The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) plans to offer over 12,000 packages of Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts to poor households and welfare facilities at a total cost of over VND14 billion (US$606,519), according to Vice President of the VFF Central Committee Truong Thi Ngoc Anh.

A strong cold spell engulfed the entire northern Vietnam on January 8 and expanded to the north central and central regions, causing medium to heavy rains in several areas, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has ordered stricter implementation of anti-pandemic measures at ports.

The Central Executive Board of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sangha held a ceremony in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on January 7 to mark the 101st birthday of the founder of Hoa Hao Buddhism, Huynh Phu So.

The People’s Committee of Hanoi has rolled out various measures to improve air quality amidst the alarming pollution level in the city in recent days.

Hanoi’s localities must tighten supervision of people arriving from abroad and fix loopholes in regulations at quarantine facilities, in a bid to prevent community transmissions of COVID-19 at all costs, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung has said.

VOV.VN - Heavy frosts set in up Mau Son Mountain Peak in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son early on January 8 as the ongoing cold spell caused local temperatures to drop to minus 1 degree Celsius.

VOV.VN - The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic cast a long shadow over the tourism industry in 2020, causing it to fall short of ambitious targets set for the year.

VOV.VN - Doctors of the Hanoi-based Central Hospital of Tropical Diseases are considering applying the ECMO therapy for a COVID-19 patient who is suffering from severe pneumonia.

VOV.VN - Vietnam confirmed four fresh imported COVID-19 cases on January 7, raising the total number of infections to 1,509, according to the Ministry of Health.

VOV.VN - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam gave 64 Doppler fetal monitors and personal protective equipment worth US$300,000 on January 7 as part of efforts to help ensure quality in sexual and reproductive healthcare services in flood-affected provinces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOV.VN - Nikkei Asia, the world’s largest financial newspaper published by Japanese media giants Nikkei Inc., has named Vietnam among an Asian trio that has succeeded in limiting the local transmission rate of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to almost zero.

VOV.VN - As the capital’s largest flower growing area, Tay Tuu village has hurriedly begun efforts to care for and collect flowers in order to supply local markets ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet), marking the start of the largest harvest season of the year.

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Embassy in Venezuela in collaboration with the Venezuelan-Vietnam Friendship Association (CAVV) have officially launched a website for the association at the domain name https://amistadvenviet.wordpress.com to promote citizen diplomacy and introduce Vietnamese culture and people, along with solidarity and friendship.

Ex-Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and nine accomplices were brought to trial on January 7 for violations at the ministry and in Ho Chi Minh City that caused losses of some US$118 million.

Many viral trends on social networks occurred in 2020.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has requested passengers on domestic flights to fill in compulsory health declaration within 24 hours before departure, given rising travel demand during the Lunar New Year festival 2021 and amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, said it had received approximately 1.7 million units of blood in 2020, which helped millions of patients, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOV.VN - The authorities of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, have moved to tighten measures to prevent the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community, especially when the traditional lunar New Year holiday (Tet) is drawing near.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested the ministries of health, agriculture and rural development, industry and trade and People's Committees of provinces and cities work to ensure food safety during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

VOV.VN - The Ministry of Health announced on January 6 that a Vietnamese citizen returning from France has been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

VOV.VN - The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected a total of 32.1million workers aged 15 and above, with the economic impact of the epidemic causing labourers to either lose their jobs or have their incomes and working hours reduced.

The Canada-based “Trieu dai Viet” (Viet Dynasty) is a terrorist organisation, the Ministry of Public Security affirmed on January 5.

Two foreign women, a 35-year-old British and a 28-year-old South African national, were found by search and rescue forces after they became lost in the forest while climbing the Langbiang mountain in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

VOV.VN - The Vietnamese Prime Minister has decided to suspend all flights from countries and territories, firstly the United Kingdom and South Africa, where a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was recorded and the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving in a complex manner.

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on January 5 called on the entire political system and people to tighten and follow COVID-19 prevention and control measures as the pandemic has still seen complicated developments in many countries globally with the appearance of new and more contagious strains of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City held a court for Pham Chi Dung and his two accomplices – Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Huu Minh Tuan – for the charge of making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under the Penal Code.

A large number of farm products have been presented to soldiers and people stationed in the island district of Truong Sa (Spratly) by members of the business association of the Central Highlands’ Lam Dong province in the hope of bringing them a happier Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The Prime Minister has issued the National Strategy on the Fourth Industrial Revolution by 2030 to fulfil goals set in the Politburo’s Resolution 52-NQ/TW that outlines policies guiding Vietnam’s active involvement in the revolution.

VOV.VN - Vietnam has recorded seven additional imported novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, increasing the total number of infections to 1,497, according to a report issued on January 5 by the Ministry of Health.