Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnam and Russia will cooperate closely to arrange an upcoming Vietnam visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nguyen Duc Thang, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, said on Thursday.

-- Vietnam always treasures ties with Japan and highly values Japanese investors’ operations in the country, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a delegation from the Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN) led by Masayoshi Fujimoto and Masayuki Hyodo, Co-chairmen of KEIDANREN’s Japan - Vietnam Economic Committee at a working session in Hanoi on Thursday, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- An additional 219 trees have been either chopped down or uprooted to make space for a project to expand the An Phu Intersection in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City. Over 1,300 trees on Mai Chi Tho Street were relocated in April last year to serve the project.

-- A resident in Binh Chanh District under Ho Chi Minh City rescued a rare Javan pangolin trapped in a fence in front of his garden and handed it over to local rangers on Thursday.

-- Fuel traders might be allowed to adjust oil and gasoline prices in the near future as state agencies will not be involved in fuel price regulation, according to a draft decree prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to amend and supplement three decrees on fuel trading.

-- The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, has cooperated with the provincial Vietnam Buddhist Sangha to release two metric tons of fish into the Dong Thap Muoi Ecological Reserve in Tan Phuoc District to replenish aquatic resources.

Lifestyle

-- The Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 kicked off at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday night, attracting crowds of locals and visitors, especially foreigners. The fest will wrap up on Sunday.

World News

-- Four Canadian school boards have sought more than C$4 billion ($2.96 billion) in damages from social media firms such as Meta Platforms and Snap in a lawsuit, alleging that their products harmed students, Reuters reported.

-- The U.S. government awarded the state of Maryland an initial $60 million in emergency funds on Thursday to clear debris and begin rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, an extraordinarily fast disbursement after such a disaster, according to Reuters.

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