Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
- The 12th National Congress of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) for the 2026–2031 term officially opened in Hanoi on July 28, during which delegates formally nominated Party General Secretary and State President To Lam as Honorary President of the organisation for the new term.
The congress brought together current and former Party and State leaders, representatives of central and local agencies, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organisations, others from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, international organisations, diplomatic missions, businesses, sponsors and domestic and international partners, along with former leaders of the VRCS. It gathered 500 delegates representing more than 5.6 million members, volunteers and Red Cross youth nationwide. Read full story
- Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, recently becoming Honorary President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) for the 2026-2031 tenure, has vowed to partner with the Party Central Committee’s Politburo and Secretariat, to improve the VRCS’s operating efficiency and fulfill its noble humanitarian mission with all possible support.
Addressing the VRCS’s 12th National Congress for the 2026-2031 tenure in Hanoi on July 28, which drew 500 delegates representing more than 5.6 million officials, members, volunteers, and youth nationwide, General Secretary and President Lam said the Vietnamese Party, State, and people look forward to continued cooperation from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, international organisations, and development partners to strengthen humanitarian capacity, friendship, solidarity, peace, and sustainable development. Read full story
- President of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA) Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary's official visit to Vietnam from July 27-29 carries profound political and strategic importance, reaffirming the spirit of "good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability" as the solid bedrock of bilateral ties, said a Cambodian scholar.
Talking with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Phnom Penh, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neak Chandarith, Director of the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), underscored the visit’s profound political and strategic significance for the two Southeast Asian neighbours’ traditional friendship, particularly in further institutionalising ties between their legislative bodies. Read full story
- Within the framework of his working visit to Switzerland, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang on July 27 held a working session with Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Jennifer DJ Nordquist, affirming Vietnam's backing for an open, transparent, fair, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.
As an active WTO member, Vietnam has been making active contributions to the organisation's agenda, including ratifying the first phase of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, negotiating entry into the expanded Information Technology Agreement (ITA2), and preparing for its next Trade Policy Review scheduled for late 2026, he said. Read full story
- The first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly (NA) will consider 31 key agenda items, heard a press briefing in Hanoi on July 28.
The briefing was jointly organised by the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation, the NA Office, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam Journalists Association. Read full story
- Vietnam’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995 was a "strategic decision" for both the country and the bloc’s then six members, laying the foundation for a more united Southeast Asia, former Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh has said.
According to Vinh, the country’s 31-year journey has seen it transform from a newcomer into a responsible, proactive and increasingly influential member. Its growing role reflects not only deeper regional economic and foreign integration but also its emergence as a key driver of ASEAN's development, resilience and global standing. Read full story
- In the years ahead, an advanced medical centre should do more than treat the most complex cases. It must also generate new knowledge, train highly skilled physicians, and spread specialist expertise throughout the healthcare system. This vision underpins Vietnam’s ambition to build a modern, compassionate, self-reliant and internationally integrated healthcare system that serves the health and well-being of its people.
Since performing its first kidney transplant in June 1992, Vietnam has completed more than 10,000 organ transplants and mastered kidney, liver, heart and lung transplantation, as well as the transplantation of other human tissues and organs. Stories of life-saving transplants continue to emerge, including coordinated organ procurement and transplantation involving patients separated by thousands of kilometres. Read full story
- Vietnam is embracing a new development vision that positions the sea as a strategic national development space, rather than merely a source of natural resources, with integrated marine governance expected to unlock the country's blue economy potential while strengthening national defence, security, science – technology, and international integration.
With its three sides facing the sea, the southernmost province of Ca Mau is pursuing a strategy for developing a comprehensive, modern and sustainable marine economy to become one of the Mekong Delta's leading marine economic centres./. Read full story
