☀️ Morning digest July 22

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

☀️ Morning digest July 22

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

- The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the National Assembly, the President, and the Government and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front have issued a special communiqué, announcing that General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong passed away at 1:38pm on July 19, 2024, and his funeral will be held as a national mourning. Read full story

- Upon hearing the news on the passing away of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man expressed his boundless grief and shared his sentiments and thoughts on the leader.

The top legislator, who is also a Politburo member, called the deceased a great personality, wit, talent, and erudition rich in reality. Read full story

- Officials, Party members, and people across the country have shown their boundless grief at the passing away of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and their warm sentiments towards him. Read full story

- Heads of state and government, and leaders of parliaments and political parties; and political organisations of Laos, China, Cambodia, Cuba, and Russia have sent their condolences to Vietnam over the passing away of Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong.

The condolences were addressed to the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the National Assembly and Government of Vietnam, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee. Read full story

- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on July 19 announced a state mourning in commemoration of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

A communique run by Granma, the daily of the Communist Party of Cuba, said the country will officially observe a mourning from 6 am of July 20 (local time) to midnight of July 21, while the state mourning will run for the whole of July 22. Read full story

- International media have reported the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on recent days and also reviewed milestones of his career. Read full story

- The signing of the Geneva Agreement on Indochina 70 years ago marked an important milestone in the history of the world in general and Vietnam in particular, according to David Fernandez Puyana, Ambassador, Permanent Observer of UN University for Peace (UPEACE) to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva. Read full story

- With the Geneva Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam signed on July 21, 1954, Vietnam achieved victory both militarily and politically in its long struggle against the French colonialists, according to a French scholar.

Eric Coudray, one of the many French citizens who remain interested in the final battle of the French expeditionary army, has highlighted the historical significance and importance of the agreement to the Indochina War, stressing that it contributed to ending the nine-year-long war in Indochina. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on July 19 supported family members of those who died in the Bangkok hotel incident to receive their personal belongings handed over by Thai police, and continued to provide them with guidance on relevant consulate procedures.

It has also sent detailed information to domestic authorities and asked for support in the procedures for the import of the bodies, scheduled for July 20 and 21. The office will continue to closely follow the incident and coordinate with relevant authorities, and take subsequent and necessary citizen protection measures. Read full story

- Statistics in the first half of this year show that for the first time, Vietnam’s fishery products maintained its position as the fifth largest partner in Singapore for the second consecutive quarter.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore said Vietnam’s fishery exports to Singapore in the period under review rose by 0.81% to reach 51.7 million USD, occupying a market share of 9.46%. A sharp export revenue rise was seen in fresh fish (25.42%). Read full story

- Vietnam has always considered Brazil as a major and important partner in South America, with bilateral trade reaching 7.11 billion USD in 2023, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi affirmed.

During a meeting with Wilson Miranda Lima, Governor of the northern state of Amazonas, Ambassador Nghi emphasised that Vietnam is one of Brazil's significant trade partners and the two countries have ample room to enhance exchanges in various fields, including politics, diplomacy, trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, agriculture and agricultural processing, climate change mitigation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Read full story

- Vietnam's national team has secured impressive results at the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in the UK, the Ministry of Education and Training has announced.

Accordingly, the team brought home five medals - two silver, three bronze medals, and one commendation. Read full story./.

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People gather at Den Thuong (Upper Temple) during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day in Phu Tho province. (Photo: VNA)

📝 OP-ED: Respect for history, gratitude a lasting cultural value of Vietnamese people

In Vietnamese cultural life, gratitude toward preceding generations has long been preserved as an integral part of the nation's identity. This tradition is reflected in ancestor worship practiced in families, the Worship of the Hung Kings, village deities, national heroes and eminent cultural figures, as well as tributes to generations who sacrificed their lives for the nation's independence and freedom.

General Phan Van Giang (R) and General Khamlieng Outhakaysone plant a tree at Thanh Thuy border gate. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Border community twinning strengthens Vietnam–Laos friendship

Over the past decade, the twinning relationship between Thuy Phong village in Nghe An’s Kim Bang commune, and Xop Tuong village in Nam On commune, Xaychamphone district, Bolikhamxay province of Laos, has become a model for fostering a shared border of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Delegates from the two nations, along with military attachés from several countries accredited to Vietnam, lay flowers in tribute to the Cuban military experts at the memorial monument within the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi on July 10. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Cuba pay tribute to fallen Cuban military experts

Cuba and Vietnam on July 10 commemorated six Cuban military experts who lost their lives 60 years ago while supporting the Vietnamese people's resistance war, reaffirming the enduring solidarity and defence ties forged through the two countries' shared history.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung (third from left) poses for a commemorative photo with Honorary Consul Thaneth Tantipiriyakij and officials from several southern Thai provinces in front of the Honorary Consulate of Vietnam in Phuket. (Photo:VNA)

Vietnam opens first honorary consulate in Phuket

The ambassador said the establishment of Vietnam's first honorary consulate in Phuket reflects both countries' commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Andaman sea economic gateway while meeting growing demand for consular services and better support for Vietnamese citizens and the Vietnamese community in southern Thailand.

Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang speaks at the press conference on July 9. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam seeks early signing of trade deal with EFTA

Vietnam will continue working closely with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states to sign their free trade agreement (FTA) at an early date and effectively implement its commitments.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang (3rd from left) and his Lao counterpart General Khamliang Outhakaysone (4th from left) in an activity held on July 9, 2026 as part of the third Vietnam – Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Laos strengthen border defence friendship

At Border Marker No. 460, the two defence ministers jointly took part in the traditional ceremony of repainting the marker. Beyond its symbolic significance, the ceremony reflected the determination of the two Parties, States and armed forces to safeguard every marker of national sovereignty, preserve the achievements of border demarcation and marker planting, and develop the Vietnam–Laos border into a symbol of peace, stability, cooperation and development.