What you need to know in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- State President Luong Cuong on Wednesday sent a congratulatory message to President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Revolution (January 1, 1965-2025), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- After 10 days of its operation, which began on December 22, Ho Chi Minh City’s first metro line served over 1.1 million passengers, rocketing 296 percent against the targeted ridership.

-- Ho Chi Minh City and the southeast region are forecast to experience moderate to heavy rains on Thursday. High tides, paired with torrential rains, might flood several parts of the southern metropolis on Thursday and Friday, according to the national weather center.

-- Police in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City arrested a married couple for assaulting a man on Le Duan Boulevard on Tuesday night. Their aggression allegedly caused public disorder, said an officer on Wednesday.

Business

-- Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast on Wednesday renamed some of its e-car models, VF 6 S, VF 7 S, VF 8 S Lux, and VF 8 Lux Plus into VF 6 Eco, VF 7 Eco, VF 8 Eco and VF 8 Plus, respectively. Notably, the VF e34 was renamed Nerio Green.

Lifestyle

-- The Nguyen Hue Flower Street, a staple of the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) in Ho Chi Minh City, will open from 7:00 pm on January 27 to 9:00 pm on February 2. Construction and decoration for the street, with a pair of snake sculptures and a female snake mascot being among its highlights, will begin at 7:00 am on January 9 and finish by 12:00 am on January 27.

Sports

-- Vietnam will clash with Thailand in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Championship final at Viet Tri Stadium in northern Phu Tho Province at 8:00 pm on Thursday.

World News

-- A driver crashed his pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year's Day in New Orleans' French Quarter and opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring more than 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was a potential act of terrorism, Reuters reported.

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