Vietnam Morning Monitor: Da Nang police seek witnesses to fatal crash involving Russian, Nha Trang fines tourist-favorite eateries

| SOCIETY 

-- Many 30-metric-ton dump trucks carrying soil have repeatedly entered roads in central Da Nang City, central Vietnam, despite signs banning trucks over 2.5 or 7.5 metric tons. The presence of these heavy vehicles has added pressure to traffic, at times causing congestion. Local traffic police officers said they were verifying reports to handle violations in accordance with regulations.

-- The European Union (EU) is providing 10 million euros (US$11.22 million) to fund studies and investment preparations for an extension of Hanoi’s Metro Line No. 3 from Hanoi Station to Hoang Mai. The proposed 11-km section is planned to run entirely underground, in conjunction with transit-oriented development (TOD), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

-- The number of people receiving meningococcal vaccines at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days has risen seven- to eightfold from normal levels. Previously, the institute administered around 15 to 20 doses a day. Nationwide, nearly 300 VNVC vaccination centers administered almost 40,000 meningococcal vaccine doses over the past four days, three times the figure recorded during the same period last year. Nearly 80 VNVC centers in Ho Chi Minh City recorded almost 15,000 doses, a 125-fold increase year on year.

-- Authorities in Minh Hoa Commune, Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam, are searching for the owner of 10 free-roaming buffaloes that have damaged crops and gardens belonging to more than 40 households and attacked a resident, who escaped with minor injuries. After two public notices, no owner has come forward. The deadline to claim the herd is October 23, after which local authorities may take action.

-- Authorities in Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, have fined multiple eateries popular with tourists for food safety violations over the past nine months, with total fines reaching VND169 million ($6,534). A Nha Trang Ward People’s Committee leader said the locality has too few staff responsible for food safety given the large number of food businesses in the area. As a result, monitoring, supervision, management and efforts to prevent and address food safety incidents remain limited and inadequate.

-- Da Nang police are seeking witnesses and video footage related to a traffic accident that killed a Russian man in the central Vietnamese city. According to preliminary information, at around 6:45 am on September 24, the man, born in 2003 and temporarily residing in Ngu Hanh Son Ward, was riding a motorbike along Vo Nguyen Giap Street. At the intersection of Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyen Duc Thuan streets, his motorbike collided with another motorbike, killing him. Anyone with relevant information, photos or video footage is asked to contact the Da Nang Police Investigation Agency at 47 Ly Tu Trong Street, Hai Chau Ward, or investigator Nguyen Hoang Nam at 0766 638 638.

| LIFESTYLE

-- The 2026 Gong Festival and Chu Dang Ya Volcano Wild Sunflower Week in Gia Lai Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands are set to take place from October 30 to November 11, promising visitors a range of exciting cultural and travel experiences. The Gong Festival will be held in Pleiku Ward, Bien Ho Commune and neighboring areas. Chu Dang Ya Volcano Wild Sunflower Week is expected to draw large numbers of tourists, who can immerse themselves in the vibrant yellow blooms covering the volcano’s slopes.

Tam Thang Tower