Read what is in the news today:

Politics

— In his surprise visit to Vietnam, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Friday said that the U.S. decided to provide Vietnam with an aid package worth US$2 million to help the country surmount the damage caused by recent natural disasters.

Society

— Firefighters timely rescued two foreigners trapped in a fire at a hotel on Hoang Viet Street in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Friday night.

— Police in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, which borders Cambodia, on Friday afternoon arrested one in a group of people illegally smuggling 51 kilograms of golden metal that is suspected to be gold from the neighboring country into Vietnam.

— About 60 workers who had been isolated by flooding at the construction site of Dak Mi 2 Hydropower Project in Phuoc Loc Commune, Phuoc Son District, central Quang Nam Province managed to rescue themselves with a system of pulleys on Friday.

— A mother and her child died while two other people were injured after a passenger coach struck a roadside barrier in heavy rain on National Highway 1 in the north-central province of Nghe An on Friday afternoon.

— Authorities in Ha Tinh Province’s Loc Ha District evacuated over 1,000 local residents to safe places as torrential rains hit the north-central Vietnamese province on a large scale on Thursday and Friday, causing serious flooding and posing risks of landslides.

— Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning. The national tally stands at 1,177, with 1,063 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths.

Business

— Retail giant Masan Group posted an after-tax profit of VND973 billion ($41.97 million) in the third quarter of 2020, a year-on-year decline of 59.9 percent.

— National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is set to re-open three domestic routes linking Thanh Hoa with Buon Me Thuot, Da Lat with Phu Quoc Island, and Hai Phong with Phu Quoc Island in November, an airline representative said on Friday.

World news

— Japan will lift its entry ban on foreign travelers from mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam from November for non-tourist arrivals, government officials said Friday, as it gradually eases COVID-19 travel restrictions in a bid to revive its battered economy, according to Kyodo News.

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