Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 15

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 15

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

- Party General Secretary and State President To Lam chaired a meeting of the Political Bureau in Hanoi on May 15 to review the implementation of Resolution No. 31-NQ/TW on the development orientation and tasks for Ho Chi Minh City through 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Participants listened to reports and assessed the city’s implementation of the resolution over the past three years. Read full story

- Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Special Envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam, met with Jo Yong Won, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) and Chairman of the SPA of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Pyongyang on May 15.

The meeting formed part of Trung’s visit to the DPRK to announce the results of the 14th National Congress of the CPV. Read full story

- Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for Policies and Strategies Nguyen Thanh Nghi led a delegation to survey the Samsung Vietnam Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Hanoi on May 14.

The visit aims to serve the drafting of a plan on reforming the national development model based on science – technology, innovation and digital transformation. Read full story

- The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on May 15 released the Vietnam Private Economic Report 2025 and the 2025 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI 2025), unveiling a new-generation assessment framework at a pivotal moment in the country’s economic reform process.

After 21 consecutive years of implementation, this year’s report introduces PCI 2.0, a redesigned version of the widely recognised index. The launch comes as Vietnam enters a new development era, with ambitions to achieve double-digit GDP growth from 2026 onward alongside three unprecedented reforms: reducing the number of provincial-level administrative units from 63 to 34, transitioning to a two-tier local administration model, and institutionalising Politburo Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, which for the first time identifies the private sector as the most important driving force of the national economy. Read full story

- Quang Ninh province is leading the country in public investment disbursement, posting the highest rate among 34 provinces and cities since the start of 2026.

According to the Region III State Treasury branch, as of May 13, the northern province had disbursed more than 5.64 trillion VND (213.9 million USD) in public investment capital, fulfilling 24.2% of its annual target and 54% of its disbursement target of 10.56 trillion VND for the year's first half. Read full story

- Expanding its development space through administrative boundary mergers, the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa is reshaping its tourism identity with a broader ecosystem of experiences and an ambition to emerge as a leading international destination for leisure and discovery.

Rather than relying solely on natural advantages, the province is shifting towards a more integrated development model linking tourism, trade and investment to create new growth momentum. Read full story

- As Vietnam advances digital government, the digital economy and digital society, Hanoi is shifting from simply deploying technology to delivering practical benefits for citizens and businesses.

Leaders of the capital city stress that digital transformation should not be measured by the number of software systems or online procedures, but by tangible outcomes such as reduced paperwork, lower costs, shorter processing times and more transparent governance. Read full story

- More than 9.3 billion VND (nearly 353,000 USD) were raised for supporting victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in 2025, heard a press briefing in Hanoi on May 15.

The event was organised by the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) as part of activities to mark the 65th anniversary of the AO disaster in Vietnam (August 10, 1961–2026). Read full story./.

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