Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on December 4

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on December 4

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 outlined five major pillars that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) must remain steadfast to be fully prepared for the new phase of development.

Addressing the Central Military Commission’s 15th meeting in Hanoi on December 4, the Party chief, who is also Secretary of the commission, emphasised that the VPA must ensure steadfast political mettle, steadfast discipline, steadfast technology, steadfast military art, and steadfast troop welfare. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued a document requesting weekly reports on the implementation of the “Quang Trung Campaign” to rebuild and repair houses damaged by recent storms and floods in the central region.

Document No. 1551/TTg-NN was sent to the secretaries of the Party Committees and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong; as well as to the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, the Minister of Construction, and the Government Inspector General. Read full story

- As many as 217 individuals from central-level agencies and units are expected to be nominated as deputies of the 16th National Assembly (NA), according to the first consultation of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on December 4.

NA Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh, who is a member of the National Election Council, emphasised that selecting exemplary persons who represent the will, aspirations, and intellect of the people in the NA and People's Councils at all levels is a key task of the entire Party, people, and armed forces in 2026. Read full story

- Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh on December 4 highlighted notable achievements in the implementation of the amnesty policy in 2025 when he attended a conference reviewing this year’s amnesty programme and community reintegration efforts for those granted early release.

Binh, who also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Council for Amnesty, commended ministries, agencies, localities and detention facilities for their close coordination in implementing the amnesty policy and supporting the released individuals in reintegrating into their families and communities. Read full story

- The World Trade Organisation (WTO) on December 3 released its annual Trade Monitoring Report, with Vietnam among 46 members actively providing data for the assessment of global trade developments.

The report notes that between mid-October 2024 and mid-October 2025, new tariffs and other import measures affected 2.64 trillion USD worth of global merchandise imports, equivalent to 11.1% of total imports and more than four times higher than the previous period’s 611 billion USD, marking the highest level in more than 15 years. On the export side, the measures impacted around 2.966 trillion USD of trade, over three times the 888 billion USD recorded a year earlier. Read full story

- The 48th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Inter-Governmental Committee, co-chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, has marked an important milestone in deepening the two countries’ special relationship and elevating it to a new strategic level.

In an interview granted to the media following PM Chinh's working visit to Laos on December 2–3, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung said the meeting took place alongside a series of major events attended by the PM, including the high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, and the ceremony marking the 50th National Day of Laos and the 105th birth anniversary of late President Kaysone Phomvihane. Read full story

sun-phu-quoc-airways.jpg
An aircraft of Sun PhuQuoc Airways.


- Sun PhuQuoc Airways has been granted an expanded Air Operator Certificate (AOC) authorising international operations, added new aircraft to its fleet, and established General Sales Agent (GSA) networks in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Taiwan (China), laying a solid foundation for its international expansion starting in 2026.

On November 25, 2025, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam officially issued the expanded Air Operator Certificate (AOC) permitting Sun PhuQuoc Airways to operate commercial flights to international destinations within the MID/ASIA region after a rigorous evaluation process in accordance with the highest safety standards. This marks a significant milestone as the airline transitions from a domestic carrier to one with full international operating capabilities, unlocking access to fast-growing tourism markets across the region./. Read full story

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