Roads in HCM City’s east are now congested since there has been a surge in the number of vehicles there while work on new roads and bridges is tardy or stalled due to lack of funds.

Damrey, the twelfth typhoon that hit Việt Nam this year, struck Hà Thuận Village more than a month ago, but the roads to it in Duy Vinh Commune are still deep in mud.

A number of agencies and district-level authorities in Hà Nội have proposed a reconsideration of the increase in street and pavement usage fees. They say it is too high in comparison with the current rate.

Việt Nam can and should extend social protection to those in the informal economy through a mix of contributory and non-contributory schemes in order to achieve universal coverage, experts said at a conference yesterday.

The Việt Nam Council of Red Cross on Tuesday launched a charity programme called Tiết Kiệm Vì Miền Trung Yêu Thương to raise VNĐ2 billion (US$88,105) to buy new clothes for children for Tết in three storm-hit central provinces of Quảng Nam, Khánh Hòa, and Phú Yên.

At least 40 Vietnamese tourists are stranded in Bali, according to the Việt Nam Embassy in Indonesia.

Some 100 drivers of the Ba Sao Taxi Company went on a strike on Monday, asking for the reduction of two-way radio charges and expansion of promotion spots.

A fire occurred in Nam Hải Wood Processing Company in Dĩ An Town, Southern province of Bình Dương, on Tuesday, causing serious financial damage.

Police in central Hà Tĩnh Province busted a football betting ring worth VNĐ 300 billion (US$13.6 million) and arrested three people for allegedly organizing the ring.