☕ Afternoon briefing on February 5

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

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam held talks with General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane on February 5 as part of his state visit to Laos.

At the talks, the top Lao leader welcomed and highly valued General Secretary Lam’s selection of Laos as the first country to visit in his capacity as General Secretary of the 14th CPV Central Committee. He affirmed that this trip holds special significance in the history of bilateral relations as the Vietnamese delegation also includes both Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. Read full story

- State President Luong Cuong on February 5 visited and extended Lunar New Year (Tet) greetings to officers and soldiers of Military Region 2 and Division 316 on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse.

Visiting Military Region 2, President Cuong praised and congratulated its armed forces on their unity and determination in overcoming difficulties and successfully completing their missions in 2025, affirming their role as a fighting force, a working force and a production force. Read full story

- On the threshold of the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2026, Politburo member and Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu led a delegation to the central city of Da Nang on February 5 to pay tribute to fallen heroes and extend Tet greetings to policy beneficiary families, revolution contributors and disadvantaged people.

The delegation offered flowers and incense at the city’s monument to war heroes, martyrs and compatriots, showing their profound gratitude to those who laid down their lives for national liberation, construction and defence. They pledged to continue dedicating themselves to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, worthy of the noble sacrifices made by previous generations. Read full story

- Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan inspected election preparations in Lam Dong province on February 5, underscoring the need to ensure that all stages of the upcoming elections of deputies to the 16th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term are conducted in a strict, transparent and law-compliant manner.

Speaking at a working session with the provincial Election Committee in Phan Thiet ward, Xuan acknowledged the central province’s proactive and methodical preparations, and stressed that the forthcoming elections carry particular significance, given that Lam Dong has recently undergone administrative merger and is implementing a two-tier local administration model, with substantial changes in population distribution, ethnic composition, religious diversity and terrain conditions. Read full story

- A signing ceremony of a coordination mechanism between various agencies for piloting public interest civil litigation initiated by the Hanoi People’s Procuracy was held on February 4.

Accordingly, the signing involved representatives of multiple agencies, including the People’s Procuracy, Public Security, People’s Court, Civil Judgment Enforcement, Inspectorate, some municipal departments and the Hanoi Tax Department. Read full story

- Vietnam’s agro-forestry-aquatic product export turnover in January was estimated at nearly 6.51 billion USD, up 29.5% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Of the total, agricultural products accounted for around 3.6 billion USD, soaring 41.8%; livestock products reached 47.5 million USD, up 20.2%; seafood earned 940 million USD, a rise of 21.5%; while forestry products brought in 1.72 billion USD, up 13%. Read full story./.

VNA