Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held phone talks with his Japanese counterpart Abe Shinzo on Monday, during which they exchanged views on the prevention and control of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in each country, and agreed to work closely together to overcome the pandemic.

-- The Vietnam Fisheries Society released a document on Monday to oppose China’s fishing moratorium from May 1 to August 16 in the East Vietnam Sea, including part of the Gulf of Tonkin and the Southeast Asian country's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

Society

-- Vietnam did not confirm any new cases of COVID-19 on Monday morning, while 11 patients were declared free of the virus in Hanoi, according to the Suc Khoe & Doi Song (Health & Life) news site, the mouthpiece of Vietnam’s Ministry of Health. The country’s tally remains at 271, with 232 having recovered.

-- A deputy chairman of the People’s Council in Hoi Quan District, located in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, has been dismissed after he was filmed furiously resisting a team of officers in charge of COVID-19 prevention in mid-April.

-- A draft decree requires social media networks that have one million or more monthly active users to apply for a license in order to operate in Vietnam.

-- Authorities in the central province of Quang Nam have reopened public beaches but they require people to keep a minimum distance of one meter from one another, while such activities as trading, eating, and drinking are banned on these beaches.

-- A taxi driver was fatally stabbed during a quarrel with another cabby in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on Monday.

Business

-- A total of 72 bus routes resumed operations in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday following a prolonged suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The number of people on each bus must not exceed 20.

-- Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the ministry will focus on restructuring chains for industrial production, especially in large manufacturing and processing industries such as textiles, footwear, electronics, and wooden processing sectors, due to difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

World News

-- The novel coronavirus has infected over 3.64 million people and killed more than 252,300 around the world, according to statistics. More than 1.19 million patients have recovered from the disease.

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