Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - December 13

Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a phone call with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim on Friday to discuss bilateral relations as well as emerging regional and international issues, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Society

-- A strong cold air mass is forecast to move into Vietnam on Saturday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and sharply colder temperatures across northern provinces. Parts of central Vietnam may receive moderate to heavy rain, while southern Vietnam and other regions are expected to see intermittent sunshine, with localized rain showers and thunderstorms, according to the national weather agency.

-- Authorities in Hue City, central Vietnam announced on Friday that the Cam Lo-La Son Expressway will be expanded from two lanes to four starting December 19.

-- Vietnam and the United Kingdom on Thursday in Hanoi officially launched the Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition (COAST) program, a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening the resilience of Vietnam’s coastal communities and marine ecosystems in the face of climate change.

-- U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper on Friday visited families affected by natural disasters in Yen Binh Commune, Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam as part of a U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance program aimed at helping northern Vietnamese communities recover from recent storms and floods.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- Ho Chi Minh City leaders convened an emergency meeting on Friday evening to begin implementing Resolution 98, a landmark policy framework recently approved by Vietnam’s law-making National Assembly to grant the southern metropolis special development mechanisms.

-- Ho Chi Minh City will break ground on a series of major infrastructure projects, including the Nguyen Khoai bridge-and-road project, two sections of Ring Road No. 2 and a component of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway, on December 19, city authorities said.

-- Pho Day 2025 officially opened on Saturday morning at the former Tax Trade Center site in Sai Gon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, bringing together nearly 30 pho brands from across Vietnam and expecting to welcome around 100,000 visitors.

-- Japanese businesses have called on Ho Chi Minh City to continue improving immigration procedures at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, saying waiting times remain long despite recent upgrades, according to remarks made at a business dialogue held on Friday in the city.

World News

-- Residents and emergency crews in towns along the rain-engorged Skagit River in western Washington state braced on Friday for potential levee failures while National Guard troops assisted in evacuations after days of severe flooding in the Pacific Northwest, Reuters reported.

-- Walt Disney (DIS.N) Animation Studios' ‘Zootopia 2’ is on track to surpass $1 billion at the global box office, Reuters cited the company as saying on Friday, as the sequel continues its strong run in international markets.