Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister has approved Ho Chi Minh City’s plan to celebrate New Year and the establishment of Thu Duc City with pyrotechnic displays, including two high-range shows at the entrance to the Saigon River Tunnel in District 2 and the Landmark 81 skyscraper in Binh Thanh District; and two low-range shows at Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11 and Saigon Hi-Tech Park in District 9 at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

-- The Department of Health in the southern province of Vinh Long on Wednesday said local authorities have sent a man to quarantine after he was discovered entering Vietnam illegally from Malaysia on a ship.

-- Border guards across Vietnam detected 343 cases of illegal entry into the country from December 28 to 30.

-- Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally on Wednesday night reached 1,456, with 1,323 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

-- Dust, uncontrollable traffic emissions, and construction and industrial waste combined with unfavorable weather factors are the main causes of the recent increasing air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment pointed out in a dispatch strengthening air pollution control sent to the localities on Wednesday.

Business

-- Vietnam and Cuba sought measures to increase two-way trade to US$500 million in 2025 during the 38th meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee, held online on Wednesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported the same day.

Lifestyle

-- Visitors to the outlying area around Da Lat in recent days have been treated to stunningly blooming ‘mai anh dao’ (cherry-like apricot blossoms), which have become a signature flower of the Central Highlands city.

-- The Saigon Yacht Show, considered one of Vietnam’s largest-ever yacht exhibition and the first of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City, on Wednesday evening kicked off in District 2 with the participation of major yacht distribution companies and experts in the industry.

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