Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- The 42nd session of the National Assembly Standing Committee opened in Hanoi on Monday, chaired by NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Society

-- A three-month-old baby girl in the northern Vietnamese province of Vinh Phuc has become the 15th confirmed novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patient in Vietnam, having allegegly contracted the virus from her grandmother.

-- Three people, including a Malaysian man, a South African woman, and a U.S. woman, were denied entry into Vietnam at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on the weekend for arriving from areas affected by the 2019-nCoV epidemic.

-- Police in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City confirmed on Monday they had arrested a 44-year-old British man for robbing a convenience store with a knife in the downtown area on Sunday night.

-- A married couple and their child were killed after their motorcycle collided with a passenger bus in the northern province of Son La on Monday morning.

-- A pharmaceutical company in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue has been slapped with a fine worth VND50 million (US$2,140) after being caught selling a box of face masks at VND200,000 ($8.5), about four times higher than the regular price.

Business

-- Vietnam’s newest carrier Bamboo Airways will bring the number of its flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to 36 from the current 20 per day from February 15 due to an increase in demand.

-- The outbreak of the 2019-nCoV has affected Vietnam’s trade with not only China but also other markets, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said, adding that Vietnam’s exports in January were worth $19 billion, decreasing by 15.8 percent from December 2019 and 14.3 percent year on year.

World News

-- Nearly 41,000 people have been infected with 2019-nCoV and 1,018 killed globally as of Tuesday morning, according to the South China Morning Post.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!