Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — August 22

What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- On Wednesday, Ambassador Do Hung Viet visited the headquarters of the Communist Party USA in New York and met with its leaders as he began his new term, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- From August 28 to September 7, Ben Thanh metro station in Ho Chi Minh City will be transformed into an 'underground shopping paradise,' featuring more than 500 brands offering discounts of up to 80 percent. The event will also serve as a new highlight of Shopping Season 2025.

-- Vietnam has around seven million people living with diabetes, but more than half remain undiagnosed. This creates a dangerous 'hidden iceberg' of complications, with 39.5 percent affecting the eyes and nervous system, according to the Ministry of Health.

-- There is a 70-percent likelihood that the East Vietnam Sea will experience a storm in the coming days, with forecasts showing it heading straight toward the Gulf of Tonkin.

-- A CGV representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that with approval from national broadcaster VTV, the cinema chain will air the entire program marking the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's August Revolution and National Day on September 2 in its theaters. The broadcast will include the official ceremony, the large-scale parade at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, and special artistic performances.

Economy

-- The International Innovation Exhibition InnoEx 2025 opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, bringing together 4,000 CEOs and founders, 300 exhibitors, more than 100 startups, and 70 investment funds from over 60 countries.

-- Many of Vietnam’s leading businesses have undergone a dramatic transformation, evolving from 'prey' into global 'hunters,' now actively acquiring international companies.

-- CMC Technology Group announced on Thursday the launch of CMC OpenAI (C-OpenAI) in Hanoi, aiming to apply AI across key sectors including a national legal virtual assistant, citizen virtual assistant, education, healthcare, finance and banking, manufacturing, and public administration.

Entertainment

-- Fifteen international beauty queens representing different countries and territories competing in Miss Cosmo recently enjoyed a cultural experience in Ben Tre, known as the land of coconuts, now part of Vinh Long Province in southern Vietnam.

World News

-- "South Korean entertainment companies riding the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, are scrambling to widen their global reach as Asia's fourth-largest economy bets on cultural exports at a time of growing protectionist barriers for traditional manufacturers," Reuters reported.