Here are the most important news stories about Vietnam you do not want to miss today, August 19.

Politics

-- Vietnam strongly condemns the bombing in Bangkok on Monday and sympathizes with the Thai government and people and other countries that have citizens killed and wounded in the attack, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said on Tuesday.

-- Vietnam commemorates the 70th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Police and the 10th year of the “All People Protect National Security” festival today, August 19.

-- Ho Chi Minh City welcomed an average of 200 delegations of international visitors, including many world leaders, on an annual basis between 2011 and 2014, the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs said during a ceremony to mark its 40^th anniversary on Wednesday.

Society

-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Finance has become the latest regulatory agency to suggest the government cease collecting road fees from motorbike owners as the collection “faces myriad challenges,” it said in a document sent to the Government Office and the Ministry of Transport.

-- The northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong will hold a fireworks show to mark the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2) on September 2.

-- Thuan Tien Gia Lai, a long-haul bus operator in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, said on Wednesday two of its buses were smashed with stones when they were en route to the central city of Da Nang on Monday evening.

Business

-- Some Vietnamese tourists have canceled their booked packages to Thailand following the Monday bombing in Bangkok, but the cancelation rates are low, local tour agencies said Tuesday.

-- Petrolimex, Vietnam’s largest fuel wholesaler, posted VND1.12 trillion (US$51.45 million) in profit in the second quarter of this year, triple the VND414 billion recorded in the same period last year.

-- Le Hung Dung, chairman of the Vietnam Export Import Bank (Eximbank), on Wednesday dismissed rumors that he was arrested after the lender was put under special supervision by the State Bank of Vietnam.

Lifestyle

-- Vietnamese music fans are encouraged to cast votes for their idols to represent Vietnam at the 2015 MTV EMA (European Music Awards), to be held on October 25 in Italy.

-- The Hanoi Museum has been found having a design almost identical to the China Art Palace, fueling online debate that either of the two has imitated the other.

Sports

-- The former world No.1 badminton player Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia has withdrawn from the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2015, an international badminton championship to take place between August 24 and 30 in Ho Chi Minh City, for personal reasons.

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