Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — January 1

Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and State President Luong Cuong on Wednesday jointly sent a congratulatory message to First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Caribbean country's National Day (January 1, 1959 – January 1, 2026).

-- State President Luong Cuong on Wednesday received the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, who came to bid farewell at the end of their tenures in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Colorful fireworks exploded across the skies of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and many other localities at midnight to mark the New Year in Vietnam.

-- State President Cuong sent New Year cards to all ministries, departments, agencies, the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, and local authorities in the wee hours of January 1.

-- Under the Personal Data Protection Law, which takes effect on January 1, administrative penalties for the buying and selling of personal data shall reach up to 10 times the proceeds obtained from the violation.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- Despite entering the peak travel period for the New Year holiday, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the final days of 2025 created a rather ‘unusual’ impression – busy yet not overcrowded, lively but not as tense as in previous years.

-- Residents and visitors packed several areas in downtown Ho Chi Minh City such as Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street on Wednesday night to await the countdown program celebrating the arrival of the New Year.

Economy

-- Two wind power projects with a total investment of nearly VND4 trillion (US$152 million) in Gia Lai Province have been granted electricity operation licenses and have begun commercial operation after being idle for more than three years due to legal obstacles.

-- Vietnam currently has five U.S. dollar billionaires with a combined net worth of more than $38 billion, led by Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong with $28.4 billion.

-- The non-profit Capital Aid for Employment of the Poor Microfinance Institution (CEP) under the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation has teamed up with Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast and Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM) to launch a support program that allows motorbike taxi and ride-hailing drivers in Ho Chi Minh City to take out loans to purchase electric motorcycles at a zero-interest rate in a bid to promote the transition to green transportation.

Travel

-- Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at Sa Dec Square in Sa Dec Ward, Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam to watch hot-air balloons and take part in a floating lantern release on Wednesday night.