Vietnam

Da Nang’s People’s Committee plans to reclaim 300 hectares of sea to create Vietnam’s first integrated free trade zone; the project, a booster for economic development, is expected to contribute up to 25% of the city’s economic output by 2050

Vietnamese tycoon Trương Mỹ Lan, founder of Vạn Thịnh Phát, was sentenced to death for embezzling $12.5 billion via Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank; her sentence may be commuted to life if she repays 75% of the funds

In Quang Ngai, African swine fever outbreaks have disrupted pork supplies, a key ingredient for Tet, the celebrations for Lunar New Year; authorities are intensifying measures to control the disease and ensure enough pork is available for the holiday

The Bac Ninh festival celebrates 15 years of Quan Ho singing being recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage; known for its male-female duet style, Quan Ho is celebrated for its melodic richness and cultural importance

Media attention raised on Sùng Y Múa, a native Mong, healthcare worker, since 2005 dedicated to enhancing community welfare and health, reducing early marriages and drug abuse; her homestay revived cultural tourism and sets an example for the region

The Đường Hoa Tea Festival in Quảng Ninh attracted thousands with tastings, rituals honoring tea heritage, a blessing for tea trees; the celebration is an effort to preserve local tea culture, promoting sustainable growth and exchange among tea businesses

Hà Nội's local administration has launched a mass measles vaccination campaign, aiming to administer 70.000 doses to children and healthcare workers by November 15; The initiative seeks to achieve over 95% vaccination coverage for children aged 1-5

Through favorable loan programs, ex-inmates can start small businesses or find stable employment; local authorities are collaborating with communities to offer moral and practical support to reduce recidivism and help former prisoners build better futures

Officials and agricultural experts learned the use of remotely piloted aerial vehicles for pesticide spraying during a recent training session in Hà Nội

Dà Nang Free Diving, a diving group, is regularly cleaning coral reefs supported by a loyal group of 40 amateur and professional divers

On the coast of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh evacuations had been ordered for 230.000 people, ports and airport closed, hundreds of cruises in the UNESCO site Ha Long Bay cancelled before Super Typhoon Yagi, one of the most powerful in a decade, made landfall

The State Bank of Việt Nam and the Bank of Laos are exploring a joint cross-border retail payment system that would imply the use of respective domestic currencies in bilateral trade and investment cooperation activities to prevent external risks

The biotrade project, run by the Swiss agency Helvetas and the Centre for Rural Economic Development, a local NGO, has been helping small businesses in the Mekong for the past eight years and ended with an event at the Swiss Embassy