Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — February 15

Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday chaired a meeting with standing government members and representatives of ministries, agencies, and northern Phu Tho Province to address structural damage to the Lo River Bridge, ordering urgent repairs and the construction of a new bridge.

Society

-- A total of 52 traffic accidents were reported nationwide on Saturday, three days ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet), killing 34 people and injuring 31 others. This marks year-on-year reductions of 18 crashes, eight deaths, and six injuries, according to the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

-- Unseasonal rains are forecast to affect southern Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in two spells ahead of and after Tet, which falls on February 17, from February 14 to 16 and again on February 21 and 22, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Business

-- Canada is seeking to expand trade ties and attract more investment from Vietnam, citing strong potential for cooperation across multiple sectors, Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper during a recent visit to the Southeast Asian country.

-- Vietnam has licensed Starlink Services Vietnam Co. Ltd. to provide fixed satellite telecommunications services, making it the fifth Southeast Asian country to host SpaceX's low-Earth orbit Starlink system after the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

-- A total of 1,237 apartments in 14 high-rise buildings along the Han River in Da Nang, central Vietnam have been cleared for sale after the municipal Department of Construction confirmed they met all required conditions.

-- Gold prices in Vietnam rose on Saturday, with SJC gold bars climbing to VND181 million (nearly US$7,000) per tael and buying prices reaching VND178 million ($6,880), up VND2 million ($77) on both sides from the previous day. Global prices hovered around $5,000 per ounce, equivalent to roughly VND159 million ($6,140) per tael at the listed bank exchange rate.

Culture

-- Visitors to the 2026 Tet Book Street Festival on Le Loi Street in Ho Chi Minh City on the first day of the Lunar New Year will receive 1,500 free books through a giveaway program, according to the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, with the festival set to officially open at 5:00 pm on Sunday.

-- The Can Tho Artistic Flower Street for the 2026 Lunar New Year officially opened in Can Tho City in Vietnam's Mekong Delta on Saturday, three days ahead of the holiday, under the theme 'Tet sum vay' (Tet of Reunion), the municipal Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said.

Sports

-- The Asian Football Confederation has included Vietnam's qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup among the 'nine greatest moments' in Asian women's football history, as part of a promotional campaign ahead of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia.