Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- More than 200 domestic and international train passengers received a warm welcome and lucky money from officials in Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam upon their arrival in the provincial capital city of Phan Thiet at noon on Saturday, the first day of the Tet festival, according to the provincial tourism authority.

-- The national weather center on Sunday, the second day of the Tet festival, forecast that northern Vietnam would continue to experience cold weather, but it is not anticipated to significantly affect local Tet celebrations. In central Vietnam, scattered showers are expected, while the southern region may encounter hot weather during the day.

-- Seventy-eight traffic accidents were reported on Saturday, the first day of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, leaving 35 people dead and 66 others injured, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

-- A high traffic volume along with inundation caused by a high tide made life tougher for road users on a one-kilometer road section linking My Tho City with Chau Thanh District in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam on Saturday afternoon.

-- Eight passengers were hospitalized after suffering injuries in a crash involving a 16-seater car and a north-south train on Saturday afternoon in Ha Nam Province, northern Vietnam, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Lifestyle

-- Thousands of book lovers flocked to an annual book festival in downtown Ho Chi Minh City during the first day of the Tet holiday, where as many as 16,000 books are being given away as Tet gifts to visitors.

World News

-- Spanish police on Saturday clashed with a group of farmers and truck drivers in Madrid as they tried to access a main road in a bid to block it, one of several protests sweeping the European Union against the bloc's environmental rules and what workers see as excessive taxes and red tape, according to Reuters.

-- Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted of helping to cover up sexual abuse in a children's home, Reuters reported.

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