Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - July 6

Catch up on the news in Vietnam today: 

Politics 

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and the delegation of Vietnam arrived at Galeao Airport in Rio de Janeiro early on Saturday morning (local time), starting his participation in the expanded BRICS Summit and bilateral activities in Brazil. 

-- Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang hosted a reception in Hanoi on Saturday for General Songwit Nunphakdee, chief of Thailand’s Defense Forces, who is on an official visit to Vietnam.

Society

-- The Office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued a document on applying special mechanisms to implement metro line No. 2 as the city is accelerating procedures to begin its construction.

-- The administration in Bai Chay Ward, Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam has fined a local restaurant VND750,000 (US$28.5) for charging VND810,000 ($31) for three bowls of vermicelli, one serving of banh cuon (steamed rice rolls with savory fillings), one bowl of porridge, and one glass of juice.

-- A torrential downpour in downtown Da Nang, central Vietnam on Saturday evening plunged the city into darkness and left many streets flooded, forcing residents to wade through the water while pushing their vehicles.

Economy

-- Vietnam’s gross domestic product expanded 7.52 percent in the first half of this year, the highest for the same period in 2011–25, said Nguyen Thi Huong, head of the General Statistics Office, at a press conference in Hanoi on Saturday to announce the country’s socio-economic statistics for the second quarter and the first half of 2025.

-- The number of newly-established businesses in June reached a record high of over 24,400, more than double the figure for the same period during 2021–24, according to the Department of Private Enterprise and Collective Economy Development under the Ministry of Finance.

-- At a conference held on Friday afternoon, leaders of Da Nang City in central Vietnam reaffirmed that Japan remains one of its key partners, playing a special role in the city's long-term strategic vision.

-- Foreign investors registered a total of $21.5 billion in investments in Vietnam during the first half of 2025, up 32.6 percent year on year, the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing the latest report by the Ministry of Finance's Foreign Investment Agency.

Travel

-- Ho Chi Minh City welcomed over 22 million visitors and generated nearly VND118 trillion ($4.5 billion) in tourism revenue in January-June, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

World News

-- U.S. President Donald Trump said he had signed letters to 12 countries outlining the various tariff levels they would face on goods they export to the United States, with the "take it or leave it" offers to be sent out on Monday, Reuters reported.