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Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

Saigon

- Ho Chi Minh City retail sector ready for Tet holiday. [Tuoi Tre]

- House sales in HCMC drop to record low. [SGGP]

Vietnam

- Prime Minister urges banks to lend more to stop loan-sharking. [VnExpress]

- Germany helps restore Vietnam’s almost-two-century-old feudal temple. [Tuoi Tre]

- VN oil tanker fire: Search, rescue efforts underway. [VietnamNet]

- Nghi Son Economic Zone set for 2035 six-fold expansion. [Dan Tri]

- 2018: Vietnam’s agriculture growth hits record high in seven years. [Dan Tri]

- Vietnamese manufacturers struggle in homeland. [SGGP]

Other

- Asia must be alert to rise in anti-LGBT+ rhetoric ahead of polls. [VnExpress]

- Singapore passport remains 2nd most powerful behind Japan in first Henley index for 2019. [Straits Times]

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