Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — December 3

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnam’s Party chief To Lam and Lao President and Party leader Thongloun Sisoulith agreed on Tuesday to boost bilateral trade to US$5 billion in the near term and $10 billion in the longer term. They said they would prioritize resolving outstanding issues and improving connectivity, including securing resources for major projects such as the Hanoi–Vientiane expressway, a Vietnam–Laos industrial zone, and a cross-border economic zone along the East–West economic corridor.

-- Hundreds of Vietnamese and Russian spectators attended a cultural performance in Da Nang on Tuesday, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Society

-- A cold spell combined with a tropical depression brought heavy rain to central Vietnam, severe cold to the north and overcast conditions with scattered showers in the south on Wednesday, according to the national weather forecast agency.

-- Hanoi deputy chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen has ordered schools to limit outdoor activities when air quality reaches unhealthy levels and to suspend or adjust classes if pollution becomes severe, under a new directive issued on Tuesday.

-- Police in Ha Tinh Province, north-central Vietnam said on Tuesday they had busted an interprovincial drug trafficking ring on Telegram, seizing about 1kg of finished tobacco-based drugs, 9kg of dried herbal ingredients, 11 five-liter bottles of drug solution, 200 packaging boxes, six rolls of tape, and other related evidence.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- Ho Chi Minh City is drafting a pilot low-emission zone plan that would use cameras to identify vehicles failing to meet emission standards and impose fines of up to VND400,000 ($15) starting in 2027.

-- Ho Chi Minh City will from Saturday ban trucks over 1.5 tonnes, passenger vehicles with more than 16 seats, and any vehicle taller than 2.5 meters from crossing the 120-year-old Tan Thuan 1 Bridge as it prepares to build a replacement structure with an estimated investment of more than VND2.95 trillion ($111.85 million).

-- Ho Chi Minh City authorities have urged agencies to prepare flood prevention measures and respond to potential incidents as tidal waters are forecast to peak at around 1.8 meters on Friday.

Economy

-- Twenty-two banks in Vietnam have raised deposit rates in recent days as year-end demand for funds rises and surging gold, silver, and U.S. dollar prices draw idle household savings, analysts said.

-- Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong’s net worth rose by $1.1 billion on Tuesday, reaching $24.7 billion and making him Southeast Asia’s second-richest person and 92nd on Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest.