What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam has expressed concern over the situation on the Korean Peninsula, calling for restraint from all parties, urging dialogue that considers each other's interests as well as regional and global stability, and contributing to the maintenance of peace in the region and worldwide, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said on Thursday.

-- Y Quynh Bdap, who orchestrated the June 11, 2023 terrorist attack in Dak Lak, located in Vietnam's Central Highlands, resulting in significant casualties, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Dak Lak People's Court, the foreign ministry's spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said on Thursday. The attack involved nearly 100 armed individuals who killed four police officers, two local leaders, and three civilians, while also taking hostages, who were later rescued. Y Quynh Bdap will be extradited from Thailand.

-- On Thursday afternoon, shortly after his arrival in Vientiane, a formal welcoming ceremony for Chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and a high-level delegation was hosted by Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane at the Lao National Assembly House.

Society

-- Police in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City caught Huynh Quoc Hung, 39, and Truong Ngoc Phong, 41, both residents of District 8, in the act of snatching a necklace from Fahrner Sascha, a 46-year-old German tourist. Police officers arrested them after a chase and rerturned the necklace to the German on the evening of the same day.

-- Heavy rains are expected to continue in southern Vietnam on Friday, with rising tides as well. In the northern region, there will be intermittent sunshine, with occasional showers, according to the national weather service.

-- A tractor-trailer carrying a container unexpectedly overturned at Cong Truong Cong Hoa Roundabout in Ward 2, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, causing severe traffic congestion during rush hour on Friday.

Business

-- On Thursday, Vietnam successfully refueled its first flights with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which took off from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietjet operated two SAF-powered flights, one bound for Melbourne, Australia and the other for Seoul (Incheon), South Korea, using sustainable fuel supplied by Petrolimex Aviation.

-- The rise of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Taobao, Temu, and Shein is posing significant challenges for Vietnamese businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, industry insiders have complained.

World News

-- "Sandwiched between wet towels in temperature-monitored containers, a dozen critically endangered Loa water frogs were flown from Santiago to Calama earlier this month, the first step conservationists have taken to return the amphibians to their natural habitat in a river that runs through the world's driest desert," Reuters reported.

-- China's National Health Commission (NHC) is conducting a survey of 30,000 people to explore the factors influencing attitudes toward childbearing and the 'fear of having children,' as authorities face challenges in trying to reverse the country's declining birthrate, according to Reuters.

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