Politics

☀️ Morning digest on December 18

The PM's urgent dispatch detailing key tasks to drive economic growth, Vietnam's endorsement of the joint statement to strengthen the global partnership against online scams, and the conclusion of a four-year partnership to strengthen child justice in Vietnam are among news highlights on December 17 evening.

☀️ Morning digest on December 18

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

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 17 signed an urgent dispatch detailing key tasks to drive economic growth.

To fully realise the 2025 socio-economic development plan, while creating momentum for 2026, PM Chinh urged ministers, heads of ministry-level agencies, and chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to urgently review and propose bold “policy breakthroughs” to convert opportunities into concrete outcomes, decisively resolve persistent bottlenecks within their authority, and promptly report issues exceeding their authority to higher competent bodies in accordance with regulations. Read full story

– Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, and a delegation of National Assembly (NA) deputies of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai met with local voters on December 17, following the 15th NA’s freshly-ended 10th session.

Speaking at the meeting, Tu emphasised that the feedback gathered from voters is crucial for informing policies, improving governance, and addressing local challenges. Read full story

– President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai has sent a congratulatory letter to Christian dignitaries and followers nationwide, wishing them a peaceful, joyful and loving Christmas season.

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Tan Dinh Church in Ho Chi Minh City before the Christmas (Photo: VNA)

In the letter, she wrote that Vietnam continued to advance over the past year amid a mix of opportunities and challenges. She credited the achievements to the great national unity, in which religious communities, including Catholic and Protestant followers, have made active, persistent and responsible contributions. Read full story

– Vietnam endorses the joint statement to strengthen the global partnership against online scams, calling on governments, businesses, academia, and key international and regional organisations – including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – to strengthen and coordinate their efforts, said Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister (FM) Le Anh Tuan has said.

Addressing the International Conference on the Global Partnership against Online Scams kicked off on December 17 in Bangkok, Thailand, the Vietnamese official underlined the importance of promptly and effectively sharing information, intelligence, and evidence—including digital evidence—to support the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of online scams and related crimes. Read full story

– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a seminar in Hanoi on December 17 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany.

The event reviewed five decades of friendship and cooperation, while discussing orientations and solutions to further advance bilateral ties in the coming period. Read full story

– The US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on December 17 concluded a four-year partnership to strengthen child justice in Vietnam.

Since its inception in December 2021, the partnership has supported legal and institutional reforms to better protect children who come into contact with the law, ensuring their rights, dignity and well-being are upheld throughout justice processes. Read full story

– Vietnam will introduce curricula for languages from several ASEAN countries, with priority given to Lao and Cambodian at educational and training establishments in border communes from 2025 to 2030, according to a decision recently signed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long.

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Delegates at the final review workshop on strengthening justice for children in Vietnam on December 17, 2025. (Photo: IOM Vietnam)

The decision approved a scheme on enhancing foreign language teaching and learning for the 2025–2035 period, with a vision to 2045. Read full story

– Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), one of Japan’s three core financial and banking institutions and among the world’s largest financial groups, has raised its forecast for Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 7.7% in 2025 and 8.2% in 2026, up from 6.9% and 7.4% projected in August.

MUFG said the upward revision reflects stronger-than-expected export performance and resilient domestic growth drivers, while also warning of emerging risks related to rapid credit expansion and exchange-rate pressures. Read full story./.

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