October 2026

Vietnam's National Assembly has settled on two ministers to take questions at the second session of the XVI term: Finance Minister Ngô Văn Tuấn and Science and Technology Minister Vũ Hải Quân. The session will be the first time either minister answers questions before the XVI-term legislature.

South Korean special prosecutors asked for the death penalty for former president Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Vietnamese state and centrist outlets reporting the same day. The request follows his martial law order, which Tuổi Trẻ described as an insurrection case.

National Assembly deputies questioned Minister Trịnh Việt Hùng on land policy, with the minister stating that land recovery must not be abused and must not create difficulties for project implementation. Deputies asked for a clear division of authority over deciding land price tables and land price adjustment coefficients.

The commander of US Central Command reported new options for attacking Iran to President Donald Trump, according to accounts carried by Vietnamese outlets. The same reporting set says Trump disclosed his reason for sending a letter to Iran's leadership, and that a US general presented him with a strike plan.

Iran has set out seven conditions for resuming negotiations with the United States, and its supreme leader restated the terms for peace talks with Washington.

Super Typhoon Champi, described as potentially the strongest storm of 2026, was carrying gusts of up to 215 km/h as it churned near the East Sea. Forecasters said its path remained uncertain, with several scenarios still open.

Iran attacked four oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, an operation reported across Vietnamese outlets on Thursday. A separate tally put the number of vessels hit by fire and mines in the strait at seven in a series of strikes. Iran paired the attacks with a hard warning to the United States.

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Tibet in the middle of the night, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens more. Bricks and stone collapsed and the ground cracked open, and residents fled into the streets.

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training has proposed that the grade 10 entrance exam consist of only two subjects, mathematics and literature. The ministry also proposed scrapping entrance testing, classification and selection of pupils entering grades 1 and 6.

Vietnam's provincial education and training departments will set a single common end-of-term exam paper for students in grades 5, 9 and 12, replacing school-level tests for the three year groups that close primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary schooling. The change takes effect from December 1, according to Gia Lai's provincial portal. The regulation covers assessment of pupils at primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary level.

The government has set a target of GDP growth of 10 percent or more for 2027, a goal that outlets describe as posing a major challenge. Officials have paired the target with a demand to select the right breakthrough points and improve enforcement capacity to reach double-digit growth.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the European Union to supply Ukraine with 300 Patriot missiles and nearly 79 billion USD in support. The request places the burden of continued backing on European allies.

The government has proposed raising the revenue threshold used to classify small and medium-sized enterprises to 400 billion dong. The proposal is part of a package of support policies for SMEs submitted for consideration.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm presided over the official welcome ceremony for Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who arrived on an official visit to Vietnam. Tô Lâm's spouse and the Swiss President's spouse took part in the ceremony, with both women wearing áo dài.

Police in Hải Phòng are holding an 11th-grade student after he beat a classmate, a 16-year-old boy, who later died of his injuries. The case occurred at Trường Cao đẳng Hàng Hải và đường thủy 1, in TDP Nhân Nghĩa, phường Nam Đồng.

Vietnam's Communist Party Central Committee is discussing a new regulation on party members' participation in investment and business activities. The debate is part of a broader Central Committee session that also covers a development vision for the country through 2130 and leadership orientations for the next 100 years.

The State Bank of Vietnam has injected roughly 2.2 quadrillion dong into the economy, according to figures covering the first nine months of the year. The central bank said the pace of interest-rate increases is slowing. It also said it will keep tight control over exchange rates and interest rates in the final months of the year.

Central Vietnam is the focus of a forecast for rainfall exceeding 600mm, with the heaviest downpours expected from this evening through the night of October 8. Heavy rain has already struck Cù Lao Chàm, where water was described as flowing down roads like a waterfall.

Hung Yen police summoned the administrator of a Facebook group called 'People Who Hate Parents' after the page drew attention for posts expressing hostility toward parents. The administrator is a 21-year-old woman who told police her reason for creating the group. The case has been covered by state and independent outlets, including BBC News Tiếng Việt, Dân Trí, Tiền Phong, Tuổi Trẻ, and CafeF.

Residents in a Hanoi ward are handing over land and preparing for demolition to make way for the widening of National Highway 1A. Families have been moving furniture and belongings out of their homes ahead of the handover, and some held farewell meals before vacating.

National Assembly deputies meeting in a specialized session reviewed draft amendments to Vietnam's administrative violations law, including a proposed maximum fine of 1.5 billion dong for individuals and 3 billion dong for organizations. The deputies also debated enforcement measures that would allow authorities to cut electricity, water, internet and telecommunications services to individuals who fail to comply with administrative penalty decisions. The session was held to assess the fine levels and coercive measures thoroughly before any changes are adopted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the size of Russia's armed forces to more than 2.44 million personnel. The expansion comes as Russia plans to spend more than 200 billion USD on defense next year.

Iran's leadership issued a hardline statement on the only path to ending the conflict with the United States, while Washington warned that Tehran would run out of oil within two weeks. US President Donald Trump said the United States would defeat Iran "very soon." The two sides continued negotiations over Hormuz and the nuclear issue.

Vietnam's police have arrested three individuals who entered the country illegally and identified themselves as members of the banned organization Viet Tan, which the state designates as a terrorist group. The three were detained upon arrival and subsequently prosecuted, according to state media.

The wife of the former director of the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry testified about the markings on stacks of money received as bribes, according to reports. She also described how her husband brought bags of money home and complained that a bribe payment was 'missing 4 notes.'