Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnam’s National Election Council has announced the official list of 868 candidates aged from 24 to 77 who will run for 500 seats in the 15th National Assembly, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health on Tuesday morning confirmed four COVID-19 cases, including two local infections in Hanoi and the central city of Da Nang, raising the country’s tally to 2,985, with 2,560 recoveries and 35 deaths.

-- All people who have completed their 14-day quarantine period in Vietnam are required to remain at their quarantine facilities from 0:00 on Tuesday until further notice, the health ministry announced.

Society

-- No traffic jams occurred at the entrances of Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, the final day of the holiday marking Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1), as many people had decided to return to the southern city a day early to avoid congestion.

-- A total of 111 traffic accidents happened across Vietnam from April 30 to May 3, killing 58 people and injuring 64 others, the traffic police division under the Ministry of Public Security confirmed, adding that the number of crashes and casualties sharply decreased compared with last year.

-- Authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho began shutting down karaoke shops, massage parlors, bars, discos, cinemas, and online game centers from 0:00 on Tuesday until further notice to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

-- Police in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi have imposed fines worth a total of VND319 million (US$13,800) upon 134 people, including foreigners, for failure to wear face masks in public from April 30.

Education

-- Authorities in Hanoi have required all K-12 students to stay home and switch to remote learning from Tuesday due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- All K-12, college, and university students, as well as learners of education centers in central Da Nang City are told to stay home and begin remote learning from Tuesday until further notice.