Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on December 25

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on December 25

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

- The Party and Government of Vietnam always attach importance to the intensification and development of the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long told Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei at their meeting in Hanoi on December 25.

Long stressed that this is an objective requirement, a strategic choice, and a top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and multilateralisation and diversification of external relations. Read full story

- The United Nations (UN) Convention against Cybercrime, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 24, will open for signature at a formal ceremony in Hanoi next year, marking the first time Vietnam to host the signing ceremony of a UN Convention.

This event demonstrates a new milestone in the country's international legal integration efforts in particular, and its multilateral diplomacy in general, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told the press. Read full story

- The Ministry of Health’s Department of Legal Affairs held a workshop in Hanoi on December 25 to provide information about a plan to implement the National Assembly (NA)'s resolution involving the ban of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, deputy director of the department, stated that Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15, issued on November 30, mentions the NA's decision to prohibit the production, trade, import, storage, transport, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and addictive or harmful substances starting in 2025. The decision aims to safeguard public health and ensure social order and safety, with the Government tasked to lead the performance. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Embassy in Lao held a ceremony in Vientiane on December 25 to confer orders and medals from the Vietnamese Party and State on one collective and several individuals of the Lao Presidential Office in recognition of their remarkable contributions to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Authorised by the State President of Vietnam and the Chairperson of the Vietnamese Presidential Office, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam presented the first-class Independence Order to the Lao Presidential Office, the second-class Independence Order to former chairpersons of the office, the third-class Independence Order to vice chairperson and former vice chairperson of the office, and the Friendship Order and Friendship Medal to department-level leaders of the office. Read full story

- Vietnam’s exports to Singapore continued the growth trajectory in November, rising by 31.32%, sustaining the year-on-year expansion of 32.11% for the first 11 months, positioning Vietnam as the partner with the fastest export growth there, reported the Vietnam Trade Office in the city state.

Recent data from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore revealed that during January - November, Vietnam was the 11th largest trading partner of Singapore, with bilatral trade topping 28.6 billion SGD (21.03 billion USD), rising 8.53%. Read full story

- In its first three days of operation starting on December 22, Ho Chi Minh City’s long-awaited first metro line served nearly 279,000 passengers, far surpassing the expected figure of 105,000.

According to its operator – the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railways No. 1 Company Limited (HURC 1), approximately 150,000 passengers used the service on the first day, with more than 38,000 passengers recorded on December 23. On December 24, nine metro trains ran 220 trips, carrying over 90,000 passengers, exceeding the planned 200 trips and approximately 39,000 passengers per day. Read full story

- Hue and Hanoi are two Vietnamese destinations making it into the list of the 50 must-visit food cities in the world in 2024 - 2025 by food magazine TasteAtlas.

With an average score of 4.53/5, Hue ranks 35th. Read full story./.

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