What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc is scheduled to pay a state-level visit to South Korea from December 4 to 6 at the invitation of his counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

-- Vietnam's lawmaking National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong on Thursday, within the framework of his official visit to Australia, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- The U.S. government has unveiled a US$36-million Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program (V-LEEP II) fund to be disbursed over five years to speed up Vietnam's transition to "a clean, secure and market-based energy sector by increasing the deployment of advanced energy systems, improving energy sector performance, and increasing competition in the energy sector," according to the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.

-- The Vietnamese government has approved a plan to let public employees take a seven-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday from January 20 through January 26.

-- Apple Maps is not showing Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratlys) in Vietnam's seas, according to findings by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. This is an unacceptable shortcoming, said Nguyen Duy Vi, director of Buzi Agency Company Limited.

Business

-- Over 200 booths display Vietnamese goods at a trade fair taking from now until Sunday at Tan Binh Sports and Culture Center in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Sports

-- "Japan erupted in cheers and tears after the national team's 2-1 win over Spain early on Friday, with crowds packing public viewing areas in the pre-dawn cold shrieking with joy as they stunned another global football power at the World Cup," Reuters reported.

-- Hanoi FC skipper Nguyen Van Quyet was voted the best player of the 2022 V-League 1 on Thursday. Hanoi won the 2022 season trophy.

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