Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - May 18

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday required the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the State Bank of Vietnam, and relevant units to launch a comprehensive campaign to review bank accounts and phone SIM cards to strengthen state management and prevent online fraud.

-- Thousands of large trees have been cut down to make room for a road expansion project in Kon Plong District of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Economy

-- Vietnam’s National Assembly on Saturday approved a resolution on several special mechanisms and policies for private sector development at its ongoing ninth session in Hanoi.

-- Vietjet and Boeing have announced an agreement to transfer up to 50 Boeing 737 aircraft to Vietjet Thailand, part of Vietjet’s order of 200 Boeing 737s to Vietjet Thailand.

-- As many as 153 foreign service providers, including Facebook (Meta), Google, TikTok, and Microsoft, declared and paid taxes through the General Department of Taxation’s portal, totaling VND5.1 trillion (US$196.4 million) in the first four months of the year, surging 93.6 percent over the same period last year, the department reported.

-- Vietnam’s position as the world’s leading producer of Robusta coffee is under threat. Within the next two to three years, Brazil could overtake Vietnam and take the lead thanks to technological advancements and sustainable development policies, a local official said at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday and Sunday.

Lifestyle

-- Conquering Mount Everest (8,848m) and then Lhotse (8,516m) in less than 48 hours, former Vietnamese journalist Nguyen Manh Duy achieved a remarkable feat by scaling two of the highest mountains in the world.

Travel

-- Vietnam has advantages in scenery, culture, and relatively affordable living costs. However, the total cost of a trip to the country, especially international airfares, is reaching a concerning level, diminishing Vietnam’s competitive edge compared to other destinations in the region, according to a report by Saigon-Hanoi Securities Joint Stock Company.

World News

-- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss stopping the conflict in Ukraine, days after the first face-to-face talks in three years between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, Reuters reported.