☀️ Morning digest April 18

The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency.
☀️ Morning digest April 18 ảnh 1

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency. 

- President Vo Van Thuong hosted a reception inHanoi on April 17 for ASEAN ambassadors who came to congratulate him on beingelected as the Vietnamese State leader.

On behalf of the ASEAN diplomats, IndonesianAmbassador Denny Abdi conveyed congratulations and greetings from leaders ofIndonesia and ASEAN member states to President Thuong. Read full story

☀️ Morning digest April 18 ảnh 2Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg at the reception. (Photo: VNA)

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the first visit toVietnam by Austrian Federal Minister for European and International AffairsAlexander Schallenberg during a reception for the latter in Hanoi on April 17.

PM Chinh hailed the outcomes of the earlier talks betweenSchallenberg and Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, as wellas a Vietnam-Austria cooperation forum with the participation of the twocountries’ businesses the same day. Read full story

- Vietnam and Australia need to developbilateral trade in a more balanced way by promoting the export of Vietnameseproducts to the Southwest Pacific nation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh saidwhile receiving Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell in Hanoion April 17.

Farrell is on a working visit in Vietnam toco-chair the third Vietnam-Australia Economic Partnership Meeting together withVietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, which tookplace on the same day. Read full story

- Chairman of theNational Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue and his entourage left Hanoi on April 18morning for official visits to Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay from April 18-28.

The visits are made at the invitations ofPresident of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban LazoHernandez, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina Cecilia Moreau, andSpeaker of the Senate of Uruguay Beatriz Argimon Cedeira. Read full story

- Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son heldonline talks with Mozambican Minister for Foreign Affairs and CooperationVeronica Macamo Dlhovo on April 17.

Son spoke highly of the positive development of multifacetedcooperation between Vietnam and Mozambique over the past years, notably theonline high-level talks between Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen PhuTrong and President of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) Party andPresident of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi, and the Vietnam visit by President of theMozambican Assembly Esperanca Bias in June 2022.Read full story

- Vietnam values and looks to strengthenfriendship and cooperation with Austria, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui ThanhSon told his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg during their talks inHanoi on April 17.

Schallenberg, who is on Vietnam visit fromApril 16-18 at the invitation of Son, hailed Vietnam’s increasingly importantrole and position in the region and the world. He affirmed that Austria expectsto reinforce ties with Vietnam, its top partner in Southeast Asia. Read full story

- Vietnamese Minister of Industry andTrade Nguyen Hong Dien had a working session with Australian Minister for Tradeand Tourism Don Farrell in Hanoi on April 17, discussing specific measures toenhance economic and commercial ties and effectively implement the Vietnam -Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy.

They agreed that the bilateral economic andcommercial partnership is at its best ever, with the two economiescomplementing one another. Read full story

☀️ Morning digest April 18 ảnh 3A doctor takes care of a COVID-19 patient (Photo: VNA)

- Vietnam documented as many as 1,031 newCOVID-19 cases on April 17, a record in the past nearly six months, confirmedthe Health Ministry.

Since the pandemic broke out, Vietnam has logged11,532,103 infections, ranking 13th out of 230 countries and territoriesglobally. In terms of the number of cases per one million people, Vietnam isplaced 121st out of 230 countries and territories with 116,541 cases on average./.Read full story

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An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Czech Republic step up parliamentary cooperation, people-to-people exchanges

Ha Thi Nga, member of the Party Central Committee and Vice President and Secretary-General of the VFF Central Committee, expressed her wish for the VFF and its counterpart bodies under the Czech Chamber of Deputies to step up exchanges of experience in legislative work, receiving and addressing voters’ petitions, supervision and social governance.

President of the Lao NA Sonexay Siphandone (right) presents a souvenir to the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association (VLFA) at the meeting in Hanoi on November 2, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Top Lao legislator backs friendship activities ahead of 2027 milestones

Lao NA Sonexay Siphandone, who is on official Vietnam visit, urged the Vietnam-Laos and Laos-Vietnam friendship associations to keep coordinating closely and step up messaging on the two countries’ great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion, especially around the treaty’s 50th anniversary.

President of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man speaks at the eighth session of the NA Standing Committee on November 2, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Top legislator asks for harnessing people’s power to curb crime

The top legislator stressed that to curb drug-related offences and other crimes, it is vital to leverage the collective strength of the entire people, describing every citizen as a soldier, every family as a battleground, and every locality as a fortress.

At the meeting between Nguyen Thanh Nghi, member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, and head of the committee’s Commission for Policy and Strategy and Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in Beijing on November 2. (Photo: VNA)

CPV delegation pays working visit to China

The two sides discussed measures to further enhance the effectiveness of cooperation, focusing on increasing delegation exchanges, strengthening training and capacity-building for officials, establishing regular research coordination channels, and organising thematic seminars and online discussions.

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang welcomes Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, India promote law enforcement cooperation

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security called on India’s National Security Council to continue urging Indian law enforcement agencies to negotiate and sign cooperation documents with the ministry, including a draft memorandum of understanding on cooperation in personnel training and capacity building and a draft agreement on cooperation in combating transnational crime between the Vietnamese ministry and the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.

President of the Lao National Assembly Sonexay Siphandone and his spouse, Vandara Siphandone, arrive at Noi Bai International Airport on November 2, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Lao NA President begins official visit to Vietnam

In an interview on the visit and bilateral cooperation, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam said that, from a strategic perspective, the visit is important in further translating the concept of “strategic cohesion” into concrete action and making it a guiding principle underpinning Vietnam-Laos relations.

Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan addresses a discussion on the bill during the 16th National Assembly’s second session November 2 (Photo: VNA)

FDI attraction requires outcome-based support policies: minister

According to the minister, the draft law is being revised against the backdrop of projected total social investment demand for 2026-2030 being 2.21 times that of the 2021-2025 period. Disbursed foreign direct investment (FDI) alone needs to reach an average of 30-40 billion USD annually, six to seven times the level recorded in the previous period.

At the 7th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee. (Photo: VNA)

NA Standing Committee to review 35 draft laws, resolutions at 8th session

In addition, the Standing Committee is expected to consider and adopt five draft resolutions concerning the allocation of inspection-related recovered funds to strengthen inspection agencies; the functions and organisational structure of the National Assembly's Council of Ethnic Affairs and committees; salary and allowance scales for State officials and judicial personnel; policies and working conditions for People's Council deputies; and approval of the National Assembly's Digital Architecture Framework version 2.0.

National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man (R) and President of the Lao National Assembly Sonexay Siphandone in Hanoi on April 16, 2025 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese, Lao legislatures strengthen strategic ties

The official visit by Lao National Assembly President Sonexay Siphandone and his spouse will provide an opportunity for the two sides to discuss strategic measures to further deepen bilateral relations in the next phase. The visit will also reaffirm their determination to develop the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos in a more substantive and sustainable manner, for the benefit of the two countries' people.