Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 13

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 13

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

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam met with Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin in the capital city of Minsk on May 12, within the framework of his state visit to the Republic of Belarus.

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam (L) and Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin. (Photo: VNA)

At the meeting, PM Turchin highly appreciated the significance of General Secretary Lam's state visit to Belarus, saying that the trip once again affirmed the trustful political relationship between the two countries and opened a new page in the history of bilateral cooperation with the two countries upgrading their relations to a Strategic Partnership. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, his spouse, and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation left Minsk in the evening of May 12 (local time), concluding their successful state visit to the Belarus at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko.

The Vietnamese leader and his entourage were seen off at the Minsk Airport by Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov, Belarusian Ambassador to Vietnam Uladzimir Baravikou, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belarus Nguyen Van Ngu, the embassy's staff, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the country. Read full story

- US enterprises operating in Vietnam have affirmed their commitment to sustainable, long-term investment in the country amid current challenges at a dialogue with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on May 13.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the dialogue with the US business community in Hanoi on May 13. (Photo: VNA)

The Government leader’s 2nd meeting with the community in just two months gathered representatives from the US Embassy, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), and over 50 leading US corporations, including Boeing, Molex, Excelerate Energy, Abbott, Coca-Cola, and GE Vernova. Read full story

- The upcoming official visit to Vietnam by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from May 15-16 will be the first by a Thai Government leader in 11 years, since PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit in 2014, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung said in a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident reporters in Bangkok.

Hung said the visit comes at a crucial time when the two countries are looking forward to the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1976-2026), a significant milestone in the history of bilateral ties. Against the backdrop of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership, which has seen comprehensive and substantive development across various fields, the visit is poised to elevate the bilateral relations to a new height in a more practical and effective manner. Read full story

- Vietnam’s electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast on May 13 announced a partnership with four major Philippine firms to establish more than 100 authorised service centres across the country in 2025.

The new collaboration involves Goodyear Philippines, Tire King and Rubber Products, Power Tread Services, and Marcjan Cavite. Read full story


- Vietnamese automaker VinFast on May 13 officially introduced its new compact electric cargo van – EC Van, marking the company’s step toward a green revolution in short-distance goods transport.

As the first electric vehicle to enter the cargo van segment in Vietnam, the car boasts a compact design (3.767 x 1.680 x 1.790m), a two-seat driver’s cabin, and a rear cargo compartment offering a generous storage capacity of up to 2,600 litres and a payload exceeding 600kg. Read full story

- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced its 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) titled "A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI," placing Vietnam in the high human development category.

According to the report, which evaluates human development progress based on the Human Development Index (HDI), tracking achievements in health, education and income, Vietnam’s HDI in 2023 reached 0.766, ranking 93rd out of 193 countries and territories. This marked a substantial leap from 0.499 in 1990, representing a 53.5% increase, a notable trajectory of growth over more than three decades. Read full story

- Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won the mayoral election in Davao city, his political stronghold, despite being detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity related to his controversial war on drugs.

Preliminary results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) show Duterte leading with approximately 405,000 votes, significantly ahead of his closest rival, who garnered around 49,000 votes./. Read full story

VNA
#To Lam #Aleksandr Turchin #Belarus #Pham Minh Chinh #Boeing #Molex #Excelerate Energy #Abbott #Coca-Cola #and GE Vernova
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