☕ Afternoon briefing on July 25

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

- National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his wife Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, arrived in Rabat on July 24 evening (local time), beginning a four-day official visit to Morocco.

During the visit, the first official trip by a key Vietnamese leader to Morocco in six years, Chairman Man is scheduled to hold high-level talks and meetings with Morocco’s senior leaders. He will also engage in policy discussions with businesses and meet with the Vietnamese community in Morocco. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh, head of the steering committee for the national exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day, has requested accelerating the implementation of assigned tasks to ensure that all preparations are completed before August 15.

Chairing the steering committee’s hybrid meeting with relevant ministries, agencies, and provincial authorities on July 25, Deputy PM Chinh stressed that as a key national celebration marking the 80th anniversary of National Day (September 2, 1945 - 2025), the event must be held in a dignified manner, in line with the Party and State’s guidelines, with a scale, stature, and significance worthy of the nation’s proud 80-year journey. Read full story

- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang hosted a reception on July 24 for Thomas Mitchell Little, President and CEO of UK-based Jadestone Energy Plc, who will oversee his company’s operations in Vietnam.

Hang reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its Strategic Partnership with the UK and highly values the robust development of bilateral ties, especially since the two countries issued a Joint Statement marking the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership (2010–2020), with a shared vision to further elevate relations in the coming decade. Read full story

- The Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) hosted the VNNIC Internet Conference (VIC) 2025 in Hanoi on July 25, continuing efforts since 2022 to build a professional forum for Internet technology and foster collaboration among domestic and international experts.

Under the theme “Breakthrough Era with the Development of Industrial Internet”, the event gathered over 400 delegates, including senior officials, leading Internet experts, and technology engineers from Vietnam and abroad. Read full story

- Hanoi will break ground for two key urban railway projects in the fourth quarter of 2025, as part of the city's long-term strategy to expand public transport system, thus easing traffic congestion.

Under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1569/QD-TTg dated December 12, 2024, approving the capital city’s master plan for the 2021–2030 period with a vision to 2050, Hanoi is set to develop 14 new urban railway lines. To realise this goal, the city's authorities are accelerating preparations for construction of urban railway line No. 2 (Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao) and urban railway line No. 5 (Van Cao – Hoa Lac), which are scheduled to commence on October 10, and December 19, respectively. Read full story

- The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and food industries are not only pillars of the economy, they are also a direct reflection of people’s living standards. As the digital economy and omnichannel commerce reshape global value chains, strengthening competitiveness has become an urgent, even vital, necessity for domestic businesses in this sector.

This was the core message delivered at a seminar on enhancing the competitiveness of FMCG and food businesses in the context of digital transformation and omnichannel trade, hosted by Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper in Hanoi on June 25. Read full story

- More than 500 domestic and international brands are showcasing their latest advertisement products and technologies at the Vietnam Ad & Fun Week 2025, which officially opened on July 24 at the Quang Trung Software City in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event, jointly organised by the HCM City Advertising Association and Dong Nam Advertising and Commercial Promotion JSC, runs from July 22 to 26. It features a range of activities including exhibitions, the final round of the “StudentLive – Sales Arena” competition on TikTok Shop, cultural and sports activities, a job fair, and a seminar on optimising advertising revenue for retail chains. Read full story./.

VNA