Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong affirmed during his meetings with top Vietnamese officials on Wednesday that Singapore always cherishes the relationship with Vietnam, and remains committed to cooperating with and supporting Vietnam in achieving its double-digit growth target.

-- Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of Party General Secretary To Lam, received Loo Tze Lui, spouse of the Singaporean prime minister, in Hanoi on Wednesday, presenting the latter with ao dai (Vietnam’s traditional costume) embroidered with lotus flowers.

-- Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday sent messages of sympathy to South Korea following severe wildfires in the country’s southeastern regions, which caused significant loss of life and property, and environmental damage, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Investigators have busted Vietnam’s largest drug production ring in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, seizing a total of 1.4 metric tons of ketamine, nearly 80 metric tons of chemicals, and detaining 11 suspects, including four Chinese, three Taiwanese, and four Vietnamese.

-- Dozens of cows have been spotted roaming freely on a local street in the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City urban area in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City over the past few days, posing a traffic hazard, especially during rush hours.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on Wednesday issued a plan to invest in 355 kilometers of metro lines over the next 10 years, in accordance with the National Assembly’s Resolution 188 on piloting special mechanisms and policies for developing the urban railway network. Work on the second metro line, which will stretch from Ben Thanh in District 1 to Tham Luong Bridge in District 12, is set to begin in December.

Business

-- The leader of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has instructed relevant units to study a 30-percent reduction in administrative procedures in a bid to cut at least 30 percent of costs for residents and enterprises.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Asset Auction Service Center will hold an auction for the debt of Hao Huy Trading Co., Ltd. at Agribank on April 18. As of February 28, the debt, secured by Elisa Floating Restaurant, had been estimated at some VND134 billion (US$5.2 million).

-- At a working session with a delegation from the National Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee on Wednesday, the leader of Dong Nai Province proposed allowing the locality to pilot the establishment of a free trade zone near the underway Long Thanh International Airport and Phuoc An Port.

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