Vietnam Morning Monitor: Flu A cases climb among children in the north, traffic fines go digital

| POLITICS

-- National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man on Sunday met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in Hanoi, discussing measures to strengthen bilateral ties and promote parliamentary cooperation, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The two agreed to leverage parliamentary cooperation to promote the implementation of high-level agreements, linking exchanges of legislative experience with oversight of implementation.

-- Liechtenstein Prime Minister Brigitte Haas strolled around Hoan Kiem Lake and enjoyed Hanoi’s iconic Trang Tien ice cream on Sunday afternoon. Haas is making an official visit to Vietnam from October 17 to 19 at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. It is the first visit to Vietnam by a Liechtenstein prime minister since the two countries established diplomatic relations on July 2, 2008.

| SOCIETY

-- Flu A cases among children have risen in northern Vietnam in recent weeks. Since early October, the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi has received around 70 cases a week, triple the previous figure. Most patients are under five, with some developing pneumonia or respiratory failure. Hanoi Children’s Hospital sees around 100 children with flu symptoms daily, 10-20 percent of whom require hospitalization.

-- Vietnam’s Traffic Police Department plans to send traffic violation notices online, allowing offenders to pay fines by scanning a QR code. The entire process, from receiving notices to paying fines, will be handled through the Ministry of Public Security’s VNeTraffic app, eliminating the need to visit police stations, particularly for violations detected by surveillance cameras and other technical equipment.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has announced administrative penalties against several organizations and individuals for violations in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors, including multiple hospitals. Several hospitals were found to have provided medical services beyond approved professional scopes and failed to comply with regulations on the storage, production, preparation, distribution and use of controlled drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients.

| ECONOMY

-- The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with relevant agencies, on Sunday opened the Vietnam National Pavilion at High Point Market 2026 in North Carolina, the U.S. The trade fair runs from October 17 to 21, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The pavilion features 16 Vietnamese businesses specializing in wooden furniture, home furnishings, handicrafts, rattan and bamboo products, as well as interior decor, giving international importers, distributors, retailers and designers a chance to explore their products and connect directly with Vietnamese suppliers.

| SPORTS

-- The 5th Asian Para Games on Sunday kicked off in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. Running through October 24, the event brings together around 3,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories to compete in 18 sports. Vietnam has sent a 36-member delegation, including 21 athletes competing in five sports: athletics, swimming, powerlifting, table tennis and badminton.

Tak Po Village emerges through a sea of white clouds at dawn