Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
- Vietnam consistently considers Japan as a top important partner, and a sincere and trustworthy friend, accompanying the Southeast Asian country during its development journey, Party General Secretary To Lam said while receiving Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki in Hanoi on April 3.
The Vietnamese Party chief highlighted the substantial and comprehensive development of the Vietnam-Japan relations after more than a year of upgrading it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, stating that Vietnam looks to work with Japan to effectively and substantively implement this partnership framework. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 3 ordered the immediate establishment of a rapid response team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement to impose a 46% reciprocal tariff on certain goods imported from Vietnam.
Chairing a meeting between standing cabinet members and leaders of ministries, sectors and agencies to assess the impact of the US’s new tariff policy and discuss response measures, PM Chinh emphasised that the current situation shows that commercial competition is becoming more intense, more complicated, and harder to predict. Read full story
- Vietnam and India are strengthening support for startups, with the first-ever Vietnam-India Startup Workshop held in New Delhi on April 2.
Jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the the I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC) under the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), the event brought together government officials, industry leaders, and startup representatives from both countries. Read full story
- A Vietnam-Belarus business forum was held in Hanoi on April 2, aiming to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
The forum was organised by the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the National Marketing Centre of Belarus under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, and the Belarusian Embassy in Vietnam within the framework of the Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2025). Read full story
- The 5th Exhibition of Ho Chi Minh City and Friendship Provinces and Cities in Savannakhet is being held from April 2 to 6, serving as a platform for boosting trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
At the opening ceremony, Nguyen Tran Phuong Tran, deputy head of Ho Chi Minh City’s National Assembly deputy delegation, emphasised the event’s critical significance in fostering partnerships between localities of both nations. She expressed her confidence that the active engagement of businesses will unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable economic growth. Read full story
- Vietnam’s National Innovation Centre (NIC) and the US's Intel Corporation have launched the “AI for All” initiative, an ambitious programme designed to make artificial intelligence (AI) knowledge accessible to every Vietnamese citizen.
The initiative aims to raise public awareness of AI’s growing influence while equipping individuals with essential digital skills to thrive in the future workforce. It aligns with Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo, which prioritises breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. The programme also supports Vietnam’s "Digital Literacy for All" movement, which was officially introduced on March 26. Read full story
- Representatives from the World Bank (WB) and the Swiss Government had a working session with the People’s Committee of Can Tho city on April 2 to discuss the implementation of the Can Tho urban development and resilience enhancement project (Project 3), which has already protected over 442,600 local residents from flooding.
The project had a total investment of nearly 9.2 trillion VND (over 402 million USD), with WB loans worth nearly 5.7 trillion VND, non-refundable aid from the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research totaling 10 million USD, and corresponding fund of more than 3.37 trillion VND VND. The project, implemented from 2016 to 2024, aims to protect Can Tho's urban core from prolonged flooding while promoting environmentally friendly urban development. Read full story
- Ho Chi Minh City wants and is ready to cooperate with Belgian localities and partners in key sectors, including education, healthcare, environmental protection, and science and technology, turning these promising areas into projects to realise the friendly relations between Vietnam and Belgium, a municipal official has said.
At a meeting on April 3 with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who are on a state visit to Vietnam, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen praised the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for being the first foreign parliament to pass a resolution supporting victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam in October 2023, thus helping to raise international attention and support for Agent Orange victims./. Read full story
