☀️ Morning digest October 18

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

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong has affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with Singapore and suggested that the two countries effectively promote the great potential of cooperation by increasing the exchange of visits and meetings at all levels and through all party, government, parliament, and people channels.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (right) and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. (Photo: VNA)

He made the statement at a reception in Hanoi on October 17 for Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, who is on a five-day state visit to Vietnam. Read full story

- Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob, after hosting a welcome ceremony for the latter at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on October 17.

At the talks between Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob. (Photo: VNA)

President Phuc welcomed President Jacob, stressing that the visit by a Singaporean head of state after 10 years was an important event in stepping up the bilateral cooperation. Read full story

- Singapore attaches importance to developing its strategic partnership with Vietnam, visiting Singaporean President Halimah Yacob told Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during their meeting in Hanoi on October 17.

Singaporean President Halimah Yacob (left) and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. (Photo: VNA)

At the meeting, PM Chinh asked the two sides to coordinate effectively in implementing the documents just signed during the visit, contributing to promoting bilateral cooperation in such fields as renewable energy, cybersecurity, environment, education-training, human resources development, digital economy, digital transformation, innovation and green economy. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Government always attaches importance to developing its friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with the French Community of Belgium (Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on October 17.

Speaking at a reception for Minister-President of the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles Pierre-Yves Jeholet, who has been on a visit to Vietnam from October 15-21, PM Chinh expressed his hope that the visit will contribute to promoting cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium and Wallonie-Bruxelles in different spheres.Read full story

- Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob on October 17 shared a view that the bilateral strategic partnership is developing fruitfully, especially in politics and diplomacy.

During their meeting in Hanoi, Chairman Hue congratulated Singapore on its success in COVID-19 containment and post-pandemic economic recovery, with its GDP up 4.4% in the second quarter of this year. Read full story

- A Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) delegation led by Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong is on a visit to Cambodia from October 17-19.

The visit is made at the invitation of Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) Vice President and President of the Senate of Cambodia Say Chhum. Read full story

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son welcomed Australian Senator Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing in Hanoi on October 17, who has been in Vietnam to attend the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum 2022.

Son spoke highly of Australia’s significant contributions to and close coordination in organising the forum. Read full story

- The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum 2022 opened in Hanoi on October 17.

Themed “Connecting Regions: Partnership for Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains,” the event was co-organised by the OECD, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam. Read full story

- Trade turnover between Vietnam and Laos hit 1.22 billion USD in the first nine months of 2022, up 29% year-on-year.

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)

Of the total, exports were valued at 465.7 million USD, up 4.1%, and imports 755.8 million USD, up 51.3%. Vietnam’s main exports included fruit and vegetables (44.8 million USD, up 230%), petrol and diesel (52.4 million USD, up 268%) and fertilisers (26.5 million USD, up 53.4%)./. Read full story