The incident happened on Thursday as the tourist was walking around central Da Nang and exploring the beach city. At the time, Da Nang was experiencing persistent heavy rain, which further complicated the situation and increased the risk for anyone attempting to retrieve the device. A police officer climbs into a dark storm drain to retrieve an iPhone for a Hong Kong tourist who accidentally dropped it while exploring Da Nang City, central Vietnam, December 25, 2025. She expressed heartfelt thanks to the Da Nang police officers, praising their professionalism and willingness to help in challenging conditions. The Hong Kong tourist (C) smiles with relief after receiving her recovered phone, Da Nang City, central Vietnam, December 25, 2025.

Floodwaters inundate houses in Tay Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, during historic flooding in November 2025. Total losses were estimated at more than VND91 trillion (US$3.5 billion). Police forces have deployed more than 11,000 officers in nine central cities and provinces to support rescue, relief and recovery efforts. Vietnam is highly vulnerable to floods, storms and landslides, particularly during the annual monsoon season, which regularly causes loss of life and widespread damage. The ministry said police are also implementing a government-backed housing reconstruction program for households affected by disasters, with dozens of homes already completed and further handovers planned before early 2026.

Foreign tourists eat ‘banh mi’ at a ‘banh mi’ festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. What is troubling is that despite millions of ‘banh mi’ sold every day, ‘banh mi’ largely sits outside the reach of routine inspections. In the short term, oversight should focus on larger ‘banh mi’ shops with signage and daily sales in the thousands. Street-side ‘banh mi’ cannot be safe if sausages, pâté and fresh herbs come from unregulated sources. Where people choose to buy ‘banh mi,’ and whether they tolerate unhygienic stalls, amounts to a daily vote on food safety.

However, a few stocks remained in positive territory, including Hoa Phat (HPG), LPBank (LPB), Sacombank (STB), Vietcombank (VCB), TPBank (TPB), and Vinamilk (VNM), helping to partially offset the overall decline. According to Forbes, Pham Nhat Vuong’s net worth dropped from $30 billion on December 23 to $28.1 billion by the end of December 25-a loss of $1.9 billion. Just days earlier, on December 19, Vingroup had been buoyed by the simultaneous groundbreaking of 11 major projects across Vietnam. Vingroup was also assigned to develop key transportation infrastructure, including the Ben Thanh–Can Gio and Hanoi–Quang Ninh high-speed railways. On the other side of the market, Sacombank (STB) and LPBank (LPB) both saw gains.

The four suspects involved in the counterfeit gas operation. Counterfeit gas cylinders bearing fake trademarks seized by authorities. Source: Police photo (CACC)Fake gas sold up to 50% cheaperTo gain illegal profits, the group sold fake gas cylinders at prices 30–50% lower than genuine branded products. Thousands of counterfeit cylinders and tools seizedDuring searches, police confiscated large quantities of counterfeit gas cylinders, thousands of empty tanks awaiting refilling, fake labels and seals, refilling machinery, and heat tools used in the production process. The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department continues to investigate the broader network, focusing on financial transactions and distribution routes that supported the illegal gas operation.

A farmer carries flowers from a field at Sa Dec Flower Village in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam, for delivery to customers, December 25, 2025. -- MIK Group said it has asked Hanoi authorities to withdraw from an investor consortium developing the Red River landscape boulevard in central Hanoi under a public-private partnership scheme. -- Local authorities in Binh Hung Commune, Ho Chi Minh City said on Thursday they would intensify waste collection, review surveillance cameras and impose fines after household garbage was found dumped around the foot of Ong Be Bridge and along Nguyen Van Linh Street. -- Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in hotels in Vietnam fell by 14.6 percent in 2024 from 2020 levels, according to the results of an adult tobacco survey. -- Lung Cu in Vietnam’s Tuyen Quang Province will hold its first wild Himalayan cherry blossom festival from January 2 to 4, 2026, an event expected to draw 3,000 to 5,000 visitors, local authorities said.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the capital expects to welcome over 33.7 million visitors in 2025, an increase of 20.8% compared with 2024. This includes 7.82 million international visitors, up 22.8%, and 25.9 million domestic visitors, up 20.3% year-on-year. A new wave of international visitorsIn recent years, Hanoi has witnessed a significant shift in its international visitor profile. Repositioning Hanoi’s tourism brandAccording to Nguyen Quy Phuong, Head of Tourism Promotion at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, rebranding Hanoi’s tourism image has become an urgent priority. Such linkages could increase the average stay of international tourists from 2.8 days to 4–6 days, generating greater economic impact while enhancing the capital’s visibility in international markets.

Credit: S.NVietnamese football achieved an impressive string of victories in 2025, winning multiple championships and gold medals across all levels - marking one of its most remarkable years to date. Three Southeast Asian championships in one yearAt the very beginning of 2025, the Vietnam national team captured the ASEAN Cup title after an emotional victory against host Thailand. According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), 2025 was considered a pivotal transitional year, laying a strong foundation for restructuring and preparing the national team for its next development phase. Seven national teams qualify for Asian finalsUnder the VFF’s strategic direction and targeted investment, Vietnam achieved a milestone by having seven national teams qualify for continental finals during 2025–2026. Beyond men’s football, both the men’s and women’s futsal teams, along with the Vietnam women’s national football team, also made their mark in 2025.

The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max were among the devices Apple discontinued in 2025. Most notably, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max - last year’s flagships boasting 6.9-inch displays, high-capacity batteries, and A18 Pro chips - have been pulled from shelves. Apple Watch: full refresh across all tiersThe Apple Watch family also saw a sweeping update. The Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) was succeeded by the SE 3, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 was discontinued in favor of the Ultra 3. Accessories: AirPods Pro 2 bows outIn the accessories segment, Apple said goodbye to the AirPods Pro 2 as it launched the AirPods Pro 3 in September.

Nearly 500 containers of Vietnamese tea are stuck at Karachi Port, threatening farmers' livelihoods. According to the Foreign Market Development Department, the Ministry took swift action following an urgent petition from the Vietnam Tea Association and affected businesses. Most of the Vietnamese tea shipments were contracted for export to Afghanistan through Karachi Port, relying on Pakistan as a transit hub. As of the latest update from Pakistan, Karachi Port is reportedly jammed with around 11,000 containers destined for Afghanistan, along with 25,000 import containers and 15,000 export containers awaiting clearance. Exporters have been urged to work closely with the Tea Association and the Vietnam Trade Office, providing complete documentation for their shipments.

Heavy selling hit nearly all large-cap stocks, including the entire Vin group: VIC, VHM, VRE, and Vinpearl (VPL). “Vin” stocks hit floor, liquidity surgesAll three major Vin stocks - VIC, VHM, and VRE - hit their floor prices with no buy orders remaining. USD 1.05 billion) on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) and nearly 1.6 trillion VND (USD 64 million) on HNX. Recently, VIC shares even reached 170,000 VND post-split (equivalent to about 340,000 VND pre-split), buoyed by a string of large-scale project launches. Vingroup’s recently issued 3.9 billion VIC shares are scheduled to reach investors’ accounts on the final trading day of 2025.

Born in 2007 in Dong Nai and belonging to the S’tieng ethnic group, Lai brought home gold medals from the National Strong Teams Vovinam Championship in April and the National Vovinam Championship in September. Her triumphant year culminated in November when she won gold at the World Vovinam Championship in Indonesia. Photo: NVCCStarting with local clubs, Lai’s talent soon caught the attention of Master Huynh Minh Hai, then head coach of the Binh Phuoc Vovinam team. In 2022, she claimed her first national youth gold medal, marking the start of an unbeaten streak. What matters most is discipline, determination, and gratitude along the way.”The young S’tieng girl hopes her story can inspire ethnic minority youth to believe that dreams, effort, and opportunity make success possible.

For generations, the Nguyen village in Dong Hung commune, Hung Yen province has been one of the cultural cradles of Vietnam’s traditional water puppetry. In the past, the village boasted several different puppetry troupes, which later merged into what is now known as the Nguyen Xa Water Puppetry Guild. People’s Artist Nguyen Dinh Bay, head of Nguyen Xa guild, explains the history of the troupe. Nguyen Dinh Bay, People’s Artist and head of the Nguyen Xa puppetry guild, shared that the troupe has a history dating back approximately 700 years. As the strings tighten and release, they create elegant, expressive patterns that only Nguyen Xa artists can execute.

An illustration of a high-speed railway project is shown in an undated handout image. Those include a proposed Olympic sports urban complex in Hanoi covering more than 9,000 hectares, as well as major transport links such as the Ben Thanh–Can Gio and Hanoi–Quang Ninh high-speed rail lines. Vingroup is also pursuing large-scale industrial and energy ventures, including steel production, wind power, and an LNG power plant. The firm added that its withdrawal would not affect progress on the North–South high-speed rail project, which has attracted interest from other domestic investors with relevant experience. VinSpeed, a Vingroup-affiliated infrastructure developer, previously estimated the North–South high-speed rail project to cost about VND1.562 quadrillion ($60.2 billion), excluding land clearance and resettlement.

In September 2024 in the United States, General Secretary and President To Lam presented the Friendship Order to several individuals, including Cora Weiss, for their significant contributions to fostering Vietnam–U.S. Peter Weiss, born in 1925, and Cora Weiss, born in 1934, were unwavering American allies of Vietnam for many decades. Cora Weiss was among the most prominent leaders of the American anti-war movement. Even in their 90s, Cora and Peter Weiss attended a meeting between General Secretary and President To Lam and American friends on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. During that occasion, Cora Weiss was honored to receive the Friendship Order from General Secretary and President To Lam.