Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- The administration in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday announced the establishment of the Department of Food Safety, which is the first of its kind in Vietnam.

-- In 2023, Vietnam's population has reached 100.3 million, with residents enjoying a life expectancy of 73.7 years. This marks an increase of 834,800 people and 0.1 year, respectively, compared to the statistics from 2022, according to data from the General Statistics Office.

-- Gateways to Ho Chi Minh City were crammed with vehicles on Saturday as thousands of people rushed to leave the southern metropolis for the New Year holiday in their hometowns.

-- Two traffic police officers in Da Nang City, central Vietnam used a police car to take a nine-month-old baby who turned blue and suffered convulsions to a local medical center on Saturday. The child, who has innate heart disease, is now in stable condition.

-- Road tours to China sold like hot cakes on the ongoing New Year holiday, causing many Vietnamese tourists to queue up for up to six hours on Saturday for their turns to complete procedures at a border gate in China.

-- Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam was expected to welcome 312 flights with some 56,160 passengers on board between Saturday this week and Tuesday next week.

-- Three people in a family died of suffocation in the hold of a vessel carrying wood chips when the ship was docked for repair in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Saturday, the provincial administration reported the same day.

Lifestyle

-- Eighty-three paintings and sculptures of dragons by 71 artists are being displayed at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City through February 20 next year to welcome the 2024 Lunar New Year, which is the Year of the Dragon.

World News

-- “China will simplify visa applications for tourists from the United States from Jan. 1, cutting the documents required,” Reuters reported, citing a notice on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington.

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