Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked ministries, agencies, localities and police forces nationwide to take measures to ensure safety, security and order before, during and after the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under 23 Championship between Việt Nam and Uzbekistan.

HCM City hopes to have continued support from the US for smart-city projects and plans to call for more investment at a conference in April, Nguyễn Thành Phong, chair of the People’s Committee, said.

Police in northern Ninh Bình Province said they had summoned the landlord and construction workers who were responsible for the death of a taxi passenger to record their statement.

Nguyễn Ngọc Minh, head of the People's Committee of Tuy Đức district in Đắk Nông Province said that an explosion at a local quarry led to four casualities.

More than 35ha of ready-to-harvest sugarcane was burnt in Ea Sup District, the Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) province of Đắk Lắk, causing severe damage.

Two drug traffickers were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for transporting 4,000 tablets of ecstasy from the northern mountainous province of Sơn La to Hà Nội, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Traffic accidents killed 780 people and injured 1,348 others from December 16, 2017, to January 15, 2018, the National Committee for Traffic Safety reported.

The north might experience a cold snap during the Tết holiday, while the south region would have good weather with light rainfall, the National Hydro-meteorological Centre said.

Many residents know harm of traditional earthenware stove with coal, but due to its cheap price, a number of families still use it for their cooking and warming, especially in winter leaving consequences for their health, said experts.