☀️ Morning digest on August 28

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

☀️ Morning digest on August 28

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

- The Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs organised a ceremony in Hanoi on August 27 to celebrate its 80th founding anniversary (August 28) and convened its first Patriotic Emulation Congress, where Party General Secretary To Lam praised its important role in shaping national governance and ensuring social welfare.

In a keynote speech, General Secretary Lam recalled the ministry’s evolution since its establishment under the provisional government in 1945, highlighting its enduring contributions to national development through multiple restructurings. He commended generations of its officials and staff for accompanying the nation under the Party's leadership and the Government’s direction over the past 80 years. Read full story

- During a three-day working visit to Australia from August 25 – 27, a delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA)'s Committee for National Defence, Security, and External Affairs led by its Chairman Senior Lieutenant General Le Tan Toi made courtesy calls on President of the Senate Sue Lines and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sharon Claydon.

The delegation also met with Australian parliamentary and government officials, including those from the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT), members of parliament (MPs), deputy ministers, assistant ministers, and representatives from the Departments of Home Affairs and Defence. They also attended Q&A sessions in the Australian Senate and House of Representatives and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in the country. Read full story

- Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang held phone talks with her Kyrgyz counterpart Meder Abakirov on August 27, reaffirming that Vietnam treasures and wishes to reinforce its traditional friendship with Kyrgyzstan.

Hang highlighted recent positive progress in political and diplomatic ties, pointing to Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev’s official visit to Vietnam in March 2025 and his meeting with PM Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the 16th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China, in June. Read full story

- Typhoon Kajiki and its subsequent circulation left five dead, three missing, 47 injured and a trail of destruction across northern and central Vietnam by 16:00 on August 27, according to the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

The storm pulled down 32 houses, unroofed 31,094 homes, submerged 3,942 others and damaged 407 schools. It smashed 48 medical facilities, 72 cultural works, government offices, and shopping malls. It destroyed nearly 9,743 ha of fruit crops and 10,518 ha of industrial crops, flattened 10,565 ha of forests, and submerged 4,035 ha of aquaculture, washing away 274 fish cages. The loss also included 53,147 heads of livestock and poultry wiped out, plus 164,573 trees uprooted. Read full story

- The Quang Tri provincial Border Guard Command, in collaboration with local authorities and sponsors, handed over 100 newly-built homes to poor ethnic minority households in Truong Son commune on August 27, coinciding with Vietnam’s 80th National Day (September 2).

The activity was part of a broader programme to eradicate temporary and dilapidated housing. The Border Guard Command was tasked with building 256 houses for ethnic minority communities across Dan Hoa, Truong Son, and Kim Ngan communes. After nearly three months of construction, most of these houses, including all 100 in Truong Son, have been completed. Read full story

- A tourism programme showcasing Central Vietnam as a diverse and attractive destination was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 27.

With the message of “Central Vietnam: One Destination – Endless Experiences,” the programme introduced new offerings to more than 100 Indonesian partners, including MICE, weddings, golf, luxury resorts and Halal-friendly services for Muslim travellers. Read full story

- The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, in collaboration with the Viet Stamp Club, opened a stamp exhibition on August 27 themed “80 years of Vietnam reaching out to the world” to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945 –2025) and National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2025).

The exhibition, which runs until September 27, aims to highlight and honour the documentary and artistic value of postage stamps as a medium for preserving history and reflecting Vietnam’s culture, politics, and major events, particularly the August Revolution of 1945, the National Day, and the early years of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Read full story./.

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NA President Tran Thanh Man speaks at the opening session of the 16th NA's first extraordinary session. (Photo: VNA)

16th NA’s first extraordinary session seeks to create new development space

The first phase ended with a five-day break from August 14-18, during which relevant agencies will urgently review, explain, and revise draft laws and resolutions. The NA is scheduled to resume the second phase from August 19-24 to vote on the legislation, with the aim of removing bottlenecks, unlocking resources and creating fresh momentum for national development.

At the NA Standing Committee's session on August 4. (Photo: VNA)

National Assembly Standing Committee to look into 25 draft laws, resolutions

The committee will take up 25 draft laws and resolutions, including the revised Penal Code, the revised Law on Organisation of Criminal Investigation Agencies, and the review of the draft law amending Article 6 and Appendix IV on conditional business sectors and lines under the Law on Investment, among others.

ASEAN ambassadors in Beijing and the Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre pose for a group photo. (Photo:VNA)

Vietnam underscores ASEAN unity, centrality

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh highlighted ASEAN’s ability to listen to one another, respect diversity, manage differences and build consensus as among the key lessons underpinning the bloc’s strength and enabling it to move forward together.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (L) and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader’s New Zealand visit draws media attention

Reports, articles and assessments published on August 12-13 highlighted that Vietnam-New Zealand relations are shifting strongly from high-level political commitments to concrete cooperation programmes, with a focus on trade, investment, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence and security, and climate change response.

☕ Afternoon briefing on August 13

☕ Afternoon briefing on August 13

Activities during Party General Secretary and President To Lam's state visit to New Zealand, a ceremony marking the 100th birth anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Quang Tri, and a series of expos opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre are among news highlights on August 13.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam leaves Auckland on August 13 evening (local time), concluding a state visit to New Zealand. (Photo: VNA)

Party General Secretary, President To Lam concludes state visit to New Zealand

At the meetings during the visit, the two sides agreed to further strengthen political trust and advance bilateral relations comprehensively by stepping up high-level and all-level exchanges through Party, State, parliamentary and people-to-people channels, thereby making more effective use of existing policy dialogue mechanisms.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam (R) meets with Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee in Auckland on August 13 (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader meets with New Zealand House Speaker

Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee welcomed the state visit by the Vietnamese leader and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, stressing that it will further deepen the Vietnam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across various fields, ushering bilateral ties into a new, more profound, substantive and effective phase.