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 called for continued fundamental reform of personnel training, stressing a practical, effective, and modern approach closely tied to the requirements of following the Party’s strategic decisions.
The focus must extend beyond knowledge transfer to developing full-spectrum governance skills, including policy design, cross-agency coordination, risk management, digital leadership, consensus building and resource mobilisation, General Secretary Lam addressed a hybrid conference in Hanoi on December 30 to review the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA)’s activities in 2025 and outline its tasks for 2026. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 30 chaired a conference reviewing the rapid “Quang Trung Campaign” to rebuild and repair houses damaged by storms and floods in the central region, calling for efforts to complete the humanitarian campaign by the end of January to celebrate the upcoming 14th National Party Congress.
The meeting was held in person at the Government Headquarters in Hanoi and connected online with the central localities of Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 30 chaired a national conference to roll out National Assembly resolutions aimed at removing bottlenecks facing stalled projects and land-related issues identified through inspections, audits and court rulings, along with accelerating the implementation of national target programmes.
The conference was held at the Government headquarters and connected online with all 34 provinces and centrally run cities. Read full story
- A ceremony was held at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on December 28 to receive a shipment of humanitarian aid from the government of Poland to support disaster recovery efforts in Dak Lak province.
The aid consignment includes essential items such as blankets, tents, buckets, basins and tubular elastic bandages. These supplies are expected to help local residents overcome the consequences of natural disasters and stabilise their daily lives. Read full story
- Vietnam’s power system now ranks second among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in terms of installed capacity, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).
EVN reported that by the end of 2025, the total installed capacity of the national power system, excluding imported electricity, reached about 87,600 MW, an increase of nearly 6,400 MW compared to 2024. Read full story
- The Government has issued Decree No. 340/2025/ND-CP on administrative penalties in the monetary and banking sector, set to take effect on February 9, 2026.
The decree targets violations in gold trading with a tiered sanction system. Warnings will apply to buying or selling gold bars from unlicensed credit institutions or enterprises, or using gold as payment. Repeated or multiple offences carry fines of 10 - 20 million VND (384 - 768 USD). The same range applies to failing to route gold transactions through required payment accounts. Read full story
- Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the development of its urban railway system by adopting a dual-track strategy that combines metro construction with transit-oriented development (TOD), instead of waiting for metro lines to be completed before launching associated urban projects.
The move is to maximise economic and social benefits once the lines become operational - a departure from previous practices. Read full story
- The Government has issued Decree No. 333/2025/NĐ-CP detailing community-based diversion measures, the responsibilities and procedures for their implementation, and the application of electronic monitoring and reintegration support for minors aged 14 to under 16 who commit offences.
The decree, comprising six chapters with 27 articles, elaborates provisions of the Law on Justice for Minors No. 59/2024/QH15, as amended and supplemented under Law No. 85/2025/QH15. It covers diversion measures such as participation in education or vocational training programmes and psychological counselling or treatment; procedures for community-based diversion; electronic monitoring; and support for reintegration into the community. Read full story
- Vietnam is emerging as one of Asia’s most popular travel destinations in 2026, thanks to its unique blend of spectacular natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage and vibrant modern cities, according to France’s Vogue magazine.
The magazine said, the country continues to reopen strongly to international visitors after the COVID-19 pandemic, offering diverse experiences while maintaining its distinctive identity./. Read full story
