Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on November 13

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on November 13

Hanoi, November 13 (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Party General Secretary To Lam made a working trip to the southern province of Dong Nai on November 13 to inspect the construction of Long Thanh International Airport, and discuss its development strategy amid regional and global competition.

After reviewing the reports presented at the working session, the Party leader noted that the progress of Phase 1 has so far demonstrated the financial efficiency and self-reliance of Vietnamese enterprises. He emphasised that the adoption and mastery of advanced management technologies will guide the airport toward becoming a green and smart facility.Read full story


- King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan and his delegation left Hanoi on November 13, concluding a two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong.

During the visit, King Abdullah II and his delegation laid wreaths and paid respect to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, as well as at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs in Hanoi. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 13 inspected the situation and directed recovery efforts in the central province of Gia Lai following the severe impact of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which caused significant damage to housing, infrastructure, production, and livelihoods, particularly in coastal areas.

In Gia Lai, the storm left two people dead and 12 injured, damaged or flooded over 50,000 houses, destroyed or wrecked more than 200 boats, and devastated hundreds of hectares of aquaculture farms. Numerous production facilities and infrastructure in transport, irrigation, education, health care, culture, telecommunications, and power supply were also affected. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the national great unity festival in Thang Kien hamlet, De Gi commune in Gia Lai province on November 13, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Traditional Day of Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) (November 18).

In his speech, the PM praised contributions of Gia Lai province in general, and De Gi commune and Thang Kien hamlet in particular, to the nation’s development, especially in preventing and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, and in and socio-economic growth, thus contributing to the country's achievements. Read full story

- The 15th National Assembly (NA) on November 13 approved a Resolution on Vietnam’s socio-economic development plan for 2026, setting 15 major targets, including the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 10% or higher.

The resolution was adopted with 429 deputies voting in favour, accounting 90.51% of the total number of NA deputies. Read full story

- The 15th National Assembly continued its 10th session in Hanoi on November 13 with deliberate on two draft laws - the amended Law on Public Employees and the law on e-commerce.

The draft revised Law on Public Employees comprises six chapters and 43 articles, down 19 from the current version. Key changes tie hiring, deployment and management to specific job posts, with recruitment based on performance and capability. The proposal eliminates rank-promotion exams and assessments for professional titles. Read full story

- The digitalised food value chain and cross-border e-commerce are becoming the new “expressway” to bring Vietnamese products directly to high-value importers and global consumers, experts said at the 2025 Vietnam Food Forum held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 12.

The event was jointly organised by the Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Alibaba.com, and related partners. Read full story

- With a 16.2% increase in export revenue over the past 10 months, Vietnam’s export turnover in 2025 are on track for a strong finish, likely to surpass expectations and far exceed the initial annual target of 12%.

For the past four consecutive months, export turnover has exceeded 42 billion USD per month — a performance that has propelled overall export growth well beyond the set target. If Vietnam maintains an average of 40 billion USD in export earnings per month over the remaining two months of the year, the total export value could hit a record high of 470 – 471 billion USD, far exceeding expectations. Vietnam’s robust trade momentum is set to play a key role in driving the economic growth this year, prompting several international organisations to raise their 2025 GDP growth forecasts for the country by 1–1.5%. Read full story

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

- Vietnam pulled in a record 21.3 billion USD in realised foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first 10 months of 2025, up 8.8% annually and the highest in five years, bucking a global slump in capital flows.

The inflow proves Vietnam’s enduring appeal to foreign investors, though experts cautioned that better policy enforcement is needed to attract quality capital. Read full story

- After a quiet period often referred to as the “tech winter,” investment through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is warming up again in Vietnam’s technology sector, signaling a robust rebound driven by innovation and digital transformation.

Although no “blockbuster” transactions have emerged yet, the M&A market since early 2025 has seen a clear shift toward technology and startups, with larger and more strategic deals, Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) reported on November 12. Read full story

- Vietnam Report JSC, in collaboration with VietNamNet e-newspaper, on November 12 released the VNR500 Ranking – top 500 largest enterprises in Vietnam 2025 and the top 500 largest private firms in Vietnam 2025.

The top 10 enterprises are Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen Co., Ltd.; Vietnam National Industry - Energy Group (Petrovietnam); Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex); Vingroup JSC; Viettel Group; BIDV; Agribank; VietinBank; Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin); and Hoa Phat Group JSC./. Read full story

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