☕ Afternoon briefing on January 23

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on January 23

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

- A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, the State President, the National Assembly (NA), the Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee paid floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi on January 23 on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2025.

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Party and State leaders pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum. (Photo: VNA)

The delegation included Party General Secretary To Lam, former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Luong Cuong, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, former NA Chairpersons Nguyen Sinh Hung and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat and Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Inspection Tran Cam Tu, and President of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien, as well as many former leaders and representatives from ministries and agencies. Read full story

- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 22 afternoon (local time) attended and delivered a speech at the discussion session themed "ASEAN: Connecting to reach out" moderated by President of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Borge Brende, within the framework of the 55th annual meeting of the WEF in Davos, Switzerland.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the discussion session. (Photo: VNA)

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, Chief Adviser (head of the interim government) of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop and Non-Executive Independent Chair of the Board of Directors of Mastercard Merit Janow also joined the discussion. Read full story

- Swiss media outlets have extensively covered the diplomatic milestone between Vietnam and Switzerland, with both countries agreeing in principle to elevate their relationship to a comprehensive partnership.

The news platform Nau.ch, citing the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, emphasised the mutual desire of both nations to strengthen dialogue. During a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter at the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, representatives from the two foreign ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish regular dialogue. Read full story

- Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu has written an article titled “Looking back at the world in 2024 and forecasts for 2025,” stressing the need for Vietnam to steadfastly pursue its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations; and remain prepared for complex global situations.

In 2024, the world witnessed significant and complex upheavals in security, politics, technology, and the environment, with a prevailing sense of apprehension across many nations and regions. Firstly, the international security environment experienced dramatic shifts, carrying significant risks. The year 2024 saw the sharpest increase in the number of armed conflicts worldwide since World War II, with a total of more than 120 conflicts involving over 60 countries. Read full story

- European investments are expected to pick up in Vietnam following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s engagement with Czech and Polish enterprises as part of his trip to Europe to attend the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The Czech Republic registered over 91 million USD in 41 projects in Vietnam while Poland funneled 474 million USD into 33 projects in the country as of the end of 2024. Those are humble figures given the potential and strengths of each side. Read full story

- Vietnam’s export durian industry faces difficulties in entering the Chinese market due to new inspection regulations for durian exports.

China has tightened inspection of Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) residues in durian batches exported from other countries to this market, including Vietnam, with 90% of its durians exported to China./. Read full story

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Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien (R), Politburo member, member of the Standing Board of the Central Military Commission, and Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, and Kano Koji, Japan’s Vice Minister of Defence, at the 11th Vietnam-Japan defence policy dialogue in Fukuoka on February 10 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Japan hold 11th defence policy dialogue

Vietnam is willing to cooperate with countries and international organisations for peace and development in the region and the world, said Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence.

NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the first meeting of the NA Party Committee for the 2020-2025 tenure in Hanoi on February 10. (Photo: VNA)

Top legislator calls for strong Party building, reform in National Assembly

NA Chairman Man, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the NA Party Committee, said that the committee, with nearly 3,000 members, must maintain strict organisational principles and build a clean and strong Party organisation that promotes solidarity, democracy, responsibility, unity, and creativity.

State President Luong Cuong holds a working session with the Presidential Office on February 10. (Photo: VNA)

State leader works with Presidential Office on judicial affairs

On the amnesty policy, State President Luong Cuong reaffirmed that granting clemency on the occasion of major national holidays in 2025 reflects the Party and State’s humanitarian approach, encouraging rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders into society.