State President Luong Cuong has extended a message of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over a tragic plane crash involving Angara Airlines in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region.
Hanoi (VNA) - State President Luong Cuong has extended a message of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over a tragic plane crash involving Angara Airlines in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region.
The incident claimed the lives of all passengers and crew members./.
"On behalf of the Party, Government and people of Laos, I would like to extend my sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to you, and through you to senior leaders of Vietnam, as well as to the fraternal Vietnamese Party, Government and people, especially the local authorities and families of the victims affected by this natural disaster,” Lao PM Sonexay wrote.
State President Luong Cuong has sent a message of condolences to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen over a shooting on June 10 that claimed many lives and left many wounded.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 13 sent a message of condolences to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi over a serious air accident that occurred in Gujarat state on June 12, causing numerous casualties.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc had a meeting with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee Ka-chiu on December 19 as part of his working visit to Hong Kong, China.
He set a goal for Vietnam to have modern and seamless digital infrastructure, high-quality, shared and standardised data, a skilled digital workforce with universal digital literacy, strong Vietnamese digital technology enterprises, and a safe, humane and civilised digital environment.
The annual mechanism aims to review and set orientations for political, security, and defence cooperation, enhance mutual understanding, build trust, and drive the stable and substantive development of Vietnam - US relations.
The forum, themed “Developing an inclusive and comprehensive digital economy and digital society to achieve double-digit GDP growth in the 2026–2030 period,” brought together leaders of ministries and localities, technology enterprises, research institutions, experts and representatives of international organisations in Vietnam.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its relationship with France, the first European Union country with which Vietnam has established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, noting that the two sides enjoy a solid foundation and significant potential for further cooperation.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in Vietnam, no one is discriminated against on the basis of religion or belief, and the activities of religious organisations are ensured in accordance with the law, she affirmed.
Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu expressed his belief that relevant agencies will continue to make efforts to basically complete organisation- and service-related preparations by December 31, ensuring readiness for the final rehearsals ahead of the opening of the 14th National Party Congress.
Vietnam has consistently upheld a people-centered approach, considering the protection of migrants’ security, safety, and lawful rights and interests as a top priority in policy formulation and implementation.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that to make a substantive contribution to national development, the industry and trade sector must also achieve double-digit growth, generate new jobs, strengthen traditional growth drivers such as export and consumption, and accelerate emerging engines of growth, including the green, digital, circular, knowledge-based and sharing economies.
Lieutenant General Do Xuan Tung, Vice Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), and Lieutenant General Do Van Banh, Political Commissar of the National Defence Academy were promoted to the rank of Senior Lieutenant General at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 19.
The strong political relationship provides a solid foundation for Vietnam and Indonesia to further expand cooperation in the economy, culture and tourism.
The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
The General Secretary urged the sector to focus on providing strategic advice to ensure that the Party maintains political direction, upholds the goal of national independence linked with socialism, and safeguards the Party’s ideological foundation and the country’s future—viewing this as a vital, ongoing, and long-term task.
They highly valued the effective and substantive cooperation results achieved by the Supreme People’s Procuracies of Vietnam and Laos in recent years, and called on both sides to continue enhancing coordination, stepping up exchanges of delegations at all levels, sharing professional and technical experience, and maintaining and expanding training and capacity-building programmes for officials.
Following the three nationwide simultaneous ground-breaking and inauguration ceremonies in 2025, the country has 564 projects and works with an accumulative investment of 5.14 quadrillion VND, of which private capital accounts for the majority, with over 3.8 quadrillion VND (74.6%), while state capital stands at 1.3 quadrillion VND (25.4%).
The hybrid event connected with municipal and provincial Party committees, along with communes, wards, and special zones nationwide, with Party General Secretary To Lam in attendance and delivering a keynote address.
The Ministry of Construction has reported that among these, there are 148 projects starting construction and 86 projects being inaugurated and technically cleared, including 38 projects from ministries and agencies, 39 from corporations and state-owned enterprises, and 157 managed by local administrations.
The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.
Six journalists and groups of authors from the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) won the awards, including a top prize.
The NA leader expressed his confidence that in 2026, journalists will continue to uphold their responsibility, report objectively and from multiple perspectives, accompany the NA in conveying its activities promptly and comprehensively, and identify shortcomings in law-making and legal enforcement to help people-elected agencies operate more effectively and efficiently.
