☕ Afternoon briefing on June 8

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
☕ Afternoon briefing on June 8 ảnh 1
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review ofthe day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- The 15th National Assembly(NA) on June 8 successfully wrapped up a question-and-answer session as part ofits fifth sitting after two-and-a-half days.

In his closing remarks, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said apart from the fourministers who fielded questions within their remit, Deputy Prime Ministers TranHong Ha and Tran Luu Quang, and the ministers of finance, planning andinvestment, and agriculture and rural development gave further explanations onissues regarding labour, invalids and social affairs, science-technology,transport and ethnic affairs. Read full story

- A Vietnamese diplomat underlined the importance of maritime technologies tosustainable development while addressing the ongoing 23rd meeting of the UNOpen-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and Law of the Sea (ICP23)in New York.

The meeting, themed “New Maritime Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities”,is taking place from June 5 to 9 with the participation of nearly 100representatives of UN member states and international organisations. Read full story

- Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with the UK’s Foreign SecretaryJames Cleverly, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development ofChina’s Hong Kong Algernon Yau Ying-wah, and Foreign Minister of LithuaniaGabrielius Landsbergis in Paris on June 7.

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial CouncilMeeting 2023. Read full story

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son is taking part in the Organisationfor Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting 2023 inParis on June 7 - 8.

Minister Son attended the event as representative of Vietnam – co-chair of theOECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme, at the invitation of OECDSecretary-General Mathias Cormann and the UK’s Foreign Secretary JamesCleverly. Read full story

- A delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health led by Deputy Minister DoXuan Tuyen has attended the BIO International Convention in the US’ Boston cityfrom June 5-8.

The BIO International Convention is the world's largest, most influentialbiotech conference, bringing together more than 23,000 delegates from 65 countriesand territories worldwide. Read full story

- Executive Vice President of the European Commission (EC) Valdis Dombrovskis,who is also Trade Commissioner, has affirmed that the European Union (EU) hasregarded Vietnam as its important partner in the region, and called theSoutheast Asian nation a model in impressive trade cooperation, especiallyafter the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into force in 2020.

Speaking at a meeting with the ASEAN Brussels Committee (ABC) in Brussels onJune 6, Dombrovskis noted that the EU will increase its investment in Vietnam,particularly in significant such areas as just energy transition, and sustainabledevelopment. Read full story

- The northern region is facing the risk of power shortage at almost everypoint of time each day, according to Tran Viet Hoa, head of the ElectricityRegulatory Authority of Vietnam under the Ministry of Industry and Trade(MoIT). Read full story

- Ho Chi Minh City has handed over more than 81% of theland needed for the section crossing the city of Belt Road No.3 project,enabling its construction to be launched on June 18 in Long Binh ward of ThuDuc city, according to HCM City’s Management Board of Traffic WorksConstruction and Investment.

The board reported that so far, localities across the city have provided theinvestor with about 335 hectares out of the total 410 hectares of land for theproject in the city. Read full story

- An international consultation workshop was held on June 8 to help compile adossier seeking membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Da Latcity, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, in the field of music.

The hybrid event, held by the Da Lat People’s Committee, the Lam DongDepartment of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam National Instituteof Culture and Arts Studies, was attended by 150 Vietnamese and internationaldelegates. Read full story

- Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to serve150,555 flights and up to 23.9 million passengers in the summer’s peak seasonfrom June 1 to August 15.

The figure represents an increase of 6.64% in the number of flights and 7.6% inthe number of passengers compared with the same period last year. Read full story

- The Slovak Government on June 7 officially recognised the Vietnamesecommunity as the country’s 14th ethnic minority group and approved regulationsfor the community.

The decision was made on the basis of the recommendations of the SlovakGovernment council on human rights, ethnic minorities, and gender equality, andexperts. Accordingly, the Vietnamese community fully meets the criteria"in quantity", "has lived in Slovakia for nearly 70 years andthe 3rd generation has fully integrated into society". Read full story

- Thanks to a trend of hiking in coffee prices, experts have predicted thatthis year’s export revenue of this product may exceed last year’s record of 4billion USD.

In the Central Highlands region, the major coffee production hub of Vietnam,coffee prices have risen strongly last week and hit a record in three months. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) sent adiplomatic note to the General Administration of Customs of China (ChinaCustoms) on June 8, calling for the early signing of a protocol on food safetyand quarantine requirements for fishery exports and imports between the twocountries. Read full story

- The taxdepartment in Ho Chi Minh City has directed its affiliates to focus on speedingup value-added tax (VAT) refunds for businesses.

Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Tien Dung said almost all businessesthat submitted sufficient dossiers have received tax refunds. Read full story

- The 11th Hanoi International Plastic, Rubber, Printing, and PackagingIndustry Exhibition (Hanoi PlasPrintPack 2023) was opened in Hanoi on June 8,attracting 200 companies with 340 booths.

The companies are from 11 countries and territories including China, India,Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China),Thailand, the UK, and Vietnam. Read full story

- Vietnamese swimmers continued to shine and brought home two golds, threesilvers, and one bronze and set more new records at the 12th ASEAN Para Gamesin Cambodia on June 8.

Danh Hoa brought home one gold in men’s 100-metre freestyle S4 event and set anew record of the ASEAN Para Games with 1 minute and 36.23 seconds. He hasbecome one of the athletes with the highest individual achievements in theVietnamese swimming team, with four gold medals and three new records. Read full story

- Two newcomers to the Da Nang International Firework Festival (DIFF) 2023 -French and Canadian teams - are actively preparing for their performance onJune 10 evening. Read full story

- The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) officially kicked off the “MadeWith Care” 2023 retail campaign on June 8, in which high-quality imported foodand beverage (F&B) products will be offered in Ho Chi Minh City.

From June to end of July, Vietnamese consumers can visit retailers in the cityincluding AEON Mall, Central Retail, LOTTE Mart and WinMart to purchase andtaste outstanding imports from New Zealand. Read full story./.
VNA

See more

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing and their spouses in a joint photo with artists at the banquet in Hanoi on September 5 evening (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam–Myanmar cooperation to enjoy new, more substantive strides: Top leader

General Secretary and President To Lam expressed firm belief that building on the fruitful outcomes of their talks and driven by the joint determination of both countries’ leaders and peoples, the Vietnam–Myanmar Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership will record new strides that are more comprehensive, effective, and substantive.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (right) receives outgoing Bangladeshi Ambassador Mohammad Lutfor Rahman on September 5. (Photo: VNA)

Top leader receives outgoing Bangladeshi ambassador

Reviewing bilateral ties over the ambassador's tenure, General Secretary and President To Lam noted that more than 50 years since diplomatic relations were established, Vietnam–Bangladesh ties have continued to develop steadily, with high political trust and mutual support at regional and international forums.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (right) meets with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Hanoi on September 5. (Photo: VNA)

PM Le Minh Hung meets with Myanmar President

The two leaders pledged to push for the early resumption of key cooperation mechanisms such as the joint sub-committee on trade cooperation, the security dialogue, and the joint working group on bilateral defence cooperation, thereby creating new momentum for the Vietnam–Myanmar Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership.

Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Vietnam seeks fresh momentum for relations with RoK, Mongolia

The trips, scheduled for September 6–11, are significant to implementing the foreign policy set out by the 14th National Party Congress and Politburo Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW, while concretising the orientations and agreements reached by Vietnam's senior leaders with the two partners.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Mongolia Nguyen Tuan Thanh (Photo: VNA)

Fresh momentum for Vietnam’s cooperation with RoK, Mongolia

The NA leader’s official visits to the RoK and Mongolia are expected to be resounding successes, ushering in a new phase of development that is stronger, more substantive, and more enduring, thereby meeting the aspirations of the leaders and peoples of all three nations.

President of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man (R) meets with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Hanoi on September 5. (Photo: VNA)

Parliamentary leader hosts Myanmar President in Hanoi

Both host and guest agreed that parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role in bilateral relations, helping consolidate political trust, promote and oversee the implementation of high-level agreements, and thereby make a positive contribution to peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing review the guard of honour at the welcome ceremony in Hanoi on September 5, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader chairs welcome ceremony for President of Myanmar

The official visit to Vietnam by the President of Myanmar and his spouse is expected to open up opportunities to further strengthen the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership, particularly in the economy, trade, investment, science – technology, connectivity, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples and expanding cooperation within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

A view of the press conference on September 4 on the upcoming Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Around 500 delegates to attend 3rd Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue

Focusing on local-level external relations, it would provide a platform for local authorities, experts and businesses to share governance experience, exchange advanced development models, and promote cooperation in science and technology, innovation, investment, trade and human resource development.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (right) and French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet at their meeting on September 4 (Photo: VNA)

Top leader receives outgoing French Ambassador

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to its relations with France, its first comprehensive strategic partner in the European Union.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia believes in new milestone of bilateral ties

The visit signals that both Vietnam and Russia attach great importance to their friendly cooperation, reflecting the aspirations and political will of their leaders and people to inherit and carry forward their long-standing traditional friendship, while sharing a strong determination to consolidate and deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (Photo: VNA)

Top leader and spouse to visit Russia, France

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay a state visit to Russia and an official visit to France, and attend the International Space Summit in Paris from September 7 to 12.

British researcher Kyril Whittaker (Photo publish by VNA)

Vietnam has three key factors to turn policies into reality: British scholar

Vietnam is well known for its beautiful natural scenery, and the closeness with which many people live side by side with nature. Even in big cities, one can see cafes which build themselves around fish habitats, or create a green oasis in the middle of an urban area, said British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history Kyril Whittaker.