Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 5

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 5

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

- The National Assembly (NA) on May 5 morning held group discussions on proposed amendments to the Constitution 2013 and the establishment of a drafting committee for the revision.

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Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at a group discussion held as part of the National Assembly's 9th session on May 5 morning. (Photo: VNA)

In his remarks, Party General Secretary To Lam said that this session is addressing numerous crucial issues. Among them, he stressed that any constitutional amendments must strictly adhere to legal procedures and ensure broad public consultation. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam left Hanoi at noon on May 5 for state visits to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, an official visit to Russia where he will attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Great Patriotic War, and then a state visit to Belarus.

The visits from May 5 to 12 are made at the invitation of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko. Read full story

- State President Luong Cuong held talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka after hosting an official welcome ceremony for the latter at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on May 5 morning.

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At the talks between State President Luong Cuong and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. (Photo: VNA)

President Dissanayaka is paying a state visit to Vietnam and attend the United Nations Day of Vesak from May 4-6 at the invitation of President Cuong. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented a supplementary assessment report on the socio-economic development and state budget in 2024, along with updates on the performance of the socio-economic development and state budget tasks in early 2025 at the 15th National Assembly’s 9th session that opened in Hanoi on May 5.

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PM Pham Minh Chinh delivers the report at the session. (Photo: VNA)

In his speech, PM Chinh announced that Vietnam had met or surpassed all 15 key targets in 2024, with 12 exceeding initial projections. A standout achievement was the rebound in labour productivity growth, which had lagged for three years but finally outstripped its goal. Read full story

- National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man highlighted agenda of the 15th NA’s ninth session that opened in Hanoi on May 5 morning.

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National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the opening session of the the 15th NA’s ninth session in Hanoi on May 5. (Photo: VNA)

In his speech, the top legislator said laws and resolutions passed during the 15th NA’s ninth extraordinary session are effectively serving the streamlining of the state apparatus toward a leaner, more efficient political system while unlocking new space for socio-economic development. Read full story

- The European Commission (EC) has delayed its fifth inspection of Vietnam's efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to the end of 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE).

The ministry received the notification from the EC’s Directorate – General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) in early May, which requested Vietnam to submit a progress report on implementing the EC’s recommended improvements before September 15. The commission will dispatch an inspection team to the country in late 2025 if the report demonstrates sufficient advancements. Read full story

- Vietnam’s tourism sector served an estimated 10.5 million domestic and international visitors during the public holiday from April 30 to May 4, marking a 31.2% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).

Nationwide, average occupancy rates at tourist accommodation facilities reached around 70%, with figures surpassing 80% during the first days of the break. The rise in travel was bolstered by a wide array of local festivals, cultural events, and tourism programmes held across the country, which not only attracted higher visitor numbers but also encouraged longer stays and increased tourism revenue. Read full story

- Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps has run an article assessing Vietnam’s economic development potential, on the occasion of the country’s 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2025).

According to the article, it all began in the 1990s, when Frederic Montier, who would later become head of the Vietnam representative office of technology firm ELCA, first recognised the country’s potential through a scientist, and then discovered that Vietnamese people consistently ranked among the top 15 in international mathematical olympiads./. Read full story

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