Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.
– The selection of investment models for rail projects must be conducted openly, ensuring the greatest possible benefit for the State, the people and businesses, and meeting the requirements for the development of the railway sector, directed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a meeting of permanent Government members in Hanoi on December 23.
The event aimed to review and address bottlenecks in the investment and construction of the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong railway, the North-South high-speed railway, and urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Read full story
– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an official dispatch urging coordinated efforts to repair infrastructure, restore production and trade, and stabilise residents' lives following storms and floods in the central region.
To swiftly return to normal production and daily activities after the historic disasters, the PM directed the secretaries of the municipal and provincial Party Committees, along with the chairpersons of the People’s Committees of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong, continue to focus their direction on completing the “Quang Trung Campaign” – an initiative aimed at providing rapid housing support for flood victims - in accordance with his instructions. Read full story
– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 22 signed a decision on the establishment of the Central Steering Committee for People’s Air Defence (the Steering Committee).
Under Decision 2770/QĐ-TTg, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh serves as head of the Steering Committee. Read full story
– Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on December 23 stressed the need to standardise data across agencies and localities on issues flagged by the European Commission (EC), as Vietnam seeks to have the EC’s “yellow card” against its seafood exports lifted.
The goal is both to have the “yellow card” removed and to develop the domestic seafood sector sustainably and responsibly, shifting focus from wild capture to aquaculture, he told at a meeting of the national steering committee for combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Read full story
– Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung held phone talks with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot on December 23, reaffirming that Vietnam always attaches importance to fostering multifaceted cooperation with France, the first EU member to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the Southeast Asian nation.
To effectively turn the outcomes of recent high-level visits into concrete action, particularly Party General Secretary To Lam’s visit to France in October 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit in June 2025, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Vietnam trip in May 2025, Trung proposed further intensifying political trust through the exchange of delegations at all levels and across Party, State, National Assembly, and people-to-people channels. Read full story
– Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) Sen. Lieut. Gen Phung Sy Tan received Gen. Phorn Nara, Secretary General of the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical, Nuclear, Biological and Radiological Weapons of Cambodia (CBRNE) in Hanoi on December 23, as part of his visit under the 2015 cooperation plan between the two defence ministries.
Tan praised positive progress in bilateral defence and military ties in recent years, notably the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly those at the high level; the effective maintenance of dialogue and consultation mechanisms; education-training; border management and protection; exchanges and twinning activities; public education on bilateral ties; the search, recovery, and repatriation of fallen soldiers’ remains; and mutual support at multilateral forums. Read full story
– Vietnam will field 22 FIFA-accredited referees and assistant referees in 2026, comprising five male referees, seven male assistants, three female referees, three female assistants and four futsal referees covering both genders, the Vietnam Football Federation reported.
Among the standouts is Do Khanh Nam, one of the youngest in Vietnam's refereeing ranks. Nam, who graduated from the Asian Football Confederation's Referee Academy in March 2025, has demonstrated great improvement in technical skills and on-field decision-making. He has been regularly assigned to V.League matches and has performed reliably in those roles. Read full story./.
