Fearing that their growing population might spread disease and destroy crops, Vietnam has banned the sale and possession of hamsters, which have launched somewhat of a subculture among the country's youth.

Vietnamese health officials say a woman in the north of the country has died from bird flu as a new outbreak is reported in southern China.

South and Southeast Asian countries are grappling with new outbreaks of bird flu as winter weather sweeps across the region. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the latest outbreaks are still confined primarily to poultry, but one new human death has been reported in Vietnam.

China and Vietnam have agreed to properly handle their dispute over the South China Sea, according to the consensus reached at the second meeting of the China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation held on Wednesday.

The death toll in central Vietnam following six days of flooding has risen to 48, and rains are expected to continue, the national flood and storm control department said on Friday

At least 28 people have been killed in Vietnam by Typhoon Peipah, which continues to wreak havoc on already flooded areas of central Vietnam, a disaster official said on Tuesday.

Vietnamese officials say floods have killed at least 77 people in central Vietnam since late last month, and now a new typhoon is approaching.

Heavy rains triggered floods in central Vietnam. At least 33 people killed. The region braced for more possible destruction from a tropical storm expected to make landfall later this week.

The Red Cross estimates 10 million people have been affected by the latest typhoon damage and floods in Vietnam, and has launched an emergency appeal for $3 million in relief aid.

The death toll in Vietnam hit 44 on Sunday with 25 people still missing after some of the worst flooding in a decade in the aftermath of Typhoon Lekima.

Typhoon Lekima has continued to wreak havoc in central Vietnam, leaving thousands homeless and causing millions of dollars worth of damage, a spokesman for the country's emergencies service said.

Rescuers in southern Vietnam are searching for survivors of Wednesday's bridge construction collapse in Vinh Long province. Officials say crews recovered the bodies of eight construction workers Thursday, bringing the death toll to at least 45. They say about 80 workers are injured. However, local news reports say 64 workers were killed and 180 injured.