🇻🇳Week of October 26

Ukraine said it intercepted Russian ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv, and accused Moscow of striking the capital before a local ceasefire window. Russian forces also attacked Ukrainian logistics centres and seaports overnight, according to reports carried by Vietnamese outlets.1234

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on comprehensive defence of Ukrainian cities. The measure was reported alongside the missile claims by state and centrist Vietnamese outlets.536

Ukraine's Patriot interceptor stocks have run low, leaving Kyiv facing three pressures as Zelensky repeatedly appeals for outside help, CafeF reported. Ukraine has asked Europe to hand over 10 percent of its air-defence missile reserves, according to TAMDA MEDIA.78

The reports do not give a casualty count for the Kyiv attack or say how many missiles were launched. They also do not state what Russia said in response to the interception claim.14

The US midterm election on November 3 will decide the balance of power in Congress and shape the final two years of President Donald Trump's term, Tuổi Trẻ reported. Campaigning has entered its final stretch, with Trump staging an intense push to draw voters.123

From small towns to the crowded cities of Washington state, Americans are entering the midterms with different concerns and different choices, with deep divisions over the country's future behind the ballots, BBC News Tiếng Việt reported. Dân Trí focused on voters who remain loyal to Trump.45

Trump hit back after being criticized by former president Barack Obama, Tuổi Trẻ reported. Nguoi Viet Online framed the contest around whether the Republican vehicle can reach the finish line with Trump at the wheel and the tank full.67

Báo Tiền Phong reported that US attitudes toward Ukraine and Iran could reverse if Trump's party loses the midterms. Báo Thanh Niên described a Republican 'civil war' ahead of the vote.89

Separately, Báo Thanh Hóa reported that the United States is ready to carry out a large-scale military campaign against Iran within 96 hours.10

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training has proposed that the grade 10 entrance exam consist of only two subjects, mathematics and literature, to reduce pressure on pupils. The draft regulation would apply in places that still hold an entrance exam; the ministry said the share of pupils admitted to grade 10 is rising, and many localities could enrol by school record instead of testing.123

The proposal is part of a wider ministry plan that also covers intake into grades 1 and 6, where primary and lower-secondary admissions would no longer use entrance tests. The ministry set out its reasoning for the two-subject exam this week.23

Tuổi Trẻ argued the exam should not serve only to screen pupils but should help students choose the right direction for their studies.4

Attributed claim: Radio Free Asia, an oppositional outlet, said dropping the foreign-language exam for grade 10 cuts costs for the ministry but deepens inequality.5

Hanoi's city council passed a resolution on Wednesday approving the investment policy and the investor for the project to renovate, upgrade and restructure the space around Hoan Kiem Lake and its surrounding area, turning the approved planning map into a construction scheme. The investor is Sun Group. The resolution covers the whole redevelopment zone, not a single building.1

The plan includes an underground shopping centre and a square near Hoan Kiem Lake costing 4,611 billion dong, and a new city government headquarters priced at 3,518 billion dong. The full reconstruction is put at 22,200 billion dong, with completion set for 2029.2345

Payment for the work is tied to six land plots described as prime sites totalling 7.3 hectares, according to a CafeF account of the plan. The same account names Sun Group's Mat Troi Thu Do as the vehicle appearing in the redevelopment scheme.6

Attributed claim: Figures for the programme differ between outlets. Docnhanh.vn puts the Hoan Kiem Lake reconstruction at nearly 22,230 billion dong, while the state broadcaster's portal reports the 3,518 billion dong city headquarters and a 2029 completion date. The gap is small but the totals are not identical across reports.74

Tin tức 24h reported that the load-bearing capacity of the Hoan Kiem Lake area needs to be clarified before the 22,200 billion dong project proceeds. The question was raised as the redevelopment plans were being finalised.8

Police set up checkpoints on mountain-pass routes and stopped vehicles to search every corner for the three inmates still at large in Khánh Hòa. Hundreds of officers manned the blockades through the night, and the checkpoints were still being maintained the next day.1234

Khánh Hòa authorities told residents not to enter the forest while the search continued, and police published the fugitives' identifying features. One more escapee was captured, leaving three at large.5678

A set of prison clothing worn by one of the escaped A2 inmates when he was recaptured drew attention over where it came from.9

Forecasters expect heavy rain across central Vietnam from Tuesday evening, with some places due to receive more than 250mm. A weak cold air mass combined with eastern wind disturbances is driving the downpours across the region.123

The heavy rain is expected to persist over the next three days, with warnings of deep flooding, flash floods and landslides. Four central provinces have been asked to prepare a response.456

Authorities are focusing on reservoir safety and on preventing waterlogging along the stretch from Thanh Hoa to Da Nang.789

The Central region is forecast to face the heaviest rain from Tuesday evening, while the north is expected to see showers and the south sunshine during the day with thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening.91

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election, taking a fourth term, but will govern with a hostile Congress and a deeply divided country. The result followed a contest that the opposition contested before acknowledging the outcome.12

A presidential candidate was barred from leaving Brazil after losing the election, and had his passport taken. US President Donald Trump accused Brazil of election fraud after his ally lost to Lula da Silva.34

After prolonged disputes, Brazil's opposition recognized the result of the presidential election. Vietnamese leaders sent a message of congratulation to the re-elected Brazilian president.25

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 those three year groups. The rule applies to the whole province or municipality rather than to individual schools, and takes effect from December 1.1234

The departments' common papers are presented as a way to increase transparency and objectivity in assessment. VnExpress describes the shared paper as a remedy for grade inflation and inflated school records.34

Teachers and schools want the arrangement extended to all grade levels, not only grades 5, 9 and 12, according to Báo Thanh Hóa. Tuổi Trẻ reports that students from grade 6 to grade 12 may also sit periodic tests on computers and use digital school records.12

Attributed claim: VnExpress / VietnamNet: Thanh Niên warns the shared papers risk turning routine periodic assessment into formal examinations, and Sài Gòn Giải Phóng urges caution so achievement and score pressure are not piled onto pupils. Both outlets accept the common-paper rule itself and object to how it is applied.41

The two sides pushed economic, investment and technology cooperation under the new partnership framework. Vietnam said it wants to attract Polish capital into renewable energy and railways, and the visit included steps to expand exchanges of students, lecturers and researchers.123

Tusk said he admired the pace of Vietnam's economic development, and Vietnamese officials said the country always values and will deepen its relationship with Poland.45

During the Hanoi visit Tusk ate garlic stir-fried morning glory and banh xeo with fish sauce, and drank Hanoi beer.6789

North Korea has written to the president of the UN Security Council accusing South Korea of staging a mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, and South Korea has sent its own letter to the council in response. The exchange of letters marks an escalation in tensions between the two Koreas.123456

South Korea's letter accuses North Korea of violating the Korean Armistice Agreement, according to an account of the correspondence sent to the United Nations.7

North Korea has moved armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery close to the border with South Korea, with one account describing the guns as trained directly on the South.89