Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Hanoi on Thursday morning to visit Laos and co-chair the 47th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee.

-- Prime Minister Chinh called on Japan to promote financial support and new-generation official development assistance for Vietnam to implement strategic infrastructure projects with transformative potential such as the North-South high-speed railway, nuclear power, and urban rail systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, heard a reception for visiting Japanese Minister of Finance Kato Katsunobu in Hanoi on Wednesday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Police in Lai Chau Province, northern Vietnam said on Wednesday that they had busted a ginseng smuggling ring, arresting six individuals and seizing some 400 kilograms of Chinese ginseng.

-- After verifying a clip showing a student being assaulted and stripped off her clothes by a group of girls, police in Can Giuoc District, Long An Province, southern Vietnam summoned those involved in the brawl, an officer said on Wednesday.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has urged the municipal Department of Public Security and the authorities of Thu Duc City and districts to increase patrols to promptly discover and sanction passenger buses which pick up and drop off passengers at illegal locations to ensure traffic safety.

-- The Ministry of Health has proposed cities and provinces establish the central intersectoral steering committee for food safety and enhance inspections into food processing facilities to ensure food safety before, during, and after the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday.

Business

-- The Business Confidence Index of European businesses in Vietnam surged from 46.3 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 61.8 in the fourth quarter of 2024, marking a pivotal shift from a neutral to a positive sentiment in both current and future outlooks, according to a recent report from the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham).

World News

-- Raging wildfires surrounded Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate, Reuters reported.

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