☕ Afternoon briefing on August 5

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

- Party General Secretary To Lam has asked Army Corps 12 to focus on political and ideological education while building its officers and soldiers with political mettle, ready to serve as the military’s “steel fist”.

Paying a working visit to the unit, stationed in the northern province of Ninh Binh, on August 5 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and the National Day (September 2), the Party chief laid stress on the need for the corps to thoroughly understand and implement the Party and State’s policies, particularly the resolution adopted at the 13th Party Central Committee’s eighth plenum on the strategy to defend the Fatherland in the new situation. Read full story

- A red-carpet welcome ceremony was held in Cairo on August 5 (local time) for State President Luong Cuong and his spouse, who are on a state visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his spouse.

Following the ceremony, President Cuong and President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi conducted a private meeting before leading their high-level delegations in official talks to discuss measures to deepen and enhance bilateral relations. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised the Ministry of Construction for its bold reforms and innovation, driving major gains in infrastructure and policy, while urging fixes for real estate and housing challenges at the ministry’s first Party Congress, for 2025–2030, in Hanoi on August 5.

PM Chinh, a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government's Party Committee, hailed the ministry for seriously and effectively following the resolutions and conclusions from the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the National Assembly, the Government, and the PM, particularly the 13th National Party Congress’s resolution, citing progress in institutional reforms, planning, infrastructure breakthroughs, added value creation, and anti-corruption efforts. Read full story

- The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has officially put into operation its VSTN overland fibre-optic cable line, the first of its kind to connect Vietnam directly with Singapore entirely via land-based infrastructure.

Spanning approximately 3,900 kilometres, the VSTN cable passes through five countries – Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. It directly connects VNPT’s technical centre in the central city of Da Nang with leading international data centres in the region such as IDC Telehouse of Thailand, MY01 Cyberjaya and Equinix JH01 Johor Bahru of Malaysia, and Equinix and Global Switch of Singapore. Read full story

- Vietnamese automaker VinFast officially handed over the first batch of its seven-seat Limo Green electric vehicles to customers on August 5, marking a significant milestone in Vietnam’s green transportation transition.

Limo Green is VinFast’s first all-electric multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), developed specifically for the transport service sector and family use. The model will also be integrated into the GSM-owned Green SM taxi fleet, offering a spacious and convenient seven-seat electric taxi option for customers nationwide. Read full story

- The New Zealand Herald of New Zealand on August 4 published an article by Indian writer Ankita Mahabir, showing her deep impression of Vietnam’s Cham culture.

From weaving villages to sacred blessings, Mahabir recounted five immersive encounters, which she said that they offer a rare glimpse into Vietnam’s living Cham culture. Read full story./.

VNA