The Việt Nam Red Cross Society (VRCS) will provide fresh water and financial assistance during May and June to residents in the four provinces suffering from drought and saltwater intrusion.

The damage caused by the fire early Tuesday at the Pakse Đào Hương market, a Vietnamese trade centre in the Laos province of Champasak, amounted to nearly US$8 million.

Police from HCM City’s Thủ Đức District yesterday arrested the 27-year-old leader of a major ring selling methamphetamines.

The Việt Nam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has decided to impose administrative fines on three businesses for polluting Bưởi River.

The Việt Nam Expressway Corporation has proposed to the Ministry of Transport to build the Hữu Nghị-Chi Lăng Expressway with a total initial investment of over VNĐ9.9 trillion (US$446.4 million).

Việt Nam is in need of over VNĐ995 trillion (US$44.6 billion) to upgrade the national transport infrastructure in the next five years.

A handmade cooling device – one of the best selling products for low-income earners in cities can cause negative impacts on users’ health and household appliances, engineers and health experts warns.

Quang Trung Industry Group Joint Stock Company has submitted a proposal to HCM City’s Department of Transport to allow construction of new-style overpasses for pedestrians as traditional ones have failed to attract local residents.

Authorities continued to remove dead fish from HCM City’s Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè Canal on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has called on localities nationwide to actively implement the action month for drug prevention and control from June 1 to 30.

Hà Nội has launched hotlines to receive complaints on food safety and hygiene violations.

The foot-and-mouth disease has spread in the north central province of Thanh Hóa since May 14, local officials said.

South Korea will receive 3,500 Vietnamese labourers following the Employment Permit System this year, after a Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday morning between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour.

To improve transport flows between District 12 and other districts in HCM City as well as other provinces, the Ministry of Transport plans to carry out multiple projects this year.

In a statement issued last week, the Việt Nam River Network (VRN) sought to cancel the project because of the potential negative impact to the biodiversity in the river basin, as well as the livelihood of residents in the project area and nearby.

Tonnes of cage-raised fish along the Bưởi River in the north central province of Thanh Hóa have continued to die, according to local officials.

Street food, for which Việt Nam is rightly famous, can be a financial boon to local communities, helping many people, especially the poor, increase their income.

Prolonged dry weather has significantly increased forest fire risk in the southeast region, authorised agencies report.