What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- State President To Lam received ambassadors and chargés d'affaires from ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste in Hanoi for a courtesy visit and congratulations at the Presidential Palace on Thursday afternoon. Lam was sworn in as Vietnam's state president on May 22.

Society

-- The owner of the two dogs dragged behind a pick-up truck through the streets of Da Nang in central Vietnam has apologized, stating that it was unintentional, with V.T. expressing his regret on his personal Facebook page after the incident caused an uproar on Thursday morning. 

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Public Transportation Management Center announced on Thursday the suspension of a bus driver who deliberately ran a red light, and the case has been referred to traffic police for further action regarding the violation.

-- Hanoi Children's Palace, with an investment of over VND1.3 trillion (US$51 million), is set to be inaugurated and become operational after three years of construction. Located in the CV1 lake park section of the Cau Giay-Nam Tu Liem new urban area, the project covers nearly 40,000 square meters and is currently being finalized for its upcoming official opening.

-- On Thursday, the Ministry of Transport issued a directive requiring the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and airlines to strengthen the strict control of ticket prices and to explore solutions for reducing airfare costs.

-- To comprehensively evaluate Van Tien Cave, which has an underground stream, and to investigate other unexplored caves reported by locals, the Quang Tri tourism sector has proposed inviting the British Royal Cave Association for a survey. On Thursday, Ho Van Hoan, deputy director of the Quang Tri Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, announced that the department had submitted a proposal to the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee to survey Van Tien Cave in Tria Village, Huong Son Commune, Huong Hoa District.

-- For about a month now, the withering of trees has been occurring in several districts of Ho Chi Minh City, much to the regret of the residents, with a sudden wave of dried-up trees observed along the streets, such as approximately 35 trees completely withered on Luong Ngoc Quyen Street in Ward 5, Go Vap District.

Business

-- In May 2024, Vietnam welcomed nearly 1.4 million international visitors, a more-than-50-percent increase from the same period last year, bringing the total to 7.6 million for the year, with Chinese tourists surpassing South Korean visitors at 357,000 and 351,000 respectively, according to official figures.

-- Ho Chi Minh City ranks third in Southeast Asia for startup ecosystem value, with an economic impact of up to $5.22 billion, following Singapore and Jakarta, according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome.

Lifestyle

-- Recently, a photo of a Dao mother traveling across Vietnam on a motorbike with her four-year-old son went viral online, with many praising her adventurous spirit.

World News

-- "Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime on Thursday when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election," Reuters reported.

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