Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 16

Vietnamese PM Le Minh Hung's phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's attendance at the opening of the IPU-152, and the presentation of the 20th Devotion Awards are among news highlights on April 16.

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 16

Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

– General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam departed Beijing on April 16 morning for a visit to Nanning city, continuing their state visit to China.

They travelled by high-speed train after concluding official activities in Beijing. Expressing his impression of China’s high-speed rail achievements, General Secretary and President Lam underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in transport connectivity, particularly railways, to support green development and national growth. Read full story

– Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on April 16 held phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong who expressed his desire to work closely with the Vietnamese PM to advance the Vietnam – Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a more substantive and effective manner.

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Prime Minister Le Minh Hung holds phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong on April 16. (Photo: VNA)

PM Hung noted that Vietnam is preparing new policies to attract greater foreign investment, including from Singapore. He called Singapore’s support in developing international financial centres in Vietnam, as well as expanding and upgrading next-generation Vietnam–Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) in tandem with high technology transfer. Read full story

– Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam attended the opening ceremony of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152), themed “Nurturing Hope, Securing Peace and Ensuring Justice for Future Generations”, in Istanbul, Türkiye, on April 15 evening.

The ceremony saw the presence of Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Numan Kurtulmus, IPU President Tulia Ackson, IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong, along with more than 60 speakers, 40 deputy speakers, and over 1,000 legislators from 114 IPU member parliaments. Read full story

– Vietnam and China are stepping up efforts to steer bilateral trade towards a more balanced and sustainable trajectory, with Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung calling for a restructuring of production, trade, and supply chains alongside stronger investment cooperation.

Hung made the remarks during talks with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on April 15, held as part of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s state visit to China. Read full story

– The Vietnamese Defence Attaché Office in Italy has been inaugurated in Rome, marking a new step forward in bilateral defence cooperation and contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and deepening the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Italy in the time ahead.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony on April 14, Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, cooperative, and development-oriented foreign policy. He stressed that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has continuously promoted international integration and defence diplomacy at both bilateral and multilateral levels, achieving a range of practical results. Read full story

– The Ministry of Industry and Trade launched on April 16 the Vietnam National Brand Week 2026 and the national brand forum under the theme “Vietnam National Brand in the New Era”, highlighting efforts to elevate the country’s competitiveness and global standing.

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The launch of the Vietnam National Brand Week 2026 on April 16 (Photo: VNA)

Running from April 16 to 23 nationwide, the Vietnam National Brand Week 2026 marks the 18th anniversary of Vietnam Brand Day (April 20, 2008 – 2026). The event serves as a convergence of policy, business and market players, featuring the opening ceremony, the national brand forum, thematic seminars, exhibitions and business networking activities. Read full story

– The 20th Cong hien (Devotion) Awards, organised by the The Thao & Van Hoa newspaper under the Vietnam News Agency, took place on April 15 evening in Hanoi, marking two decades of honouring excellence in music and sports.

Over the past 20 years, the Devotion Awards have established themselves as one of Vietnam’s most prestigious cultural honours. Initially focused on music, the awards expanded to include sports in 2023, while maintaining their core mission of recognising genuine creative dedication. Read full story./.

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