Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 26

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 26

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

- State President Luong Cuong and his spouse hosted a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on May 26 for French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, who are on a state visit to Vietnam from May 25-27.

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President Luong Cuong and President Emmanuel Macron inspect the Honour Guard of the Vietnam People’s Army. (Photo: VNA)

Amid ceremonial music and Vietnamese children waving flags, the two leaders walked a red carpet to a platform where the national anthems of Vietnam and France were played by a military band. They then reviewed the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People’s Army. Read full story

- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh put forward three priorities for regional cooperation while delivering a speech at the Plenary Session of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 26 morning.

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A view of the plenary session of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 26 morning. (Photo: VNA)

Hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the 2025 ASEAN Chair, the session saw the participation of senior leaders of ASEAN member states, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Xanana Gusmao, and the ASEAN Secretary-General. Read full story

- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined leaders of ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste in a closed-door session to discuss international and regional issues on May 26 as part of the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Participants pose for a group photo at the plenary session of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 26 morning. (Photo: VNA)

At the meeting, ASEAN leaders acknowledged the region’s strategic importance as a crossroads of geopolitical and geo-economic interests, which is also facing the mounting pressures from strategic competition among major powers, protectionism, supply chain disruptions, and the widespread impacts of climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, and other non-traditional security threats. Meanwhile, the rise of emerging technologies is fundamentally reshaping development models. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has called on ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to enhance cooperation to bolster peace and stability, uphold multilateralism and a rules-based international order, and support the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Addressing the ASEAN – GCC Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 25, Son urged ASEAN and GCC to fast-track the 2024–2028 cooperation framework by identifying priority areas for each phase to optimise available resources. Read full story

- Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang on May 26 said that ample room remains for defence cooperation between Vietnam and France when he met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu who is escorting French President Emmanuel Macron on a State visit to Vietnam.

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Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu at the meeting in Hanoi on May 26. (Photo: VNA)

Giang highly appreciated the positive development in the Vietnam - France relations, especially the upgrade of their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the official visit to France by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in October 2024. Read full story

- Vietnam has attracted 13.82 billion USD in newly registered foreign direct investment (FDI) since the beginning of this year, marking a nearly 40% increase compared to the same period last year, while disbursed capital has reached 6.74 billion USD, the highest level recorded in the past five years, reflecting strong investor confidence in the Vietnamese market.

These figures underlined Vietnam’s rising status as a top global investment destination, especially amid shifting global supply chains and increasing trends in capital relocation. Read full story

- A seminar on Vietnam–Singapore Halal trade has been held recently in a hybrid format, aiming to highlight Vietnam’s potential and attract foreign investment in Halal-related industries.

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Participants attend the Vietnam-Singapore Halal trade seminar 2025 in Singapore (Photo: VNA)

The May 24 event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore, the Vietnam Halal Certification Authority (HALCERT) under the Vietnam Certification Centre (QUACERT), Maybank Singapore, and Dawn Horizon Pte Ltd., bringing together 170 enterprises from both countries. Read full story

- Hanoi’s tourism sector continues to show strong momentum this year, recording an estimated 12.77 million visitor arrivals in the first five months, a 10.9% increase year-on-year.

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Tourists at the Temple of Literature complex - a key destination in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, the capital welcomed approximately 3.16 million international tourists during this period, marking a year-on-year rise of 20.2%. Domestic visitors reached around 9.61 million, up 7.8%. Total tourism revenue was estimated at 51.94 trillion VND (over 2 billion USD), representing a 14.1% increase against the same period last year. Read full story

- Vietnamese students earned high marks at the 2024–2025 Huawei ICT competition, which concluded on May 24 in Shenzhen, China.

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Nine Vietnamese students shine at global ICT competition (Photo: VNA)

This year’s event saw record participation, attracting over 210,000 teachers and students from more than 2,000 institutions across 100 countries and territories. A total of 179 teams from 48 countries advanced to the global finals. Read full story

- The Vietnamese karate team delivered a strong showing at the 2025 Asian Karate Championships in Uzbekistan, securing three gold medals and one bronze, and finishing third overall in the medal tally.

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Hoang Thi My Tam claims gold in the women’s individual kumite 55kg category at the 2025 Asian Karate Championships in Uzbekistan (Photo: VNA)

Notably, Hoang Thi My Tam claimed gold in the women’s individual kumite 55kg category after a decisive 5-0 victory over Iran’s Saadati Fateme in the final. Read full story./.

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