Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on January 7

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on January 7

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

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s law-building session in Hanoi on January 7, which discussed seven draft laws and resolutions from the National Assembly (NA), many of which are related to the improvement of the legal system to make it coherent to the restructuring of political system’s organisational apparatus.

The documents include the Draft Law on Government Organisation (amended); the Draft Law on Local Government Organisation (amended); a NA Resolution on establishing several ministries in the 15th-tenure Government; a NA Resolution on the number and structure of Government members for the 16th tenure; a NA Resolution addressing issues arising from regulations on organisational restructuring; the draft Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents (amended); and the draft Law on Participation in UN Peacekeeping Forces. Read full story

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Laos and his co-chairing of the 47th meeting of the Vietnam - Laos Inter-Governmental Committee is extremely important to both Vietnam and Laos, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam told the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the trip.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) meets with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone in Vientiane on October 8, 2024 on the occasion of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Laos. (Photo: VNA)

This is the first overseas trip by a key Vietnamese leader in 2025 and the first such visit that Laos will host this year, underscoring the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbouring countries, said the ambassador. Read full story

– The 41st session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee wrapped up on the morning of January 7, after one day and a half of working.

During this sitting, the NA Standing Committee discussed four draft laws, namely the Digital Technology Industry Law, the amended Employment Law, the Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Advertising, and the Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations. Read full story

– UNICEF always acknowledges and supports Vietnam's policies, strategies, and activities in promoting and protecting children's rights, its Representative in Vietnam Silvia Danailov told Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan during their meeting in Hanoi on January 7.

Danailov stated that the country's policies, laws, efforts, and achievements in protecting and caring for children are highly regarded by the international community, noting that the care, protection, and education of children always remain a top priority in Vietnam's development policies. Read full story

– Vietnamese investors pumped nearly 664.8 million USD into 164 new projects and 26 existing ventures abroad in 2024, up 57.7% in value as compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency.

While this upward trend signals renewed confidence in foreign markets, the figures remain below pre-pandemic levels, primarily due to the absence of large-scale projects. Read full story

– Vietnam has commenced construction of its first plasma-based biopharmaceutical production plant, located in the high-tech park of Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh City.

This pioneering project is spearheaded by Binh Viet Duc Co., Ltd., aiming to reduce reliance on imported plasma-based treatments and cut costs for patients. Read full story

– Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry has set a target of achieving 10 billion USD in export value by 2030, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association.

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Workers process soybean products for export at a factory of An Giang Food and Vegetables Joint Stock Company in An Giang province (Photo: VNA)

In 2023, fruit and vegetable export revenue reached 5.6 billion USD, an increase of 67% compared to 3.4 billion USD in 2022. This robust growth continued into 2024, with exports reaching 7.2 billion USD, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the association, told the association’s fifth Congress for the 2024-2029 term held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 6. Read full story

– Vietnam continued solidifying its position as the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s third-largest trading partner in 2024, trailing only China and the US, marking the third consecutive year of the significant trade relationship.

According to statistics released on January 6 by the RoK’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the country’s export hit a record high of 683.8 billion USD, with shipment to Vietnam rising 9.1% year-on-year to 58.3 billion USD while import growing 9.6% to 28.4 billion USD. Read full story

– The central city of Hue hosts the Visit Vietnam Year in 2025, promising a significant boost to the local tourism sector based on the land’s rich cultural heritage. It also marks a pivotal year for the locality as it officially becomes a centrally governed city from January 1, with new opportunities in the air.

One of the few places that preserves a vast collection of majestic palaces, citadels, and royal tombs, Hue is the only in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with eight UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage sites across multiple categories. Traditionally, the land used to be known as a quiet ancient capital, steeped in history. However, in recent years, the city has undergone a transformation, offering fresh experiences for visitors in a bustling tourism industry rich in heritage. Read full story./.

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