Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — December 25

Check out the latest news from Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Through the intergovernmental committee mechanism, Vietnam and Uzbekistan will further deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields, particularly in economic-trade and scientific-technological collaboration, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said at the eighth meeting of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Committee for Economic-Trade and Scientific-Technological Cooperation, held in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Society

-- After severe floods in late November and early December, D’Ran Commune in Lam Dong Province is facing a large volume of newly generated waste that has yet to be properly treated.

-- Police in Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam have uncovered a case involving the illegal transport of 676 king cobras, with a total weight exceeding 924 kilograms, concealed in the baggage compartment of a passenger bus.

-- For the first time, a Vietnamese citizen living and working in Vietnam has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by the British royal family for services to education.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- Nguyen Hue Flower Street, a staple of the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) in Ho Chi Minh City, is set to open at 7:00 pm on February 15 and close at 9:00 pm on February 22.

-- Residents in Xuan Thoi Son Commune, Ho Chi Minh City captured two rare great hornbills on Monday and Wednesday, and then contacted authorities to hand them over.

-- Many churches in Ho Chi Minh City lit up simultaneously on Wednesday night, glowing with the warm, dazzling colors of Christmas Eve, attracting young people to gather and take photos.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has submitted a proposal to the municipal People’s Council on the construction of a new trauma hospital in Tan Nhut Commune, with a total investment of over VND4.2 trillion (US$160 million).

Sports

-- Vietnamese chess player Luong Phuong Hanh was officially recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) on Wednesday.