What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, General Kevin B. Schneider, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, and Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien, Commander of the Vietnam People's Air Defense-Air Force, attended a handover ceremony for T-6C training aircraft in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. The embassy said that this initial delivery of five out of 12 T-6C aircraft marks a significant milestone in the bilateral defense relationship.

-- Vietnam and Malaysia have lifted their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam said at a press conference in Malaysia on Thursday after talks with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim.

-- Cambodian National Assembly President Samdech Khuon Sudary presided over a solemn welcoming ceremony on Thursday for National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and a high-ranking delegation from the Party and state of Vietnam on their official visit to Cambodia, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- On Thursday, South Korean police announced that they had arrested a 19-year-old Vietnamese woman for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a bag placed in a restroom. 

-- A leader of the Quang Trung Ward People's Committee in Dong Da District, Hanoi told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday that nearly 150 sets of human remains had been discovered during drainage system renovations in the ward.

-- The remaining work on the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro Line No. 1 project in Ho Chi Minh City is being finalized by all parties involved. The metro line is scheduled to commence commercial operations on December 22.

-- Nguyen Van Hoa, chairman of the Nong Son District People's Committee in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, announced on Thursday that he had signed a decision to declare a dog rabies epidemic in the district.

Business

-- Candy and snack companies are enthusiastically hiring hundreds of workers, aiming for a double-digit increase in sales this Tet season, due in January. Meanwhile, many retailers are concerned about low consumer demand and are considering increasing promotions.

Sports

-- Pep Guardiola has renewed his contract with Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, for an additional two seasons, saying he cannot leave now when the club enters what he considers the most challenging phase of his tenure at the Etihad Stadium, AFP reported.

World News

-- "Scientists have taken a close-up picture of a star apparently in its death throes, surrounded by gas and dust as it heads toward its demise in a huge explosion called a supernova - the first time the events of this pivotal stage have ever been imaged," Reuters reported.

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