Hanoi, (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
-ActingPresident Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended a ceremony in the northern mountainousprovince of Dien Bien on April 22 to launch the National Humanitarian Month2024.

The National Humanitarian Month, jointly organisedby the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Central Committee and the provincialPeople’s Committee, will run from May 1-31, to celebrate the 70th anniversaryof the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – 2024), and the 70th anniversary ofthe liberation of Hanoi (October 10, 1954 - 2024). Read full text
-The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.

ASEAN’s action plan on IP during the 2016-2025 period and cooperation in the field within the ASEAN member states and its partners such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) are high on the agenda.Read full text
-The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024), which will take place in Hanoi on April 23, is expected to create a platform for stakeholders to contribute ideas and initiatives on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s future vision, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet has said.
This is a forum exclusively for ASEAN, of ASEAN, and for its people, where all stakeholders will share new initiatives to help ASEAN leaders devise strategies and visions for the group in the coming time, helping to bring practical benefits to people, he said in an interview granted to the press.Read full text
- AlgerianAmbassador to Vietnam Abdelhamid Boubazine was honoured with the “For peace andfriendship among nations” insignia on April 22 for his contributions tocooperation and friendship between the two peoples.

Addressing a Hanoi ceremony, President of the Vietnam Unionof Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son said the relationship betweenthe two countries has flourished during Boubazine’s two-year term, notably theeffective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, as well assignificant progress in trade and investment ties.Read full text
-Nearly 70expatriates from more than 20 foreign countries andterritories have returned home to commemorate Hung Kings, thelegendary founders of the nation, at the Hung Kings Temple in the northernprovince of Phu Tho, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) said onApril 21.
Thedelegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, onApril 20 offered incense to ancestors - Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co,and Hung Kings.Read full text
-TheInvestigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security on April 21started legal proceedings against and issued arrest and house search warrantsto Pham Thai Ha, deputy head of the National Assembly (NA) Office and Assistantto the NA Chairman, on charges of abusing position and power for personal gains.
The ministry’s spokesperson Lieutenant General ToAn Xo said on April 22 that the decisions on the matter were made following anexpanded investigation into a case involving bidding regulation violations andbribery at the Thuan An Group and related units and organisations.Read full text
-The flow of foreign direct investment (FDI)into the Vietnamese garment and textile sector has rebounded thanks to thecountry’s sound investment climate and abundant workforce as well as its openeconomy, according to insiders.
Chairman of the Vietnam Textile & ApparelAssociation (VITAS) Vu Duc Giang said foreign garment and textile producers areexpanding their operations in Vietnam to take advantages in the Vietnamesemarket.Read full text
-A total of 86.2% of credit institutionsexpect their profit this year to grow compared to 2023, according to thelatest survey of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).
Under the survey released recently, creditinstitutions said the overall business performance and pre-tax profit of thebanking system in the first quarter of 2024 were not as good as expected.However, they expect it will be better in the second quarter of 2024 and thewhole year.Read full text
-Imported fertiliser volume soared in March,with China being the biggest supplier, according to preliminary statistics fromthe General Department of Customs.
Last month, Vietnam imported about 429,000 tonnesof fertilisers worth 123 million USD, up 52.3% month-on-month in quantity and35% in value.Read full text/.