☕ Afternoon briefing on May 12

Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on May 12.

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy and key senators of the US Senate in Washington D.C on May 11 (local time), as part of the Vietnamese leader’s trip to the US. Chinh affirmed that Vietnam regards the US as a leading important partner, and stands ready to work with the country to promote the comprehensive partnership on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions of each other. Read full story

– Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reviewed preparations for the ASEAN - US Special Summit in Washington D.C on May 11 (local time). At the meeting, Son said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who arrived in Washington D.C. the same day, will attend activities within the summit, slated for May 12-13. Read full story

– Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) and Chairman of the Central Theory Council Nguyen Xuan Thang is paying a working visit to Israel, meeting many local leaders.  On May 11, his first day in the nation, Thang met Speaker of the Knesset Mickey Levy, during which the official expressed his delight at the growing friendship and cooperation between the nations in the past time. Read full story

– The Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Vietnam jointly held the 19th edition of the China Talk series, themed “US and China competition in Southeast Asia”, via video teleconference on May 11. The event was co-chaired by DAV Vice President Dr. Nguyen Hung Son and KAS Vietnam Resident Representative Florian Constantin Feyerabend. It brought together more than 150 participants on the ground and online. Read full story

– Cooperation in education and training is an important part of the Vietnam-Lao relationship, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son has said. He made the statement at a meeting in Hanoi on May 11 with Lao Minister of Education and Sports Phouth Simmalavong who is in Vietnam, together with the Laos sports delegation to the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31). Read full story

– Soldiers of Vietnam's Engineering Unit Rotation 1 participating in peacekeeping mission at the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) have recently deployed field reconnaissance to prepare for the rainy season and build barracks. After a meeting with the UNISFA’s Engineering Section on these works, the Vietnamese engineering unit sent out two field reconnaissance teams on May 10. Read full story

– Vietnam’s achievements and potential for cooperation with African nations have been popularised at the 8th Edition of the Africa Forum of Investment and Commerce, which takes place in Algeria on May 11 and 12. Organised by the Arab-African Center for Investment and Development (CAAID), the event connects 650 investors, leaders of regional and international organisations, experts, and representatives of commerce chambers from 35 countries. The Vietnamese delegation to the forum is led by Ambassador to Algeria Nguyen Thanh Vinh. Read full story

– An annual report on foreign investment in Vietnam, the first of its kind, was released at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 12. The report was published by the Science and Technics Publishing House in coordination with the compiling council of the annual report on foreign investment in Vietnam. Read full story./.