What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Following a formal welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in India on Thursday, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh invited Indian technology billionaires to invest in Vietnam during talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

-- On Thursday, Vietnamese State President To Lam received Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, at the Presidential Palace during his official visit to Vietnam from Wednesday to Friday.

Society

-- A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City police department stated on Thursday that the collection of information and lists of gold buyers and sellers is not intended to scrutinize them or cause difficulty for their trade, but rather to protect citizens' rights and prevent speculation.

-- Truong Minh Huy Vu, born in 1984, was named director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies on Friday. Vu received his PhD in political economy from the University of Bonn in Germany in 2014 with a full scholarship from Germany's Federal Foreign Ministry. Dr. Vu has also been a senior fellow of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs since 2018. 

Business

-- On August 1, electric vehicle maker VinFast officially delivered the VF3 electric car to Vietnamese customers. Many people gathered at the Landmark 81 skycraper in Ho Chi Minh City to see, touch, and eagerly await a test drive of the vehicle, priced between VND240 million (US$9,514) and VND322 million ($12,765).

-- On Thursday, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that pomelo has officially become the third fresh fruit from Vietnam permitted for import into South Korea, following dragon fruit and mango.

Lifestyle

-- A press conference was held in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday for the 2024 Best Sommelier of Vietnam competition. Nguyen Thi Khanh, president of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, announced that this inaugural event aims to select a winner to represent Vietnam in international competitions.

World News

-- "Australian police said on Friday they seized about A$828 million ($538 million) worth of methamphetamine hidden inside industrial machinery shipped from the United States," Reuters reported.

-- French taxi drivers on Thursday demanded government compensation for lost revenue during the Olympic Games as traffic disruptions and fewer regular clients weigh on demand, according to AFP.