Since 2020 there have been more than 24,000 cases of online fraud in Vietnam, many using sophisticated tactics to exploit victims' psychology and steal nearly VND40 trillion (US$1.5 billion), the police revealed at a conference this week.
More than 4,000 schools across South Korea have closed as shrinking student populations force a dramatic contraction of the country’s education system, leaving hundreds of former campuses abandoned.
After more than a month of stepped-up enforcement to restore urban order, many streets in central Hanoi have become more open and orderly, with sidewalks neatly arranged and significantly less encroachment on roadways and pavements.
The Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested 41 people for allegedly staging fake rescues of victims trafficked to Cambodia to extort VND16.7 billion (US$635,980) from their families.
A teacher in eastern China has gone viral after turning a routine classroom punishment into a joyful dance moment that millions online could not stop watching.
People who use e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products in Vietnam will face fines ranging from VND3 million to VND5 million (US$114–190) and will be required to destroy the products, a government decree stipulates.
A tractor-trailer carrying cement on a national highway in southern Vietnam lost a wheel, which rolled across the road and crashed into a roadside shop, seriously injuring a woman.
Ca Mau Province in southern Vietnam has approved a VND1.78 trillion (US$70 million) waste-to-energy plant designed to process up to 600 tons of garbage a day and reduce pressure on local landfills.
The HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway at the city’s eastern gateway was jammed for more than three kilometers on the morning of Jan. 1, prompting traffic police to restrict vehicles.
Contractors are accelerating construction on major facilities for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2027 on Phu Quoc Island, with the conference center, multi-purpose theater, and airport terminals now taking shape.
A fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans Montana on New Year’s Eve, killing and injuring several people, police said early on Jan. 1.
A private college in China is under fire after parents claimed students who failed exams were told to pay nearly 80,000 yuan (US$11,000) for a “micro overseas study” programme that never took place, but promised to remove their failed grades and grant campus advantages.
Countries around the world welcomed the New Year with spectacular fireworks displays, ushering in hopes for a year filled with good fortune and happiness.
Vietnam is preparing to build Can Tho 2, a major road-and-rail bridge across the Hau River with an investment of more than US$1.1 billion, with construction expected to start in late 2026 and take about five years to finish.
Traffic congestion plagues cities across Southeast Asia, but global data shows one metropolis stands above the rest, earning the title of the region’s most congested city.
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said that 2025 was “filled with meaningful moments” in bilateral relations, delivering his remarks in Vietnamese.
Vietnam government has issued a new decree detailing community-based diversion measures, the responsibilities and procedures for their implementation, and the application of electronic monitoring and reintegration support for minors aged 14 to under 16 who commit offenses.
Ho Chi Minh City will close more than 20 roads in its central areas on Wednesday night to facilitate New Year Eve fireworks celebrations, according to the city’s Traffic Police Department.
More than 500 secondary, high schools and vocational schools in Ho Chi Minh City will restrict student phone use during recess starting 2026, aiming to curb passive screen time without imposing a full ban.
Despite growing calls for diversity, equity and inclusion in science, a new study reveals how deep-rooted disparities continue to shape who gets to contribute to science.
After leaving behind their heavy backpacks and intense academic pressure at home, many Vietnamese children rediscover the joy of going to school when their families relocate abroad.
More than 2,700 garment workers of Panko Vina which is set to close its factory in Ho Chi Minh City in several weeks will receive a 13th-month salary as a relief before Tet.
Chinese parents are increasingly utilizing AI-generated videos portraying regretful single women to pressure their unmarried children into marriage, a trend that highlights a widening generational divide amid shifting social values.
Vietnam Airlines is adjusting flight routes to and from Taiwan and Northeast Asia between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 due to temporary airspace restrictions, which may add up to 15–30 minutes to travel time.
Vietnam's General Statistics Office expects the country to face a shortage of 1.3 million women of marriageable age by 2049 due to the long-term consequences of sex imbalance at birth.
Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, will support the plans of several regions to forgo fireworks while celebrating the New Year this week, in solidarity with the victims of recent floods on the island of Sumatra, an official in the president’s office said on Dec. 29.
The Thai Ministry of Interior and partner agencies on Dec. 29 opened the New Year 2026 Road Safety Accident Prevention and Reduction Command Center, stepping up road-safety measures under an “area-first” approach to support safer journeys during the long holiday period, as reported by the Bangkok-based English-language daily online newspaper The Nation.
More than 2,700 workers at Panko Vina in Ho Chi Minh City are bracing for uncertainty as the garment factory prepares to shut down in mid-January, leaving many without a year-end bonus and unsure how they will find work with Tet fast approaching.
Ho Chi Minh City’s first bike-only lane is now complete along Mai Chi Tho Boulevard, offering a 6 km shaded route starting from Dec. 31 that links key urban areas and encourages greener commuting.
A fire at a nursing home on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi killed more than a dozen people, with three others injured, a local official said Monday.
Thai businessman Prasit Jeawkok has been sentenced to 806 years and 8 months in prison for running large-scale fraudulent loan schemes that defrauded hundreds of investors, though under Thai law he will serve only 20.
A finance specialist who struggled after running in smog and a doctor who fears for the health of his children are among the activists spearheading landmark air pollution legislation in Thailand despite political uncertainty.
Police in Vietnam's coastal city of Nha Trang have detained 30 Chinese nationals and one Vietnamese suspect after late-night raids uncovered an online gambling ring operating from hotels and rental apartments.
South Korea's former first lady was alleged by prosecutors Monday to have accepted lavish bribes totaling over US$200,000, including fine art, jewelry and a handbag, as well as meddling in state affairs.
Vietnam's population is projected to peak around 2059 before entering a period of slow growth or stability, as the country prepares for rapid aging, persistent gender imbalances and shifting migration patterns.
All passengers traveling on the Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien metro line will be exempt from fares on Jan. 1, 2026, as part of activities to welcome the New Year, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company No.1 (HURC1).
Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has warned the public to prepare for four major scam trends expected to intensify in 2026, urging people to stay alert and avoid falling victim to online fraud.
A 14-year-old girl in the northern Phu Tho Province suffered acute drug poisoning after consuming eight 500 mg paracetamol tablets to treat a headache.
A 30-year-old man in China's Hunan Province narrowly survived a life-threatening ordeal after a 30-cm-long eel was found alive and moving inside his abdominal cavity.
A bus carrying a group of teachers on a charity trip from Hanoi overturned in Lao Cai's Phinh Ho Commune on Saturday morning, leaving 9 people dead and the other 9 injured, authorities said.
Vietnam's average healthcare spending has reached about $270 per person annually (VND7.3 million), most of it on medication, and is projected to rise to $328 within the next three years, the Ministry of Health reported.
Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an "immediate" ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement issued by the Cambodian side, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes.
The Ministry of Health estimates that tobacco use claims more than 100,000 lives in Vietnam each year, with annual healthcare costs and economic losses reaching approximately VND108 trillion (US$4.2 billion).
Nearly nine in 10 international students in the United States are worried about the security of their visa status, amid mounting uncertainty over immigration policy, personal safety, and future prospects.
The fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge spanning the Mekong River was inaugurated on Dec. 26, strengthening transport connectivity within the Mekong sub-region, particularly among Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
China's sprawling high-speed rail network passed 50,000 km in total operating distance with the opening of a new line on Dec. 26, state media reported.
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power in the 1MDB graft scandal, which saw billions plundered from the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund.
A diesel spill at an oil depot in the Dung Quat Economic Zone has polluted fields, canals and rivers, killing fish en masse and putting the upcoming winter–spring rice crop at risk, authorities say.
A lucky lottery player in the U.S. state of Arkansas has won the $1.8 billion Powerball prize, the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won, the gambling game's organizer said on Thursday.
Indonesia has reported the highest number of methanol poisoning cases globally, prompting calls for stronger emergency preparedness plans to mitigate the risks of methanol exposure.
