Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — June 27

What you need to know today:

Politics

-- At the headquarters of the Communist Party of Vietnam, General Secretary To Lam on Thursday received Australian Ambassador Gillian Bird on the occasion of the start of her term in Vietnam.

Society

-- From the night of June 28 to July 2, widespread heavy rain is expected across northern Vietnam, with rainfall totals ranging from 100 to 300mm per event, and some areas possibly exceeding 500mm.

-- Ho Chi Minh City is using three criteria to identify traffic congestion: an average vehicle speed below 5 km/h (slower than walking pace), stoppages lasting more than 30 minutes, and vehicle queues stretching at least 200 meters.

-- Ho Chi Minh City police announced on Friday that investigators had urgently arrested Bui Huu Khanh, 45, of Binh Tan District, for 'disturbing public order' after he responded to neighbors' complaints about loud karaoke at his garment workshop by shouting at them and forcibly tearing down their door instead of quieting his staff.

-- On Wednesday, Vietnam’s National Assembly passed a law amending the Penal Code, abolishing the death penalty for eight offenses, including embezzlement and receiving bribes.

Economy

-- Authorities in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam are developing a proposal for a free trade zone near the under-construction Long Thanh Airport to submit to the government, with an estimated investment of around US$16 billion and a planned area of nearly 8,300 hectares.

Travel

-- Tourism businesses report a sharp decline in the number of Vietnamese travelers booking tours to the United States. The main reasons are global political tensions and shifting travel trends, which have made the U.S. a less attractive destination than it once was.

World News

-- Japan has executed a death row prisoner, public broadcaster NHK and other media outlets said Friday, the first time since 2022 that the country has enacted capital punishment, according to AFP.