Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - May 21

Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on Wednesday held phone talks with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, where both leaders agreed to boost economic, trade, and investment cooperation to increase bilateral trade turnover to US$3 billion.

-- PM Hung hosted a reception for Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Vietnam Ri Sung Guk at the government headquarters in Hanoi on the same day.

-- At a reception for Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes in Hanoi on Wednesday, the government leader expressed his hope that the two sides will continue strengthening the special Vietnam-Cuba relationship in the coming time.

Society

-- Many children suffering from blood cancer and thalassemia, along with other youngsters in Da Nang City, were excited to dress up as firefighters and take part in fire prevention and firefighting activities during a firefighter experience program on Wednesday.

-- Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam have busted a large-scale counterfeit perfume ring that allegedly sold around 100,000 bottles of fake perfume online worth an estimated VND200 billion ($7.6 million).

-- A rockslide occurred during stone mining operations at a quarry in Cam Tu Commune, Thanh Hoa Province on Wednesday afternoon, leaving one person dead and two others missing.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has ordered relevant departments and units to accelerate tasks related to science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation, including research into establishing unmanned aerial vehicle test flight zones for logistics, and urban management and surveillance.

Economy

-- The Ministry of Construction announced on Wednesday that it cut 297 administrative procedures in 2025, equivalent to a 65.8-percent reduction in administrative procedures under its management, helping reduce compliance costs by over VND3.9 trillion ($148 million).

Tourism

-- Many beachgoers were amazed to see dozens of street vendors carrying shoulder poles in a procession along the beach in Da Nang City, central Vietnam on Wednesday, as the city launched the Da Nang Food Tour Festival 2026 the same day.