Read what is in the news today.

Society

-- Local authorities at Hong Hai Ward in Ha Long City in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh organized an emergency relocation of 16 households to a safer area on Friday after an embankment had collapsed in the early morning of the same day.

-- As many as 269 people registered to donate their blood at the eighth blood donation campaign organized by the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam on Friday.

-- Areas throughout the north of Vietnam, including the capital Hanoi, are bracing themselves for a cold snap which is forecast to arrive on Saturday, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

-- A decision to reprimand Trieu Tai Vinh, deputy head of the Communist Party's Central Economic Commission and former Party chief of Ha Giang, was issued by the Politburo at a meeting on Friday for his violations during the organizing of the national high school exams in 2018, when many students had their grades altered by officials in charge of the exam papers.

-- The Politburo on Friday warned Hoang Trung Hai, Party chief of Hanoi and former Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam between 2007 and 2016, over several violations in overseeing the expansion of state-owned steel company TISCO.

Business

-- Vu Thanh Truc, PR and sustainability manager at Coca-Cola Vietnam, said on Friday afternoon that the beverage company had paid VND471 billion (US$20.4 million) of the VND821 billion ($35.4 million) of fines and tax arrears it is asked to pay by Vietnam's tax authorities due to incorrect tax declaration.

-- Vietcombank, one of Vietnam's 'big five' state-owned banks, said on Friday that it has reached the target of $1 billion in profit one year ahead of schedule.

Lifestyle

-- The ‘Balade en France’ food festival featuring French cuisine is taking place for the second time in Hanoi at a pedestrian street near downtown Hoan Kiem Lake until Sunday.

-- Tet Viet Festival, an annual traditional event in the lead up to the Lunar New Year in Ho Chi Minh City, is being held at the Youth Culture House in District 1 until January 29, offering a variety of activities that typically represent Vietnam’s cultural identity.

Sports

-- Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates collected a point each after playing out a goalless draw at Buriram Stadium in Thailand to kick off their AFC U23 Championship 2020 Group D campaign on Friday evening.

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