What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Hanoi is verifying reports that China is building a missile base 20km from the border with Vietnam, Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Society

-- Vietnam reported zero community COVID-19 cases on Friday morning, with the national tally standing at 1,953, according to the Ministry of Health. 

-- New coronavirus outbreaks have basically been put under control, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said on Thursday.

-- All employees of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, Can Tho International Airport in Can Tho City, Vinh International Airport in Nghe An Province, and Lien Khuong Airport in Lam Dong Province have tested negative for COVID-19, Vietnamese aviation authorities said on Thursday. The staff members of 16 other airports in the country will also be screened for the contagious respiratory disease.

-- A ship was dispatched by the Nha Trang Maritime Rescue Cooperation Center early on Thursday to bring ashore a foreign sailor falling ill aboard a Marshall Islands-registered vessel, the Vietnam News Agency reported the same day.

Business

-- A Vietnamese company has sued a London-headquartered investor, demanding €20 billion (US$24 billion) in damages.

-- The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has asked airlines to deny service to those passengers failing to properly wear face masks amid COVID-19 outbreaks in the country.

Sports

-- Organizers have decided to call off a motorcycle racing tourney annually organized during the Lunar New Year festival, due next week, in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, Nguyen Khanh Tung, director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said on Thursday. 

World News

-- "A mammoth effort by Australian firefighters saved homes from an out-of-control bushfire near Perth overnight, authorities said Thursday, but warned strong winds and rough terrain posed an ongoing challenge," AFP reported.

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