Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - October 19

What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- At noon on Saturday, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Kover Laszlo and his delegation laid flowers, visited the stupa, and paid tribute to Hungarian scholar Sándor Kőrösi Csoma in Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. Earlier that morning, Laszlo arrived in the city, beginning his official visit to Vietnam through Wednesday next week, at the invitation of Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

Society

-- At noon on Saturday, traffic police across Vietnam began a high-intensity campaign to check and control alcohol levels of drivers, following a directive of the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

-- Investigators from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security have arrested Ranjit Prithviraj Thambyrajah, a 65-year-old Australian national and CEO of Nam Song Hau Trading Investing Petroleum Joint Stock Company in Can Tho City, for allegedly committing fraud to misappropriate property totaling up to US$4.9 million, the company announced on Saturday.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways on Saturday morning held a conference to provide information on the master plan for selecting contractors for the metro line No. 2 project.

-- Cambodian authorities, in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy, on Saturday organized the handover of 48 Vietnamese citizens who had been detained in connection with Cambodia's crackdown on online fraud activities.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has approved and provided guidance for operating a high-speed passenger transport route from Bach Dang Wharf to Binh Khanh Commune, with a capacity of up to 151 passengers.

Economy

-- Vietnamese air carriers, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, and Bamboo Airways, are accelerating the race to win back loyalty members after a period of turbulence by reinstating membership tiers, boosting reward point accumulation, and expanding exclusive privileges for VIP customers.

Travel

-- UN Tourism on Friday held the awards ceremony for the 'Best Tourism Villages 2025' in China, where two Vietnamese villages — Lo Lo Chai Village in Tuyen Quang Province and Quynh Son Village in Lang Son Province — were honored.

Lifestyle

-- The Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 is estimated to have welcomed over 15,000 visitors at Our Tampines Hub in Singapore on Saturday.