Here are the leading news stories about Vietnam you do not want to miss today, October 12.

Society

-- People at the Xa La residential area in Ha Dong District, Hanoi panicked on Sunday as a fire broke out from the basements of two apartment blocks there.

-- Ho Chi Minh City firefighters on Sunday had to deploy a stair car to rescue a man with apparent mental instability who climbed atop a high-voltage power pole in Binh Tan District.

-- Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is requesting clarification from Japanese authorities regarding three Vietnamese crew members on board a Taiwanese ship, who went missing in waters off northern Japan on Sunday.

-- The time to obtain the license to go from Vietnam to Cambodia via seven border gates will be cut from seven to two days to facilitate travelers from December 1, according to the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam.

-- The water level of the Hong River in Hanoi unexpectedly rose on Sunday, apparently following a floodwater discharge from China.

Business

-- Vietnam’s Sao Mai Group on Sunday broke ground on a US$20 million seafood processing plant in the southern province of Dong Thap.

-- Vietnam’s public debt per person has exceeded the $1,000 mark, now standing at $1,016.72, according to The Economist’s global debt clock.

Lifestyle

-- Huong Ly, a 20-year-old girl from the Central Highlands city of Da Lat, was named the winner of the sixth season of reality television series “Vietnam’s Next Top Model” during the final episode aired Sunday.

-- Pan, a Hollywood 3D fantasy adventure family film theatrically released in the U.S. on October 9, has many of its scenes filmed in Vietnam but tourism authorities in the Southeast Asian country failed to take advantage of the chance to introduce its beauty to moviegoers around the world.

-- The “Kenny G Live in Concert” show will take place in Hanoi on Tuesday, as part of a ten-day Asia tour ending October 19 of the Grammy Award-winning saxophonist.

Sports

-- Vietnam will play Thailand in the second round robin of Group F competitions in the AFC 2018 World Cup qualification in Hanoi on Tuesday. Thailand beat Vietnam 1-0 in the first-leg game in Bangkok in May.

-- Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem (Elo 2697) on Sunday drew with host player Hikaru Nakamura (Elo 2816) in their sixth game in the Millionaire Chess Tournament, running from October 8 to 12 in Las Vegas.

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