(VOVWORLD) - Indian scholar Geetesh Sharma, a longtime friend of Vietnam, passed away in Vishudhanand hospital in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state, India, on Sunday, one week after contracting COVID-19.

(VOVWORLD) -Vietnam Trade Office in Australia says it has taken urgent measures to protect trademark rights for Vietnam's rice after a company in Australia applied for protection of the rice trademark ST24 and ST25 as the World's Best Rice.

(VOVWORLD) - A great amount of unexploded ordnance (UXO), bombs, and mines are scattering along Vietnam, a war-torn country. Statistics showed that by the end of 2020, Vietnam had 5,640 million hectares, 17% of its natural soil, contaminated by bombs and mines.

(VOVWORLD) - Foreign Ministers of the G7 began their meeting on Monday in London to prepare for the G7 Summit in June.

(VOVWORLD) - The White House on Sunday denied a report by Iran that they have reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of 7-billion-USD frozen Iranian oil funds under US sanctions.

(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam confirmed no new COVID-19 patients on Monday morning. Among 2,962 total cases in Vietnam, 1,595 cases have been infected locally and 2,549 patients have recovered.

(VOVWORLD) - State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday sent his condolences to the family of student Nguyen Van Nha, who was drowned while saving the lives of 3 female students at Phu Vang beach, Thua Thien Hue province, on Friday.

(VOVWORLD) - The Prime Minister on Sunday requested stricter implementation of instructions and regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

(VOVWORLD) -Vietnam's Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc on Friday attended the inauguration ceremony of Admiral John Aquilino as Commander of the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), in Honolulu, Hawaii.

(VOVWORLD) -Vietnam reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 during the past 12 hours to 6pm of Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health.