What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- The Ministry of Public Security Office for UN Peacekeeping Operations held an inauguration ceremony for Vietnam Police Peacekeeping Unit No. 1 in Hanoi on Thursday.

-- Indonesia's President Joko Widodo arrived in Hanoi on Thursday, beginning his three day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong.

-- Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation will attend the 54th annual WEF gathering in Davos, Switzerland and pay an official visit to Hungary and Romania from January 16 to 23.

Society

-- Saline intrusion has spread over 50km into the mainland of Ben Tre Province in southern Vietnam, according to the local hydrometeorological station. More saltwater intrusion is in the forecast in the coming time.

-- Over 26,000 Indonesians visited Da Nang, a city on the central coast of Vietnam, in 2023, accounting for about 25 percent of the Indonesian arrivals to the country, the Da Nang tourism promotion center said on Thursday.

-- The People's Committee of Soc Son District in Hanoi is pooling feedback from agencies, organizations, individuals, and the community on a project to build a $500-million horse racing track.

Business

-- Vietnam's coffee exports in 2023 were 1.6 million metric tons, down 8.7 percent from a year earlier, Reuters cited government customs data as showing on Thursday.

-- Nestlé Vietnam will invest an additional US$100 million in increasing the production capacity of its Tri An coffee factory in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, the company said on its website. The new fund has elevated the firm's investment in the factory past $500 million.

Sports

-- Vietnam's head coach announced on Friday the official squad for the 2023 Asian Cup, scheduled for January 12 to February 10 in Qatar. Vietnam are slated to play Japan on January 14, Indonesia on January 19, and Iraq on January 24 in the group stage.

World News

-- "Britain's departure from the European Union has reduced the size of its economy by 6% so far - an annual cost of 140 billion pounds ($178 billion) - London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday, with the shortfall seen reaching 10% by 2035," according to Reuters.

-- "The Chilean government announced a partnership with Alphabet's Google on Wednesday to build the first undersea fiber-optic cable between South America and Asia Pacific," Reuters reported.

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