Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – August 17

Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- A Ho Chi Minh City delegation from the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin met with U.S. lawmakers, veterans, legal experts, and social organizations during a recent working visit to raise awareness of the long-term effects of AO/dioxin in Vietnam and seek greater support for victims’ health care, rehabilitation, education and livelihoods, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday.

Society

-- Search teams in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday reported finding the remains of 24 war martyrs and 15 sets of artifacts while expanding their search around a recently relocated memorial inside Le Thi Rieng Park in the city’s Hoa Hung Ward, bringing the total number of remains recovered there since June 23 to 351.

-- Northern Vietnam and the north-central region are forecast to experience widespread heavy rain from Monday night through Friday night due to a tropical convergence zone, with rainfall expected to reach 150-300mm and locally exceed 450mm, raising the risks of flooding, flash floods and landslides, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

-- Police in Da Nang City, central Vietnam said on Sunday that they had arrested five Chinese nationals wanted by Chinese authorities, including four detained on August 13 and the other captured several days earlier, following a request from China’s Ministry of Public Security, with all five later handed over to Chinese authorities at Huu Nghi International Border Gate in Lang Son Province.

-- Officials in Can Tho City, located in the Mekong Delta, on Sunday declared emergencies over dangerous land collapse along the Vinh Chau coast, the Tra Noc River, and Canal No. 1, which threatens a sea dike, roads, and about 130 households, while ordering relevant agencies to closely monitor the situation and take timely action.

Business

-- Vietnam needs to generate US$227-231 billion in exports in the final five months of 2026 to meet its annual growth target of 15-16 percent after exports reached nearly $319.7 billion in the first seven months, with exporters facing rising trade barriers, production costs and competition in major markets, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Tourism

-- Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism and authorities along the south-central coast and in the Central Highlands organized a six-day survey from August 11 to 16, bringing together 25 leading local travel companies to explore destinations in Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Quang Ngai and develop new inter-regional tours based on agriculture, crafts, cuisine, and local culture.

Sports

-- Fantasy Premier League, the official free-to-play fantasy football game of the English Premier League, has launched Fantasy Play League, its first official league exclusively for players in Vietnam, in partnership with FPT Play, giving local fans a dedicated competition to track rankings and compete for prizes while following the League.