black Friday shopping weekend in the U.S., received more than 57,000 orders, the organizers reported Sunday.

-- The declining oil prices do not necessary mean difficulty for Vietnam’s economy, Dr. Vu Dinh Anh, a local financial expert, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in an interview published Monday.

Lifestyle

-- A concert to commemorate former Beatle John Lennon will take place at the Barbetta – The Center in Hanoi tonight, December 8.

Education

-- The Ho Chi Minh City’s College of Art, Culture and Tourism will provide a four-month training course for 180 Cambodian tourism officials from January 2015.

Sports

-- Vietnam came from behind to defeat Malaysia 2-1 during their first leg match at the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals on Sunday. The second leg game is scheduled on December 11.

-- The Vietnamese 76-member delegation left Hanoi for Indonesia to attend the 17th ASEAN University Games (AUG) in Palembang from December 9-21 after a send-off ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training on Sunday.

-- Malaysian supporters rushed to attack Vietnamese fans after their 1-2 defeat at the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal game on Sunday.

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