What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday on the occasion of their attendance at the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits, the Vietnam News Agency reported, adding that "PM Chinh and FM Lavrov, who is head of the Russian delegation to the Summit, affirmed the importance of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries."

-- Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a reception in Hanoi on Thursday for a delegation from the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group led by its Chairwoman Catherine Deroche, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam has lately recorded 30 diphtheria cases after nearly 20 years of no known infections. One of the patients, a 15-year-old, died on August 24, according to local health authorities.

Business

-- Vietnam spent US$143 million importing 54,760 tonnes of chilled and frozen pork in January-July, a 21 percent year-on-year increase in value, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

-- Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam will welcome a familiarization trip group from Australia as well as 200 sales agents from Kazakhstan and other former Soviet Union states this month, a promising sign for local tourism.

-- "Vietnam and the Philippines agreed to sign an agreement on rice imports to guarantee food security, Hanoi said Thursday, after prices of the world staple soared to decade highs last month," according to AFP.

-- Vietnam exported $7.78 billion worth of wood and forest products in January-July, down 25.5 percent compared to the same period last year, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said.  

Lifestyle

-- Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper will organize the 'Vietnam Pho Festival 2023' in Tokyo, Japan from October 7 to 8 to widely promote the beef noodle soup to the international community.

World News

-- "Torrential rain deluged Hong Kong on Friday leading to widespread flooding across the densely packed city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations, as authorities shut schools and asked workers to stay at home," Reuters reported.

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