☀️ Morning digest April 17

Hanoi, (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

-On the occasion of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's birthday on April 14, leaders of countries and political parties including those from Laos, China, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, and Dominica, have sent letters and messages of congratulations to the Vietnamese Party chief.
The leaders of countries and political parties congratulated Vietnam on its outstanding achievements in national construction and development under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam led by Trong. They affirmed that they will keep working with the Vietnamese Party leader to grow bilateral relations.Read full text

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid homage to General Vo Nguyen Giap and met with families of soldiers fighting in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and policy beneficiaries in Muong Phang commune of Dien Bien Phu city, the northwestern province of Dien Bien, on April 16.

PM Pham Minh Chinh offers incense in commemoration of General Vo Nguyen Giap at the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Headquarters relic site in Dien Bien province on April 16. (Photo: VNA)

The activity was part of events held in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - 2024).Read full text

- National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on April 16 said that Vietnam always values and wishes to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Hungary, a traditional partner and the only comprehensive partner of Vietnam in the Central Eastern European region when receiving First Officer of the Hungarian National Assembly Márta Mátrai in Hanoi.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue recieves First Officer of the Hungarian National Assembly Márta Mátrai. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the reception, Hue appreciated the fifth legislative conference on the role of the parliament in supreme supervision of bilateral cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Hungary held earlier the same day in Hanoi, during which, NA Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong and Márta Mátrai reached consensus on many important issues, particularly those on cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures.Read full text

- National Assembly Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong and First Officer of the Hungarian National Assembly Márta Mátrai co-chaired the fifth legislative conference on strengthening parliamentary supervision of bilateral cooperation agreements between the two countries, in Hanoi on April 16.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong (R) and First Officer of the Hungarian National Assembly Márta Mátrai. (Photo: quochoi.vn) 

Both sides highlighted parliamentary cooperation as a bright spot in the two countries' overall relationship, adding that the cooperation agreement signed by the two legislatures last June has laid an important foundation to further deepen parliamentary ties, which is also instrumental in fostering political trust and mutual understanding. Read full text

-Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on April 16 received Diego Martinez Belio, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs of Spain, who is in Vietnam to co-chair the fifth political consultation between the two countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) and Diego Martinez Belio, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairsof Spain, at their meeting in Hanoi on April 16 (Photo: VNA)

Lauding the significant strides in bilateral relations, Minister Son stated that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to promote cooperation with Spain, the first strategic partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU).Read full text

- Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang had a meeting with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana on April 15.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang (left) and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel at their meeting in Havana on April 15 (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese official congratulated Cuba on its significant achievements obtained amid numerous difficulties and challenges. He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent solidarity with and support for Cuba as well as objection to the embargo against the Caribbean nation.Read full text

-A ceremony to repatriate two sets of remains believed to be of US soldier listed as missing in action (MIA) from the war in Vietnam was held at the Da Nang International Airport in the central city of Da Nang on April 16.

Representatives from Vietnamese and US agencies at the ceremony. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The remains were found as the result of the 154th joint field activity which lasted from February to April 2024.  Vietnamese forensic specialists examined the remains and determined that they might belong to US MIAs from the war in Vietnam.Read full text

- The Vietnamese Government has maintained its momentum on advancing gender equality, said Caroline T. Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, in a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the country’s election to the UN Women Executive Board for the 2025-2027 term.
The Vietnam News Agency carries the full text of the interview.Read full text/.