Vietnam

Cần hơn 208.000 tỷ đồng làm sạch đất ô nhiễm bom mìn

VN Express | Local Language | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | Man-made Environmental Disasters

As of September 2025, Vietnam still has 5.56 million hectares of land contaminated by explosive ordnance, representing nearly 17% of the country’s area. Dangerous explosives including bombs, submunitions, artillery shells, and mortar rounds continue to be found, particularly in central provinces, the Central Highlands, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. The Ministry of National Defense estimates that cleaning the land to a depth of 0.5 meters will cost over 208,000 billion VND, at about 37.5 million VND per hectare, with the process expected to take several decades to centuries.

Currently, 280 military teams with over 5,000 personnel are engaged in surveys and clearance, capable of cleaning 30,000 to 35,000 hectares yearly, implying it would take roughly 150 years to complete the work. To finish within 40 years, the number of teams must increase to approximately 600 with 9,000 people, requiring annual funding of about 5,000 billion VND. From 2006 to 2025, 901 people were killed or injured due to explosive ordnance incidents, many caused by civilians handling explosives or accidents during clearance.

Despite a 15-year goal to clear 1.3 million hectares, only about 527,000 hectares (40%) have been cleared to date. Challenges include the lack of unified legal frameworks for risk classification, insufficient technological tools such as UAVs and magnetometer sensors, and disparities in policies supporting clearance personnel — many incentives apply mainly to military officers, not to laborers engaged in this dangerous work.

The draft Ordinance on remedying explosive ordnance consequences proposes creating standardized risk classification criteria based on contamination level, accident frequency, and socio-economic impact. It aims to develop safety criteria for land use, resettlement, and investment, alongside a publicly accessible national risk map integrated with planning and infrastructure systems. The Ministry of National Defense also proposes insurance and livelihood support policies for clearance personnel and victims, with the ordinance setting principles for government regulation.

Vietnam remains heavily contaminated due to extensive U.S. ordnance use during the war, with 15.35 million tons deployed and an estimated 800,000 tons unexploded after 1975.

'Ngưỡng chịu thuế với hộ kinh doanh tối thiểu phải 500 triệu đồng'

VN Express | Local Language | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | UndeterminedTaxes

Professor Hoang Van Cuong proposed raising the taxable revenue threshold for business households from the draft Personal Income Tax law’s suggested 200 million VND to at least 500 million VND. He argued that taxing revenue at 200 million VND is unreasonable because, after deducting costs, the actual profit margin is very low, making personal income tax untenable. Cuong also highlighted that current personal deductions require a much higher income level to justify taxation, estimating that a 2.6 billion VND revenue should be the threshold for tax liability.

Cuong suggested differentiated thresholds, with service businesses beginning taxation at 500 million VND per year and other sectors starting from 1 billion VND or more. Similarly, delegate Pham Van Hoa supported raising the threshold to 500 million VND, stating that the 200 million VND limit does not cover living expenses for typical households. Nguyen Van Chi, Deputy Head of the Economic and Financial Committee, emphasized that a 200 million VND revenue translates to an unrealistically low profit compared to personal deductions and that abolishing the lump-sum tax system would increase tax burdens on business households. She also pointed out the lack of tax exemptions or reductions for business households relative to higher-income individuals and salaried workers.

As of the end of 2024, Vietnam has about 3.6 million business households and individual businesses, with 1.3 million having revenue above the current taxable threshold of 100 million VND per year. Minister Nguyen Van Thang acknowledged the complexity of taxing business households and noted a 64% increase in tax payments following IT applications. He stated the Ministry of Finance is reviewing the taxable threshold to ensure fairness and will consider feedback from delegates before the National Assembly votes on the amended Personal Income Tax Law on December 10, 2025.

Đường đèo Mimosa ở Đà Lạt nứt toác, suýt cuốn ôtô khách

VN Express | Local Language | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | Accidents

At around 11 p.m. on November 19, the road surface at the final section of Mimosa Pass in Xuan Huong ward, Da Lat, collapsed due to a landslide, creating a large hole that nearly swallowed a Phuong Trang passenger bus. The bus's front wheel fell into the sinkhole, leaving the vehicle precariously perched at the edge. Rain, slippery conditions, and limited visibility contributed to the incident. Only the driver was on the bus and managed to escape unharmed.

This incident occurred about one kilometer from a location where a tree fell earlier that day. Authorities have closed Mimosa Pass to ensure safety and are working to remove the bus with a crane. This event follows a previous landslide on the pass two days earlier.

Mimosa Pass is an 11 km stretch of National Highway 20 and serves as one of Da Lat's main southern access routes alongside Prenn and Sacom passes. Recently, the Prenn pass near Datanla waterfall has suffered prolonged landslides, increasing traffic pressure in the area. Landslides have also affected other passes in the region, including D’ran Pass on National Highway 20, Ngoan Muc Pass on National Highway 27, and Khanh Le Pass on National Highway 27C, disrupting travel between Da Lat and Nha Trang.

Due to these incidents, vehicles must detour through Ta Nung Pass on Provincial Road 725, adding 30–35 km to the journey. The ongoing heavy rains have caused significant erosion and instability across several key routes leading to Da Lat.