Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - January 3

Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Vietnam saw 71 traffic accidents nationwide on Friday, the second day of the four-day New Year holiday, leaving 41 people dead and 56 others injured, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

-- A strong cold air mass is expected to spread across Vietnam on Saturday, bringing sharply lower temperatures to the north, unseasonably cool conditions to the central coast, and a slightly chilly morning to the south, according to the national weather agency.

-- A 30-month-old boy in Quang Ngai Province experienced continuous nasal discharge, occasional nosebleeds, and difficulty breathing during sleep for nearly a week before doctors discovered a live leech lodged deep inside his nasal cavity, local health officials said on Friday.

-- A dangerous sinkhole about three meters deep has suddenly appeared on National Highway 9B in Le Ninh Commune, Quang Tri Province, prompting local authorities to set up warnings and carry out temporary repairs to ensure traffic safety, the commune’s administration confirmed on Friday.

-- Two married couples, aged 58-64, were killed after a section of a concrete river embankment collapsed along the Ba River in Son Thanh Commune, Dak Lak Province, trapping them beneath the rubble while they sought shelter from rain on Friday, local authorities said.

-- Police in Ho Chi Minh City have identified and summoned two teenage boys for questioning after they allegedly threw rocks at a north-south passenger train on New Year’s Day, breaking multiple windows and posing a serious safety risk to passengers and railway operations.

-- Traffic police on Friday imposed fines totaling VND100.5 million (US$3,810) on a bus driver and the vehicle’s owner after discovering serious violations on the Nha Trang-Cam Lam Expressway, including driving without a license while carrying dozens of passengers.

Economy

-- The U.S. has decided to postpone a planned increase in import tariffs on certain wood products from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027, a move that has brought temporary relief to many Vietnamese furniture and wood-processing companies, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Travel

-- Passenger traffic to the famed beach destination of Nha Trang surged sharply in the first days of the New Year holiday, with both rail and air transport recording strong growth, signaling a robust rebound for local tourism after a year affected by natural disasters.