☕ Afternoon briefing on December 7

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

– Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on December 7 asked the Central Public Security Party Committee and the public security forces to play a more active role in the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena.
Speaking at a conference of the committee in Hanoi, the leader, who is also a member of the Standing Board of the committee, asked them to continue keeping a close watch on the domestic, regional and international situation, and stay prepared for any situation.Read full story

– President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Hanoi on December 7 morning, concluding a successful State visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) at the invitation of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
This was the first visit to the RoK by Phuc in his capacity as President of Vietnam, and also the first by a Vietnamese President over the past 11 years, and the highest-level visit by Vietnamese Party and State leaders to the RoK since the East Asian country had a new President.Read full story

– Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang on December 7 held talks with his Czech counterpart Jana Cernochova who is leading a delegation on an official visit to Vietnam from December 5-8. 
During the talks, held after an official welcome ceremony for the Czech minister, Minister Giang said the long-lasting friendship between the two countries is a favourable prerequisite for their cooperation, adding that bilateral ties in politics, education-training, economy and trade have been maintained as the two countries have re-opened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full story

– National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong met with Iranian Vice President Seyyed Mohammed Hosseini, received Minister of Defence Qaraie Ashtiani and visited Isfahan province, as part of his working visit to the country from December 4 -6.
During the meeting, Hosseini said in its “Look East” policy, Iran attaches great importance to relations with Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.Read full story

– The Global Sourcing Fair Vietnam will take place from April 26-28, 2023, expected to become a direct trade bridge connecting buyers and suppliers, and meeting the increasing demand for product supplies from Vietnam and the ASEAN region. 
The Vietnam National Trade Fair and Advertising Company (Vinexad) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Hong Kong-based Global Sources, unveiled the information on December 6, saying that it will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.Read full story

– A ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in Hanoi on December 7 to present Cuba’s orders to leaders, former leaders and officers of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).
Specifically, the Orders of Playa Girón were granted to General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence; General Luong Cuong, Director of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People's Army; and General Ngo Xuan Lich, former Minister of National Defence.Read full story

- Heavy downpours and floods in the central region in the past few days claimed the lives of five people as of 5pm on December 6.
According to the standing office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, 2,903 houses were submerged in Thua Thien –Hue province and more than 10ha of rice and 620ha of crops in Quang Nam province were flooded. Traffic on some roads was blocked due to landslides.Read full story/.