Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 12

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
☕ Afternoon briefing on April 12 ảnh 1
Hanoi, (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

-Therelationship between Vietnam and France has been thriving, and the twocountries have become accompanying, reliable partners of each other, VietnameseAmbassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has affirmed in an interview granted tothe Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of thebilateral diplomatic ties and 10 years of the strategic partnership.
The Ambassador highlighted the traditionalrelations between the two countries and their diverse, multi-sectoralcooperation, which have been strengthened and developed comprehensively.Read full text

-FrenchAmbassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery has granted an interview to Vietnam NewsAgency on the outcomes of bilateral cooperation between France and Vietnam onthe occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Francediplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnershipthis year. 
Bothcountries have had an extremely rich cooperation in the economic field and alsoin research, education, higher education, health, development, and beyond thisvery rich cooperation, their relationship was elevated to a strategicpartnership a decade ago, he said.Read full text  

-PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh asked ministries, agencies and localities to workharder in order to pave way for transport projects, saying administrativeprocedures should be streamlined, while concluding a meeting of the Statesteering committee for national key transport projects in Hanoi on April 12.
The PM, who is also head of the committee, urgedhastening transport projects from north to south so as to put relevantresolutions, guidelines and policies adopted by the Party and the State intoplace.Read full text

-A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Le Hoai Trung,member of the CPV Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for ExternalRelations, attended the French Communist Party (PCF)’s 39th Congress inMarseille city, and paid a working visit to the European country from April7-11.
During his stay, Trung held talks with PCFNational Secretary Fabien Roussel to exchange information on the situation ofeach country and Party, and measures to strengthen bilateral ties, andexchanged views on several international issues of mutual concern.Read full text

-Thenorthern province of Quang Ninh topped the 2022 Provincial Governance andPublic Administration Performance Index (PAPI), the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) announced on April 12.
This is the second time Quang Ninh has held thehighest position in the 12 years the PAPI survey has been conducted in Vietnam.Read full text

-Precisely36% of European firms ranked Vietnam either first, within their top three, oramong their top five investment destinations on a global scale, according tothe latest Business Climate Index (BCI) report released by the European Chamberof Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and produced by Decision Lab on April 11.
The report highlighted that Vietnam's draw as aforeign direct investment (FDI) destination remains strong among Europeanbusiness leaders, with 3% more European business stakeholders citing it as oneof their top three investment hotspots worldwide.Read full text

-VinESEnergy Solutions (VinES), a member of Vietnamese private conglomerate Vingroupand Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. (Li-Cycle), an industry leader in lithium-ionbattery resource recovery and a leading lithium-ion battery recycler in NorthAmerica, have signed an agreement for a long-term recycling relationship.
Under the terms of the agreement, from 2024,Li-Cycle will become VinES' strategic and preferred recycling partner forVinES' Vietnamese-sourced battery materials.Read full text

-TheFrance-Vietnam Medical Federation (Fédération Santé France Vietnam - FSFV)has become a bright spot in the movement of solidarity and friendship betweenthe two nations, and a bridge connecting French, Vietnamese andFrench-Vietnamese doctors, said its President Dr. Dao Thu Ha.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam NewsAgency, Ha said the federation has consistently endeavored to promotecooperation between hospitals of Vietnam and France, organise exchange activities,support healthcare human resources training, and provide technical assistanceand medical equipment for Vietnam, contributing to improving the quality ofhealthcare services at Vietnamese hospitals and medical facilities.Read full text/.
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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.