Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – August 2

Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- The Vietnamese government on Saturday approved a proposal to establish Bac Ninh City as a centrally governed municipality, tasking the Ministry of Home Affairs with finalizing the proposal and draft National Assembly resolution for submission in accordance with regulations.

Society

-- Police in Da Nang City, central Vietnam have arrested Mai Van Lac, a seven-time theft convict, for allegedly smashing the windows of nearly 10 parked cars and stealing cash and other valuables in a series of break-ins across the central Vietnamese city since July 20.

-- Hanoi police have prosecuted Vu Phi Diep, director of Viet KTV Electronics Group Company Limited, for allegedly ordering employees to illegally copy and convert thousands of music works into karaoke data for the company's branded devices. The firm distributed 919 products from 2023 to June 2026, allegedly earning around VND852 million (US$32,800) in illicit profits.

-- Hanoi residents are gradually adapting to a pilot low-emission zone in the Old Quarter after one month, with most complying with weekend vehicle restrictions that have made streets less congested, while authorities say the policy has received broad public support.

Business

-- A 35-year-old, 900-gram Ngoc Linh ginseng plant fetched VND725 million (US$27,900) at an auction in Da Nang on Saturday night, with the winning businessman donating it to be replanted on Ngoc Linh Mountain to help preserve its valuable genetic resources, as part of the first nationally scaled, internationally oriented Ngoc Linh Ginseng and International Medicinal Herbs Festival.

-- Vietnam is considering developing dedicated cargo airlines as air freight volumes hit a record 1.8 million metric tons in 2025, with foreign carriers currently controlling more than 80 percent of the international air cargo market and Vietnamese airlines lacking sufficient dedicated freighter fleets to compete.

-- Vietnam's banking sector saw significant workforce shifts in the first half of 2026, with Sacombank cutting 3,739 jobs, or 23.6 percent of its workforce, while VPBank added 987 employees as banks pursued differing strategies of streamlining operations and expanding their workforces to support growth, digital banking, and new business areas.

Culture

-- Ho Chi Minh City ranked No. 1 in Time Out's latest list of the world's best cities for street food, receiving 63 percent of votes, while Hanoi placed seventh, with the magazine highlighting the southern city's Michelin-starred restaurants and iconic street dishes such as pho and banh mi.

Sports

-- Vietnam's national futsal team held world No. 7 Russia to a 2-2 draw in their opening match at the 2026 Thailand Continental Futsal Championship on Saturday, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to take the lead before Russia equalized in the second half.