☀️ Morning digest August 5

The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last weekend by the Vietnam News Agency.

☀️ Morning digest August 5

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

-The 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam held a meeting in Hanoi on August 3 to discuss the personnel work.

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An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)

In the morning, under the chair of Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the committee nominated and elected the new General Secretary of the 13th Central Committee of the CPV.Read full story

-Vietnam will continue to strengthen relations with neighbouring countries, major powers, comprehensive strategic partners, traditional friends, and other key partners in a profound, substantive manner, constantly consolidating political trust and ensuring a stable, peaceful foreign landscape to create the highest facilitation for national development.

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From left: National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Luong Cuong. (Photo: VNA)

This affirmation was made by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam at an international press conference held immediately after the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s conference on the morning of August 3 in Hanoi.Read full story

-Leaders of foreign Parties and countries have congratulated President To Lam on his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee.

In their congratulatory letter, Cuba’s General Raúl Castro Ruz and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez expressed their belief that under the sound leadership of Party General Secretary and President To Lam, the CPV will continue to lead the Vietnamese people to carry forward the glorious victories in the struggle for national independence as well as the cause of national development, and promote the reform process, for wealthy people, a strong country, democracy, and a fair and civilised society.Read full story

-Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta left Hanoi on August 3 afternoon, wrapping up his 4-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President To Lam.

During his stay, he attended a red-carpet welcome ceremony and held talks with President To Lam. Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement on bilateral visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders. They visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum and attended a honour banquet.Read full story

-Vietnam requests the US to continue implementing its commitment to broad, strong and constructive coordination and to soon recognise the market economy status of Vietnam, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang has said.

Hang made the statement on August 3 while answering a reporter's question about Vietnam's reaction to the US Department of Commerce (DOC)'s decision on continuing to identify Vietnam as a non-market economy.Read full story

-Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Chairman of the Central Theory Council Nguyen Xuan Thang highlighted the comprehensive, rapid developments of the Vietnam-US relationship during his working visit to the US from July 31 to August 4.

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Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Chairman of the Central Theory Council Nguyen Xuan Thang Thang (centre) and Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung (left) at a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell (Photo: VNA)

While in the US, Thang met with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Senior Advisor to the US President for International Climate Policy John Podesta, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger, and US Department of Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific Robert Kaproth.Read full story

-Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung paid a working trip to the Republic of Korea (RoK) in early August, aiming at bolstering cooperation between the two countries in the areas of digital transformation and AI.

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Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho (Photo: VNA)

At a working session with Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho, Hung stressed that Vietnam is promoting economic growth based on digital technology, as well as boosting the development of IT and communications, particularly Artificial Narrow Intelligence and Specialised AI - the areas that need international cooperation in policy sharing and human resources training.Read full story

-Vietnam Report and VietNamNet newspaper announced the Top 50 prestigious and effective public companies (VIX50) in Vietnam 2024 during a ceremony on August 2.

Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) topped the ranking, followed by tech giant FPT Corporation, real estate developer Vinhomes, Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB), Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MBBank), Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank), Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) and Gemadept Corporation.Read full story

- Vietnam boasts potential to attract investments in pioneering industries, and solutions are needed to materialise such opportunities, insiders have said.

Earlier this month, Foxconn Group received the green light from the northern province of Quang Ninh’s authorities to launch two projects worth 551 million USD in the locality. These projects, aimed at producing smart entertainment products and smart systems, fall within Quang Ninh’s target industries for investment in processing and manufacturing.Read full story

-Foreign media has highlighted the election of Politburo member and State President To Lam as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s 13th Central Committee.

On August 3, many online publications of major newspapers of Laos reported news of congratulations to Party General Secretary and State President To Lam.Read full story

--Dr. Andrew Wells-Dang, a senior expert of Southeast Asia at the US Institute of Peace (USIP), said most US politicians have shared the view that the war in Vietnam was a mistake.

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The US accused Vietnam of attacking the destroyers Turner Joy and Maddox. (File photo)

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on August 3 over the Gulf of Tonkin incident 60 years ago and the war raged by the US in the Southeast Asian nation, Wells-Dang recalled the criticism to the war of African-American activist Martin Luther King.Read full story/.

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NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the conference (Photo: VNA)

Conference mulls over legislative roadmap for 16th NA’s term

In his keynote speech, NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh presented the conclusion as a strategic vision for legal reform in the new development period. It spells out concrete goals, nine major orientations, six bundles of tasks and solutions, and assigns specific duties to the relevant bodies.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung departs Hanoi on June 16, 2026 to attend the ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit and conduct bilateral activities in Kazan, Russia from June 16 to 18. (Photo: VNA)

PM departs for ASEAN – Russia Commemorative Summit

PM Hung’s participation in this summit once again reflects Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as the diversification and multilateralisation of external relations in line with the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress.

Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang and the Vietnamese delegation are briefed by a French partner on a combat helicopter model at Eurosatory 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam promotes defence cooperation at Eurosatory 2026

During the event, the Vietnamese delegation met with major French defence firms, including Airbus and UNAC, to discuss technology transfer, human resource training, technical support and defence industry development. Vietnam also invited international partners to participate in the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026, scheduled to be held in Hanoi this December.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam receives Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolai Prytz in Hanoi on June 15, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader receives outgoing Danish Ambassador

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam emphasised that the friendship nurtured over decades, coupled with shared development visions, particularly in the green economy, maritime economy and circular economy, as well as growing connections in culture, sports, tourism and people-to-people links, will continue to serve as a solid foundation for deeper and more productive relations between Vietnam and Denmark.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam speaks at the working session with the education sector in Hanoi on June 15. (Photo: VNA)

Top leader urges education sector to make fundamental shift in mindset

Implementation of Resolution 71 must be carried out with strict discipline, regular inspections and continuous monitoring. The Ministry of Education and Training should establish a transparent system for tracking implementation through specific and regularly updated indicators. Each objective must be translated into concrete tasks, resources, timelines and responsible agencies.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (R) receives Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko in May 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam - bridge in advancing ASEAN–Russia relations

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s upcoming visit to Russia from June 16–18 for the ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit marking 35 years of dialogue relations highlights Vietnam’s commitment to the ASEAN–Russia Strategic Partnership and its role in strengthening cooperation between the bloc and Russia.

A bird's eye view of Hanoi capital (Photo: VNA)

📝 OP-ED: Democracy and happiness – core values for building public trust

At the heart of the model is the principle that all policies must be designed for the people, rooted in the people’s aspirations and dedicated to serving their interests. Citizens will play an active role in governance through access to information, participation in decision-making, oversight of public affairs and equitable access to development outcomes. In this context, democracy and happiness of the people are not only development goals but also the most accurate benchmarks for evaluating the effectiveness of local governance and the capacity of grassroots authorities to serve their communities.