☕ Afternoon briefing on July 7

PM Pham Minh Chinh's speech at a high-level discussion of the expanded BRICS summit 2025, his meetings with world leaders in Rio de Janeiro, and Vietnam topping Asia-Pacific in international tourist growth during Q1 are among news highlights on July 7.

☕ Afternoon briefing on July 7

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

– As an active and responsible member of the international community, Vietnam stands ready to contribute to multilateral mechanisms in order to promote cooperation, enhance connectivity, and address shared challenges towards building a fairer and more sustainable world, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.

He delivered remarks at the high-level discussion on “Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic–Financial Issues, and Artificial Intelligence” at the expanded BRICS summit 2025 held in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 (local time). There, he underlined the increasing role and contributions of the Global South in shaping global governance. Read full story

– PM Pham Minh Chinh met with a host of world leaders and head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6.

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PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Rio de Janeiro (Photo: Government Portal)

At a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, PM Chinh congratulated India on its recent achievements and growing role on the global stage, particularly within the BRICS bloc. PM Modi, in turn, described Chinh as a close friend of India. Read full story

– PM Pham Minh Chinh met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 (local time), underscoring Vietnam’s strong commitment to cooperating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect public health.

PM Chinh thanked WHO for its effective support, which has contributed significantly to Vietnam’s success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving swift recovery. Read full story

– PM Pham Minh Chinh met with Jin Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6 (local time), on the sidelines of the expanded BRICS summit.

PM Chinh highly appreciated the contributions made by the AIIB and Jin himself over the past decade to Vietnam’s development. He affirmed that Vietnam values its partnership with the AIIB and will continue to actively participate in the bank’s suitable cooperation initiatives. Read full story

– Vietnam’s total investment in society during the first half of 2025 reached an estimated 1.59 quadrillion VND (over 60 billion USD), up 9.8% year-on-year, reflecting continued positive momentum across various sectors, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

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Total investment across society is estimated 1.59 quadrillion VND (over 60 billion USD) during the first half of 2025, up 9.8% year-on-year. (Photo: VNA)

By sector, state investment is valued at 445.8 trillion VND (28% of the total), increasing by 14.1%. Non-state investment reached 858.9 trillion VND (54%), up 7.5%, while the foreign direct investment (FDI) sector contributed 287.2 trillion VND (18%), up 10.6%. Read full story

– A Vietnam – Bulgaria business networking event has been held at the Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ) headquarters in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, aiming to strengthen trade ties and support Vietnamese businesses in accessing the Bulgarian market.

Co-organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Plovdiv branch of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI–Plovdiv), the event followed the Vietnam – Bulgaria Economic Cooperation Forum held the previous day in Sofia. Read full story

– Vietnam allocated nearly 549 trillion VND (about 21 billion USD) to social welfare efforts in the first six months of 2025, ensuring timely and effective support for people who rendered meritorious service to the revolution, as well as social policy and social protection beneficiaries, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

As of June 25, leaders from central and local governments, various agencies, mass organisations, and kind-hearted individuals visited and presented gifts worth 16.8 trillion VND to social protection beneficiaries. Read full story

– Vietnam exported 4.9 million tonnes of rice worth 2.54 billion USD in the first half of 2025, marking a 7.6% increase in volume but a 12.2% decline in value.

Coffee exports also faced challenges amid rising domestic prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Read full story

– Vietnam recorded the highest growth in international tourist arrivals in the Asia–Pacific region during the first quarter of 2025, according to the May edition of the World Tourism Barometer released by the United Nations Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism).

The country led the region with a 30% increase in international arrivals compared to Q1 2024, and ranked second in terms of recovery rate, with a 34% rise over the same period in 2019. Read full story./.

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Overseas Vietnamese encouraged to contribute to homeland's development

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Vietnam is re-elected to UN Human RIghts Council for 2026-2028 (Photo: VNA)

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the conference to review “Quang Trung Campaign” on December 30 (Photo: VNA)

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NA Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong (right) and IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong at their meeting in Hanoi on December 29, 2025. (Photo: VNA)

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