Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics 

-- State President Vo Van Thuong on Wednesday hosted separate receptions for the ambassadors of New Zealand and Peru, who came to bid farewell to the state leader, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- The Road Traffic Infrastructure Management Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has proposed banning trucks from entering Truong Son Street, a section of Bach Dang Street, and a part of Hong Ha Street in Tan Binh District, starting from September, to ease traffic jams in the area surrounding Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

-- A man died and three people were hospitalized in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam after they drank water soaked with rootstock on Monday afternoon, Pham Xuan Vinh, an official said on Wednesday.

-- A resident in Quang Ngai Province discovered a bag of suspected narcotics washing ashore on a local beach on Thursday last week. The substance inside the bag was identified as cocaine and weighed nearly three kilograms, a border guard officer said on Wednesday.

-- Some 23 metric tons of rice sank in a river in Vinh Long Province, southern Vietnam after a boat capsized on Wednesday morning.

-- Many barges carrying sand imported from Cambodia have been stranded at the Vinh Xuong international waterway border gate in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam over the past five days, due to obstacles over goods code issuance.

Business

-- Ho Chi Minh City set a target of welcoming six million international visitors and earning VND190 trillion (US$7.8 billion) in tourism revenue this year, heard a conference held on Wednesday to review the city’s 2023 tourism performance and discuss a plan for 2024.

-- Many flower growers in Ho Chi Minh City have said that the yield for the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, could reduce by at least 20 percent year on year, while flower prices might not spike. They also predict a drop in flower sales for this year’s biggest national holiday.

Education

-- Schools in some 30 provinces and cities among all 63 localities have announced a break for students for the forthcoming Lunar New Year holiday in February, with the majority offering 14 days off.

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