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

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

- National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man has stressed the requirement of accelerating digital transformation within the legislature to improve its operational efficiency.

The top legislator was chairing a working session on May 13 with the NA’s Steering Committee for science – technology development, innovation and national digital transformation, alongside the legislature’s Steering Committee for digital transformation. Read full story

- The 47th Asia Pacific Dental Congress and the second Hanoi International Dental Exhibition and Congress 2026 (APDC–HAIDEC 2026) opened in Hanoi on May 12.

The three-day event is co-hosted by the Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association (VOSA), the Asia Pacific Dental Federation (APDF), the Hanoi Central Odonto-Stomatology Hospital (NHOS), and the FDI World Dental Federation. It’s the first time Vietnam has hosted the APDC, drawing over 4,000 domestic and foreign experts, scientists, and dental practitioners. Read full story

- Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has held a meeting with Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss the progress of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT RevCon), which is taking place from April 27 to May 22 in New York.

At the meeting this week, Ambassador Viet briefed the UNGA President on developments during the first two weeks of the conference. He stressed that the current international geopolitical landscape poses numerous complex challenges, while reaffirming Vietnam’s determination, together with other member states, to promote substantive and balanced outcomes at the conference. Read full story

- The latest administrative reform push, with the issuance of eight resolutions on reducing, decentralising and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions, is being seen as one of the largest overhauls in recent years, directly affecting thousands of procedures and processes tied to investment, production and business activities nationwide.

The move reflects the new-tenure Government’s determination to fundamentally change the operation of the state management apparatus, with the goal of achieving double-digit economic growth as early as 2026. Read full story

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- As predictably as clockwork, every year on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) releases what it calls the “World Press Freedom Index”. In its 2026 report, Vietnam was again placed near the bottom of the rankings, at 174th out of 180 countries.

This is far from the first time RSF has issued what many in Vietnam regard as deeply unobjective assessments. Yet the repeated recycling of familiar allegations suggests more than mere criticism. It points to an approach shaped by preconception – one that appears dismissive of the political systems, historical experiences and cultural contexts of countries. Read full story

- Residents and tourists suffering from kidney failure in Con Dao special zone under Ho Chi Minh City can now receive dialysis treatment locally instead of travelling to the mainland, following the launch of the island’s first haemodialysis system at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Centre on May 6.

This milestone was achieved thanks to professional expertise and technical transfer from Thong Nhat Hospital specialists. Read full story

- Vietnam’s aquatic product exports continued to show positive recovery signs in the first four months of 2026 and are moving towards the goal of 12 billion USD for the whole year.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the seafood export turnover during the January-April period was estimated at 3.7 billion USD, up nearly 15% year-on-year. Read full story

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Delegates perform the burial ceremony for the remains of fallen soldiers at Vinh Hung – Tan Hung martyrs’ cemetery in Tay Ninh province on May 13, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

- Authorities, armed forces personnel and local residents in the southern province of Tay Ninh on May 13 held a memorial and burial ceremony for the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives while carrying out international duties in Cambodia.

The 158 sets of remains were recovered and repatriated by officers and soldiers of Teams K71 and K73 under the provincial Military Command following search and recovery operations conducted in the Cambodian provinces of Battambang, Pailin, Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey./. Read full story

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