Read what’s in the news today, January 31!

Society

-- The Ho Chi Minh City administration said leaders of its government agencies must be held responsible for letting their subordinates travel abroad without clearances from competent authorities.

-- A middle-aged man in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on Wednesday started offering 7,000 tissues and 5,000 drinking water bottles bought from money he solicited from donors, to motorcyclists who may be on their way back home for family reunion during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

-- The administration of the central city of Da Nang decided Wednesday to set up three task forces for rescue efforts in water, natural disasters and cave or building collapses. Each of the groups will be led by a police agency.

-- Many of the flower pots that are adorning several streets in the north-central city of Vinh – one of Vietnam’s largest municipalities – as a celebration of the Tet holiday had been stolen, a company that manages the decoration said without specifying the exact number.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday gave his Lunar New Year wishes to workers employed at the Hai Phong port in the northern namesake city, one of Vietnam’s major sea terminals.

-- Ho Chi Minh City police arrested two men who had run a pawnshop and mobile phone business as a legitimate front for their illegal loan sharking.

Business

-- Multiple cars and truck flocked to road transport agencies across Ho Chi Minh City to be inspected for roadworthiness certificates on Wednesday, just a few days before Tet.

-- Many people recently reported withdrawal problems with ATMs, including unavailability of money and machine failures, across Ho Chi Minh City at a time when card holders are withdrawing cash for expenses during Tet.

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