Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last weekend by the Vietnam News Agency.
- Party General Secretary To Lam and a delegation of central officials offered flowers and incense at the national special historical relic site of Dong Loc T-junction, the central province of Ha Tinh, on December 29 in memory of heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national liberation.
At the relic site, the Party leader and his entourage expressed their infinite gratitude to generations of predecessors for their great dedications to the struggles for national liberation and reunification. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the fourth meeting of the steering committee for reviewing and organising the settlement of bottlenecks in the legal system in Hanoi on December 29.
The event focused on problems related to legal regulations on power decentralisation and authorisation, especially the legal documents affected by the apparatus restructuring. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) to restructure itself into a national industrial-energy group while addressing the firm's year-end review conference in Hanoi on December 28.
He urged the firm to show accelerated, decisive, effective, and sustainable transformations, fostering closer and more efficient coordination with ministries, agencies, localities, and businesses. Read full story
- National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has ordered the central city of Hue, which will become a centrally-run city next year, to achieve double-digit growth while working to preserve its imperial cultural heritage so as to turn itself into a cultural, tourism, and intensive healthcare hub in Southeast Asia under a resolution of the Politburo.
The top legislator made the statement at a working session on December 29 with the standing board of the Party Committee of Thua Thien – Hue province on its socio-economic development in 2024 and orientations for 2025. Read full story
- Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to hit 450 billion USD in 2024, placing it 34th globally, according to the UK-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).
With an average annual growth rate of 5.8% over the next five years, Vietnam's GDP is expected to surpass Singapore's, reaching 676 billion USD by 2029. Read full story
- Vietnam's footwear and leather industry is poised to achieve 26-27 billion USD in export in 2024, marking a 3 billion-USD increase from the previous year, as they country has well capitalised on the signed free trade agreements to bolster shipment, according to the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso).
Legaso Vice Chairwoman and General Secretary Phan Thi Thanh Xuan highlighted Vietnam’s global standing as the world’s third largest footwear producer, trailing China and India, and the second biggest exporter. She stated that North America led the export destinations, accounting for 41.4% of footwear and 47% of handbag exports, followed by the EU, with 29.5% and 25,4%, respectively. Read full story
- Vietnam has recorded a historic low birth rate in 2024, with the total fertility rate (TFR) dropping to just 1.91 children per woman, marking the third consecutive year below replacement level.
This was revealed on December 27 at the 2024 National Population Conference, where officials expressed growing concern over the nation's demographic challenges./. Read full story
