Read what is in the news today.

Politics

— The South Korean government has decided to suspend the validity of short-term visas for foreigners, irrespective of countries and territories, starting from 12:00 am on April 13, the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam said in a diplomatic note sent to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on Friday.

— Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio has sent a letter to Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, expressing his profound gratitude to the Vietnamese government and people for their support for Italy’s fight against novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Society

— Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 case on Saturday morning while 144 of the country's 257 patients have recovered.

— Police in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City found 27 packets of cannabis in the storage compartment of a foreign man's scooter near 23/9 Park on Friday night.

— Vietnam’s national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control will hold a meeting on April 13 to decide on whether or not the nationwide implementation of social distancing should be extended beyond April 15 before making a submission to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for final approval.

— In a letter sent to Vietnamese communities abroad released on Saturday, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on all oversea Vietnamese compatriots to strictly comply with pandemic prevention and control measures and regulations of the host countries where they live and uphold travel restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Business

— Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday approved a plan by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to export 400,000 metric tons of rice in April, after the government last month announced a ban on rice exports to make sure the country has sufficient food to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Budget carrier Vietjet Air announced on Friday it will conduct three additional flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to its regular daily flights, to ferry passengers coming out of government-mandated COVID-19 quarantine.

Education

— All K-12 students in the central city of Da Nang shall remain home indefinitely until further notice is available regarding school reopening, the municipal People’s Committee said in a notification on Friday afternoon.

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