Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — September 26

What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on Thursday for Lin Wu, secretaty of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shandong Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, who is on a working trip to Vietnam, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

-- Vietnam stands ready to discuss with the U.S. to further promote equitable and sustainable bilateral trade and ensure the interests of the people and businesses of both sides, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said at a regular press briefing on Thursday as she responded to a reporter’s query on Vietnam’s solutions to the recent decision by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to deny comparability findings for 12 Vietnamese fisheries under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act.

-- U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Melissa A. Brown said during a meeting with chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc on Thursday that many American firms are eyeing investment opportunities in Vietnam and intend to expand their reach in the southern metropolis. She also emphasized that she would prioritize economic cooperation during her term.

Society

-- Storm Bualoi is forecast to enter the eastern waters of the central East Vietnam Sea on Friday night, becoming the 10th storm in the maritime region in 2025. After entering the East Vietnam Sea, the storm is expected to head toward central Vietnam, according to the national weather center.

-- At the first-instance trial in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam on Thursday, three Chinese nationals, who had illegally entered Vietnam in search of work, murdered a taxi driver in the province, and fled in his vehicle, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 11 to 19 years.

Economy

-- Vietnam’s Sun PhuQuoc Airways, a newly-established carrier under Sun Group, has officially been granted both an air operator certificate and an approved training organization certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, affirming its comprehensive capabilities in operations, safety, and training. The airline is set to begin ticket sales on October 15 and launch its first commercial flight on November 1.

-- Toyota aims to expand its investment in Vietnam by enhancing the operational efficiency of its plant and improving product quality, while offering a wide range of hybrid cars, Tien Quoc Hao, president of Toyota Motor Asia, told a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc on Thursday.

-- The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the An Giang Province People’s Committee, on Thursday night held the opening ceremony for the ‘OCOP Connection Forum for Mekong Delta in 2025,’ which features 226 booths from many provinces, cities, businesses, cooperatives, craft villages, and production facilities.

-- The Da Nang People's Committee on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with cryptocurrency exchange Binance to cooperate on the development of blockchain technology and digital assets, witnessed by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, as part of his working visit to the UAE.

Travel

-- Hong Kong welcomed over 39,000 Vietnamese visitors between January and July, up 46.6 percent year on year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.