Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – May 17

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- In response to severe environmental pollution caused by squid-processing facilities, the chairman of the Gia Lai People’s Committee on Saturday ordered local authorities, provincial police, and relevant agencies to thoroughly resolve the issue.

-- A woman from Ninh Binh Province, northern Vietnam unexpectedly received VND400 million (US$15,199) in her bank account and immediately reported it to police in order to return the money to the sender, who had mistakenly transferred it from Ho Chi Minh City, the Ninh Binh police reported on Saturday. 

-- After nearly 48 hours of breaking out and smoldering, a fire at the storage area of the Nghia Ky Waste Treatment Plant in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam was basically brought under control by nearly 100 officers and emergency personnel by noon on Saturday.

-- A tragic drowning incident occurred in Hoa My Commune, Dak Lak Province, where four students lost their lives while swimming in a river on Saturday, a local official said the same day.

-- Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City agencies and organizations, along with international friends, on Saturday attended the launch ceremony for a tree-planting campaign and the inauguration of the 'Friendship Garden.'

-- Authorities in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam said on Saturday that they were verifying a video showing residents spraying chemicals onto dense water hyacinths in a canal. 

-- After sitting abandoned for months at the entrance of an alley off Dien Bien Phu Street in Ho Chi Minh City, becoming a dumping site for garbage, a car was finally towed away on Saturday.

Lifestyle

-- As many as 80 cat contestants from countries such as China, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are in Hanoi to compete in a cat pageant at the WCF International Family Cat Show, which runs until May 17.

Sports

-- The Vietnam Padel Open 2026 officially kicked off on Saturday to select athletes for Vietnam’s national padel team ahead of international padel tournaments in 2026. More than 100 domestic and international players are taking part in the competition.