Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on October 15

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

☕ Afternoon briefing on October 15

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

- Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on October 15 called for decisive and coordinated action to implement the 2026–2035 national target programme on cultural and social development, rural development, and development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, stressing that people must not be kept waiting for policies and support to reach them.

Chairing a conference to launch the programme, the Prime Minister, who heads the Central Steering Committee for its implementation, emphasised that it brings together four previous national target programmes and covers a broad range of sectors, beneficiaries and resources. Read full story

- The German-Vietnamese Society, in collaboration with the Bridge Asia organisation and FOM University of Applied Sciences, held the Vietnam Conference 2026 in Berlin on October 14 to promote bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership.

The event was attended by Vice-President of the German Bundestag Bodo Ramelow, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Dac Thanh, and Le Quoc Phong, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, among others. Read full story

- The Australia Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI) held its 2026 annual conference in Sydney, New South Wales on October 15, bringing together government representatives, businesses and academics from both countries to discuss ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in a practical and sustainable manner.

The conference took place as the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership gained fresh momentum following the visit to Australia by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam in August and as Vietnam is preparing to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2027. Read full story

- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism on October 14 launched a tourism communications and promotion programme titled “Ho Chi Minh City – Vibrant in Every Experience”, linking destination branding with diverse tourism products, services and real-life experiences.

The programme focuses on several key initiatives, including standardising the city’s tourism brand identity, developing five key tourism product lines, applying digital platforms to support visitors throughout their journeys, connecting destinations through the “Ho Chi Minh City Check-in Journey – 360 Degrees of Vibrancy” campaign, organising experience-based activities with communications ambassadors, and presenting the Ho Chi Minh City Vibrant Award 2026. Read full story

- The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Hanoi Press and Radio - Television Agency were named outstanding press agencies with multiple quality entries at the ninth 2026 Hanoi Press Awards for cultural development and building elegant and civilised Hanoians, held on October 15.

The Hanoi Party Committee hosted the event to mark the 1,016th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the 72nd anniversary of Hanoi Liberation Day (October 10), and the 27th anniversary of UNESCO naming Hanoi the “City for Peace”. Read full story

- Vietnamese scientist Associate Professor Ha Thi Thanh Huong has won the first prize in the mid-career category of the 2026 ASEAN–US Science Prize for Women.

The award ceremony was held in the central city of Da Nang on October 14 as part of the plenary session of the 90th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI-90). Read full story./.

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