What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam condemns the desecration of its national flag in a protest in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday, Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamse Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference on Thursday.

-- Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha on Thursday expressed his hope that the Cuban ambassador to Vietnam will work closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s visit to Vietnam and the liberated zone in the central province of Quang Tri during wartime.

Society

-- A state appraisal council has approved of building a VND5.8 trillion (US$244 million) in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. The project is projected to be wholly completed in 2050.   

-- Rain is in the forecast for the Central Highlands and southern parts of Vietnam until Saturday while rainstorms will hit the northern region till Tuesday next week, according to the national weather service.  

Business

-- Inspectors from the European Commission will come to Vietnam for the fourth time in October to consider lifting a 'yellow card' imposed on Vietnamese seafood in 2017 over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a dispatch on Thursday.

-- Companies propose awarding a $1,000 subsidy for customers to convert to electric vehicles from gasoline-powered cars, according to a report the Ministry of Transport has submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha. 

Education

-- Nguyen Thi Thanh Truc, a student at Vietnam Maritime University, won a silver medal at the 2023 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship, hosted by Orlando, Florida from July 30 to August 2, the university leadership said on Thursday.

World News

-- "Two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on charges of handing over sensitive national security material to China," Reuters quoted U.S. officials as saying on Thursday.

-- "At least 18 people died in western Mexico when a passenger bus plunged off a highway into a ravine early on Thursday, state officials said, adding the passengers were mostly foreigners and some were heading for the U.S. border," according to Reuters.

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