Read what’s in the news today, January 7.

Politics

-- Vietnam and Laos have agreed to promote the countries’ pillars of cooperation as Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith co-chaired the 41st session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee in Hanoi on Sunday.

-- Today marks the 40th anniversary of the end of Vietnam’s Counter-Offensive on the Southwestern Border against the Democratic Kampuchea led by Pol Pot, which resulted in a win for Vietnam and the liberation of Cambodia from a genocidal regime.

Society

-- The administration of Ho Chi Minh City has taken back control of a 9,500-square-meter land plot in Tan Binh District, near the city’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, previously allocated to a state-owned water company after it was found to have used the land for a wrong purpose.

-- Construction on My Thuan 2, the second bridge to connect Tien Giang and Vinh Long Provinces over the Mekong River in southern Vietnam, will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2019 and finish in 2023, according to a recent report submitted to the transport ministry.

Business

-- The government has issued a resolution requiring the State Bank of Vietnam to report on a project exploring depositing cash into electronic wallets without bank payment accounts and demanding that all commercial banks and payment intermediary providers apply QR code standards before the third quarter of this year.

-- Up to VND18.4 trillion (US$793.14 million) worth of goods are expected to be sold in Ho Chi Minh City during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, as stores and supermarkets have announced plans to extend their opening hours during this shopping season to meet consumers’ demands.

-- Around $4 million in official development assistance (ODA) loans taken from South Korea will be used to compile a pre-feasibility study report on developing the eighth metro line in Hanoi, which connects Hoai Duc District with Gia Lam District.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City market watchdog has busted a local establishment found producing fake condoms and personal lubricants mimicking famous brands and sell for markups of up to 300 percent, with a drove of the counterfeit products having already been sold to the market.

Sports

-- Dang Van Lam, the Russia-born goalkeeper that played a large part in Vietnam becoming the champions of the 2018 AFF Championship, will transfer to Thai football club Muangthong United this year, his representative confirmed on Sunday.

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