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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

- Saigon florist replaces plastic wrap with leaves for bouquet packaging. [Tuoi Tre]

- Thousands of drugstores in HCM City could be suspended. [Vietnam+]

Vietnam

- Hanoi resumes sidewalk paving, but public dubious about quality. [VnExpress]

- Promoting rooftop solar energy in Vietnam. [Nhan Dan]

- What lies ahead for Vietnam if it gets UN Security Council seat. [VnExpress]

- Singapore seizes record haul of pangolin scales en route to Vietnam. [VnExpress]

- First professional kart racing in Vietnam to begin in May 2019. [Tuoi Tre]

Other

- Trump Says ‘Epic’ China Trade Deal Is Near Completion, but Hang-Ups Remain. [The NYT]

- Joko Widodo: how 'Indonesia's Obama' failed to live up to the hype. [The Guardian]

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