What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that several Vietnam-U.S. cooperation projects on war aftermath remediation are ongoing or being resumed, including efforts to clear unexploded ordnance.

-- General Secretary To Lam met with U.S. Senator Steve Daines at the Party Central Committee headquarters on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Secretary To Lam welcomed Senator Daines on his first visit to Vietnam, emphasizing its significance in strengthening Vietnam-U.S. relations.

Society

-- The People's Court of Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam on Thursday held a first-instance trial and sentenced Chong Fu Kit, a 32-year-old Chinese national, to 12 months in prison for violating road traffic regulations. While traveling in Vietnam last year, he rented a motorbike to visit Hoi An but crashed into a median strip, causing the death of his girlfriend, who was riding with him. A test revealed he had alcohol in his system.

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated on Thursday that the Long Thanh International Airport project in Dong Nai Province, which neighbors Ho Chi Minh City, must be essentially completed by December 31, 2025 at the latest, warning that failure to meet the deadline would result in personnel changes.

Business

-- Speaking at a seminar on 'Solutions to Promote Private Economic Development' on Thursday, BIDV chief economist Dr. Can Van Luc argued that Vietnam's goal of reaching one million businesses is too modest, noting that China, with a population only 15 times larger, has 55 million businesses, and suggesting that Vietnam should aim for four million instead.

-- Vietjet has launched two new routes to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, two major Indian cities, to enhance travel convenience for residents and tourists. The Ho Chi Minh City–Hyderabad route, inaugurated on Tuesday, operates two round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while the Ho Chi Minh City–Bengaluru route, starting on Wednesday, offers three round-trip flights weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

 Lifestyle

-- Nguyen Van Son, vice-chairman of the Da Lat People’s Committee, announced from South Korea on Thursday evening that Da Lat won three awards at the Asia Festival Awards 2025, including 'Asia Flower and Garden Festival of 2025' for the Da Lat Flower Festival, the 'Asia Pinnacle Award,' and the 'Best Eco-Friendly Festival' title, awarded by the International Festivals & Events Association Asia (IFEA Asia).

Sports

-- Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee’s glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organisation’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history, Reuters reported.

World News

-- "Glaciers around the globe are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year period seeing the largest glacial mass loss on record," Reuters quoted a UNESCO report released on Friday.

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