What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- President of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang was busy with a renewable energy and climate action agenda during his visit to Germany from May 14 to 19, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

-- Chairman of Vietnam's lawmaking National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue met with Michael Arthur, Senior Vice President of Boeing and President of Boeing International, in Hanoi on Thursday, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The top Vietnamese legislator hailed the U.S. aviation group’s activities in Vietnam and sympathized with its COVID-19-induced difficulties.

Society

-- Ho Chi Minh City authorities on Thursday inaugurated a blood transfusion and hematology hospital, built at a cost of VND1 trillion (US$43.2 million) in Binh Chanh District.

-- Dao Huu Nam, chief of the ICU of the tropical disease center under the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi, has warned of a spike in hand-foot-and-mouth disease and Japanese encephalitis infections among children in the northern region in the coming summertime.

Lifestyle

-- A lotus flower festival opened in Dong Thap Province, located in the Mekong Delta, on Thursday, honoring lotus farmers and products.

Business

-- The State Securities Commission of Vietnam has fined HAGL Joint Stock Company VND3 billion ($129,589) for failure to report in advance its subsidiary's HNG stock trading. The commission has also decided to suspend HAGL securities trading for five months.

Sports

-- The Vietnam Football Federation presented Vietnam U23s with VND1 billion ($43,200) after the team beat Malaysia 1-0 in extra time on Thursday to set up a men's football final with Thailand on Sunday at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

World News

-- "An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for children ages 5 to 11, at least five months after completing their primary vaccination course," Reuters reported.