United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Vietnam Tuesday after an "anomalous health incident" in Hanoi delayed her flight from Singapore, the US embassy said, an apparent reference to the so-called "Havana syndrome" that has sickened diplomats in several countries.Harris is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia trip where she is seeking to rally regional allies as the US' superpower status takes a hit over Afghanistan.She was due to depart Singapore

Vietnam locked down eight million people in Hanoi on Saturday, the latest attempt to curb a serious coronavirus outbreak that has already forced a third of the country to stay home.Authorities reported more than 7,000 new infections across the nation on Friday – the third record number of daily infections in a week.The centre of the normally bustling capital was empty and shops were shuttered as the lockdown came into force, although people could still be seen on the streets in the outskirts

Vietnam will resume international flights to its two biggest cities, officials said Wednesday, reversing a short-lived ban imposed over fears of a new coronavirus wave.The country's COVID-19 cases have more than doubled in the past month, prompting bars, restaurants and schools to close and a rush to secure vaccines.As the country struggled to contain a virus outbreak in more than half of its territories, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on Monday announced a temporary suspen

Vietnam began vaccinating hundreds of thousands of factory workers in its industrialised north on Thursday to combat its largest COVID-19 outbreak so far, days after the country reported a daily record in new cases.The communist country has been widely applauded for its aggressive pandemic response – with mass quarantines and strict contact tracing helping keep infection rates low – but clusters have now been reported in around half of its provinces and cities.Among the hardest hit are northe

Vietnam recorded its first coronavirus death on Friday as the pandemic rebounds in a country that had previously been praised for stubbing out the contagion.The patient, a 70-year-old man, died in the central city of Hoi An nearly three weeks after being admitted to hospital with serious underlying conditions, according to state media.The communist nation was applauded earlier this year for controlling COVID-19 with strict restrictions on movement, extensive quarantine measures and a robust t

More than 21,000 people in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi have been ordered to take a coronavirus test, authorities said Thursday as they scrambled to contain the nation's first outbreak after three virus-free months.At the weekend, a man in the coastal city of Danang tested positive for COVID-19 – the first community transmission the country had detected since April.Since then, more than 40 new infections have been found, spreading out from popular tourist destination Danang to neighbouri

For guests at the "Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake" coffee comes in a gold cup and bath time is taken in gilded splendour.The world's first self-proclaimed gold-plated hotel is open for business – and the Vietnamese owners insist they have the Midas touch despite the cramping of global travel during the coronavirus pandemic.The hotel cost US$200 million to construct with a 24-carat plating across lobbies, an infinity pool and rooms with even cutlery, cups, shower heads and toilet seats

Vietnam eased social distancing measures Thursday (23 April), with experts pointing to a decisive response involving mass quarantines and expansive contact tracing for the apparent success in containing the coronavirus.Despite a long and porous border with China, the Southeast Asian nation has recorded just 268 virus cases and zero deaths, according to official tallies.Although the numbers tested for COVID-19 are relatively low and experts caution the authoritarian government's health mi

Vietnam's inaugural Formula One Grand Prix will take place in Hanoi in April as planned, organisers told the media on Tuesday, avoiding the fate of the Chinese Grand Prix which was postponed over the deadly coronavirus outbreak.The virus, which has killed more than 1,800 people in China, has trashed Asia's sporting calendar, forcing the postponement of top events including the Hong Kong Sevens rugby.But Vietnamese authorities said the country's inaugural F1 race would go ahead

A major mercury leak, tap water contamination, and “alarming” levels of haze: several pollution crises in Hanoi have sparked public fury and accusations that communist Vietnam is putting the economy ahead of the environment.Long tapped as an investors’ paradise thanks to its low-cost labour and pro-business policies, rapidly industrialising Vietnam is one of Asia’s fastest growing economies.Buoyed by exports of cheaply made goods from Nike shoes to Samsung phones and H&M T-shirts, gro