Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – September 7

Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam will pay an official visit to France and attend the International Space Summit in Paris from September 9 to 11, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen bilateral space cooperation, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

-- Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on Sunday met with the Vietnam Innovation Network and Vietnamese experts in South Korea as part of his official visit to Seoul, calling on them to share and transfer knowledge and international experience, particularly in technology development and commercialization, to help Vietnam achieve its goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Vietnam's Ministry of Health is collecting feedback for its proposal to raise monthly health insurance contributions from 4.5 percent to 5.1 percent from July 1, 2027, with the rate later increasing to 5.4 percent and six percent under a phased plan, while expanding coverage and benefits such as cancer screening and higher reimbursement for vulnerable groups.

-- On Sunday, during his official visit to South Korea, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with the Vietnamese community in Seoul, where he listened to proposals on policies to attract high-tech experts to Vietnam and said the recommendations would be taken into consideration. 

-- Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on Sunday signed a prime ministerial decision to temporarily suspend Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health and Chairman of the National Medical Council, following his indictment and temporary detention on bribery charges by the Ministry of Public Security on September 2.

Business

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade on Sunday announced it is seeking public feedback on a draft resolution from the municipal People's Council to expand the direct power purchase agreement mechanism, allowing businesses in industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones, and high-tech parks to buy electricity directly from renewable energy and LNG power plants.

Culture

-- On Sunday, producer and director Pham Duy Khanh, the manager of the Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 competition, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that the contest has changed its criteria to no longer accept transgender contestants, requiring participants to be female citizens recognized by Vietnamese law and medical authorities, a reversal from its previous announcement.

Sports

--  The Vietnam U20 football team lost 1-3 to Iran U20s in their final Group C match of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho Province on Sunday evening, suffering their third consecutive defeat and failing to qualify for the final tournament.