Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse arrived at Auckland International Airport on Monday afternoon (local time) to begin an official visit to New Zealand.

Society

-- The illegal parts of a villa belonging to Nguyen Thanh Hoa, the former head of a hi-tech division under the Ministry of Public Security who was nabbed on Sunday for being involved in an online gambling ring, were pulled down in Hanoi on Monday.

-- Five people were killed after a fire broke out at an old mansion in Da Lat City, located in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong, on Monday evening.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has imposed fines worth a total of VND197 million (US$7,880) upon many roadwork contractors for their carelessness and violations when executing such projects.

-- Truong Huong, the prime suspect in the kidnap of two young Vietnamese-American girls in Ho Chi Minh City last week, has claimed that the victims’ father was the one behind the entire scheme. Officers are verifying the statement.

-- Two reporters in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa were threatened and detained by a group of strangers as they were investigating the excessive ore mining in the locality on Sunday. The victims were then released on the same day and reported the incident to police on Monday.

-- A 28-year-old man in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum was killed after his homemade explosive, which was used to catch fish along a local river, blew up on Monday evening.

-- An unidentified man in the southern province of Dong Nai lost his life after being hit by a train on Monday.

-- Le Phuoc Hoai Bao has been officially removed from his post as director of the Department of Planning and Investment in the central province of Quang Nam due to multiple violations during his time in office.

Business

-- About $435 million worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) was channeled into the southern province of Binh Duong in February, Tran Thanh Liem, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee said on Monday.

-- Taxi associations in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the central Da Nang City have submitted a document to the central government, proposing that no more Grab and Uber vehicles should be licensed.

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