Here are today’s leading news stories:

Society

-- It is only the beginning of the dry season but the south-central Vietnamese province of Ninh Thuan has been in dire need of water due to severe drought.

-- The driver of a passenger bus was checking his vehicle following an engine breakdown along an expressway in the southern province of Long An when he was fatally hit by a crane truck on Saturday morning.

-- Tran Huy Thong, director of the Dong A Security Service Company and his deputy, Vo Quoc Tuan, were arrested by police in the southern province of Dong Nai for disturbing public order following a street confrontation between them and a local gang, in which they used rubber bullet guns while the gang members were wielding machetes.

-- Le Quoc Hung, an official from the department of taxation in the northern province of Quang Ninh, has been apprehended after being caught red-handed receiving bribes worth tens of millions of dong (VND10 million = US$440) from a local business, officers affirmed on Saturday.

-- Seven houses in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang were burned down by a fire that lasted for about two hours on Saturday afternoon.

-- Police in the south-central province of Binh Dinh confirmed on Saturday evening they had caught a pickup truck that was illegally transporting about 18,000 packs of cigarette. The suspects have been switching between three license plates in order to avoid police attention.

-- Officers in Dong Nai Province have arrested two suspects who were involved in the assault on a 55-year-old man at a rubber tree plantation on Thursday night, which resulted in his death.

-- Inspectors in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa announced on Saturday they had discovered multiple violations at five firms specializing in the production of plant protection products.

-- Hanoi police have broken up a ring that smuggled more than 2,200 pills of synthetic drugs and some 500 grams of crystal meth.

Business

-- Local carriers including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, and Jetstar Pacific are expected to provide hundreds of additional flights, both domestic and international, during the upcoming holiday marking Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1).

Lifestyle

-- The Department of Tourism in Khanh Hoa Province has carried out an inspection of 15 groups of Chinese tourists in Nha Trang, one of the country’s most famous beach cities, and discovered up to 10 violations regarding tour guides and means of transportation.

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