What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang highlighted Hanoi's viewpoint that all countries have the common obligation and interest in respecting international law while addressing the ministry’s press conference on Thursday, amid recent statements by the U.S. condemning China's aggressive moves in the East Vietnam Sea, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

-- Australia will support the freedom of navigation through the East Vietnam Sea, the Vietnam News Agency quoted Prime Minister Scott Morrison as saying on Thursday.

Society

-- Two courts in Vietnam on Thursday sentenced four people to a combined 48 years in prison for trafficking wildlife parts.

-- Around 9,000 metric tons of garbage is pilling up in central Hanoi as residents block garbage trucks from accessing a dumpsite, according to local authorities.

-- Ho Chi Minh City police have said they will launch an extensive clamp-down on crimes of all types from now until September 14.  

-- Vietnam on Thursday donated three tonnes of medical supplies for Cuba to fight COVID-19.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City administration is gradually perfecting a system of cameras to identify people and vehicles to ensure social order and security.

Business

-- Vietnam will be allowed to export an annual maximum of 80,000 tonnes of rice to the EU, subject to no tariff, from August 1, according to a free trade pact signed between the two sides.

Sports

-- Real Madrid won the La Liga title on Friday, with one game left, after defeating Villareal 2-1 at home.

-- FIFA has imposed a global ban of six months to five years on 11 Vietnamese junior players for gambling on their own game last year.

World News

-- Over 13.9 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus around the world while more than 591,000 have lost their lives, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Above 8.2 million patients have recovered. 

-- Vietnam has reported 381 COVID-19 cases so far, with 356 recoveries and zero deaths, according to the health ministry.

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