Here are the news stories you should not miss today, December 19:

Society

-- During a conference in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on Monday, Vietnam’s Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The called on competent authorities and experts to come up with new policies and projects to leverage the potential for waterway transportation in the region.

-- Tropical storm Kai-Tak, the 15th to hit Vietnam this year, was located 430 kilometers southeast of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on Monday evening, packing winds at 60 to 75km per hour. It was forecast to travel southwestward.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has ordered competent agencies to carry out more patrols and sternly deal with violations of noise regulations in the metropolis.

-- Hoang Thi Hong Diem, 32, has claimed she had snatched a knife from her husband and chop his head off after being threatened by the man during an argument at their tenanted house in the southern province of Binh Duong. Diem then cut his body into pieces, wrapped them in black plastic bags, and dumped them at different locations.

-- The construction of the Tang Long Bridge in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City was initiated on Monday with the total investment capital of VND449 billion (US$19.7 million).

-- Seven suspects were arrested on Monday for being involved in an armed conflict over land disputes that resulted in the death of one person and injuries for seven others in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

-- Serious congestion occurred at the Cat Lai ferry terminal in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday morning as some of the ferries broke down, resulting in overloading. 

Business

-- Nearly 80 businesses have signed a commitment to refuse to buy illegally hunted fish, in a bid to remove the equivalent of a ‘yellow card’ by the European Commission on Vietnamese seafood.

-- The Vietnam Railways on Monday inaugurated a cargo train route connecting the northern city of Hai Phong and Kaiyuan, Yunnan Province, China. The 610-kilometer journey is scheduled to last 29 hours.

Lifestyle

-- The 2018 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival is expected to take place from April 29 to June 30 with the participation of eight teams from Poland, France, the U.S., Italy, Hong Kong, Sweden, Portugal, and Vietnam.

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