☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18

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

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 18 received Jeffrey Perlman, Chief Executive Officer of Warburg Pincus and Chairman of the ASEAN-US Business Council (USABC), during which he called on the fund to expand its investments in Vietnam, and engage with the US government on adopting appropriate measures to promote fair and sustainable bilateral trade.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives Warburg Pincus CEO Jeffrey Perlman (Photo: VNA)

PM Chinh expressed his appreciation for the fund's partnership and sustainable investments in Vietnam over the past decade, acknowledging its efforts and commitment to expanding investment in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau in particular and in Vietnam as a whole. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s second legislation meeting in Hanoi on April 18 to collect input on five bills slated for approval at the National Assembly’s upcoming 9th session.

The bills include the draft Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Planning, the revised draft Law on the State Budget, the draft Laws amending and supplementing articles of several laws, including the Law on Bidding, the Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment, the Law on Customs, the Law on Export and Import Taxes, the Law on Investment, the Law on Public Investment, the Law on Management and Use of Public Property; the draft Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Enterprises, and the draft Law amending and supplementing the Law on Credit Institutions. Read full story

- Ghada Fathi Waly, United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has affirmed that the agency will closely cooperate with Vietnam to successfully organise the signing ceremony for the UN Anti-cybercrime Convention (also known as the Hanoi Convention) and to encourage countries to ratify it.

Waly made the statement during a meeting on April 16 with Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the UN and international organisations in Vienna, Austria, to discuss preparations for the signing ceremony, which is set to take place in October in Hanoi. Read full story

- Tao Yitao, Director of the China Centre for Special Economic Zone Research (CCSEZR) under Shenzhen University in China's Guangdong province, advised Vietnam to utilise China’s expertise in developing higher-standard free trade zones during a working session in Hanoi on April 17 with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung.

Tao shared insights from her delegation’s field surveys in Binh Duong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong, saying that through in-depth discussions with local authorities, they identified transportation, energy, and digital transformation as critical factors for successful FTZ development. Read full story

- Ho Chi Minh City is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification on April 30 with a spectacular lineup of events, headlined by a world-record attempt featuring 10,500 drones in a stunning light show.

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HCM City is ready for the anniversary (Photo: VNA)

At 8:45 pm on April 30, all 10,500 drones will take to the sky, followed by a 15-minute fireworks display across 30 city locations at 9 pm., creating a festive and dazzling atmosphere, according to Nguyen Tat Kiet, head of the Performing Arts Division under the municipal Department of Culture and Sports. Read full story

- A Vietnam–Brunei friendship concert was held in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 17, aiming to promote friendship and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), the event also marked the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975–2025). Read full story

- A new charter flight route has been launched connecting Russia and the south central province of Khanh Hoa, marking a positive signal for the local tourism sector.

Flight EO3661 operated by IKAR Airlines landed at Cam Ranh International Airport on April 18, carrying 350 Russian tourists from Novy International Airport in Russia. This marks the first charter flight organised by Pegas Misr Vietnam Travel Co., Ltd. to bring Russian tourists back to Khanh Hoa after a long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full story

- The Vietnamese film "Cu Li never cries" directed by Pham Ngoc Lan has won the Best Picture Award at the 22nd Asian Film Festival (AFF22), held in Rome, Italy, from April 8 to 16.

The award ceremony took place on the evening of April 16 at the prestigious Farnese Cinema in Rome. Nguyen Thu Ha, Counsellor at the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy, attended the ceremony and received the award on behalf of the film crew. Read full story

- Starting from 00:00 on April 19, all Vietnam Airlines flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will operate from the newly opened Terminal T3 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Beginning April 28, the airline will gradually move all remaining domestic flights to Terminal T3, except for those between HCM City and Con Dao, Rach Gia, and Ca Mau, which will continue to operate at Terminal T1./. Read full story



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Party General Secretary To Lam shakes hands with a Belarusian veteran with outstanding contributions to Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Party chief calls for closer friendship between Vietnam, Belarus

Vietnam consistently attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Belarus and wishes to further strengthen cooperation across all fields for the mutual benefit of the two nations, and for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and around the world.

Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Chernyshenko (L) bids farewell to Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse. (Photo: VNA)

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam meets with Russian intellectuals, scholars, and experts who had supported Vietnam in the past. (Photo: VNA)

Party General Secretary meets with Russian experts, intellectuals

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The private economic sector is the most important momentum of the national economy. (Photo: VNA)

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Party General Secretary To Lam (R) and Chairman of the "A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth" Party Sergey Mironov. (Photo: VNA)

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