What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- The U.S. decision to put Vietnam in the special watch list on religious freedom is based on unobjective assessment and inaccurate information regarding the situation of freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam, the Vietnam News Agency cited Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Society

-- The Ho Chi Minh City administration is seeking approval from the central government to hold fireworks displays in Thu Duc City and District 11 from 0:00 to 0:15 on New Year's Day.

-- A hot-air balloon display will be included in a tourism and flower garland festival slated to be held from January 5 to 7 in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam, a local official said on Thursday.

-- A court in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam on Thursday sentenced a 21-year-old woman, Tong Thi Tung Linh, to life in prison for killing her own father with cyanide in January.

Business

-- Vietnam's Gilimex, a warehouse equipment manufacturer, has filed a lawsuit in New York, demanding US$280 million in damages from e-commerce giant Amazon for the latter's breach of agreement.

--  Piet Demunter, chief operations officer of Brussels Airport Company, told Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday that a direct flight between Belgium and Vietnam is in the pipeline.

Lifestyle

-- Commercials promoting HCM City’s tourism potential have been screened on CNN from December 12, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the municipal Department of Tourism as saying,

World News

-- "Two people are dead and more than 50 are missing after a landslide struck a campsite in Malaysia early on Friday, officials said, as search and rescue personnel scoured the site for survivors," Reuters reported.

-- "Guardant Health Inc (GH.O) on Thursday said a pivotal trial of its DNA blood test showed that it detected 83% of colorectal cancers and 13% of advanced adenomas, a cancer precursor, but the results fell short of a rival stool-based test, sending the company's shares sharply lower," according to Reuters.

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