Politics

☀️ Morning digest on January 20

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

☀️ Morning digest on January 20

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

- Party General Secretary To Lam visited and extended Lunar New Year (Tet) greetings to former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in Hanoi on January 19.

Lam expressed his sincere gratitude to Manh for his continuous attention and invaluable contributions to the Party and State over the past years. He wished the former leader and his family a year full of good health, happiness and success. Read full story

- Party General Secretary To Lam on January 19 hosted a reception for 100 overseas Vietnamese (OV) representatives from more than 40 countries and territories, who are in Vietnam to attend the 2025 “Xuan Que huong” (Homeland Spring) organised by the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV).

The Party leader commended the affection and contributions of the OV community to the homeland and expressed his pride in the community's robust development, both in size and influence. He acknowledged the active participation of associations of Vietnamese businesses, professionals and intellectuals abroad in connecting with their roots, forming an extensive network that links Vietnamese people at home and abroad. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a working session with the Vietnam Innovation Network in Europe (VINEU) and Vietnamese experts in Prague on January 19 afternoon (local time) as part of his official visit to the Czech Republic.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that up to now, 10 Vietnamese innovation networks have been formed in developed countries and regions in terms of science, technology, and innovation, with about 2,000 members. Read full story

- National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on January 19 met with 100 delegates from 32 countries and territories representing overseas Vietnamese returning home to attend the 2025 “Xuan Que huong” (Homeland Spring) programme organised by the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV).

The NA leader stated that approximately 6 million overseas Vietnamese living in over 130 countries and territories form an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and serve as an essential bridge between Vietnam and the rest of the world. Read full story

- A Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Langkawi, Malaysia, on January 19.

It was the first key event under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, which was chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan and attended by foreign ministers from ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretary-General, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste as an observer. Read full story

- As part of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's freshly-ended official visit to Poland, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang and Secretary of State at the Polish Foreign Affairs Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral diplomatic relations.

Replacing a prior agreement inked in 2010, the new MoU aims to broaden the scope of cooperation between the two foreign ministries over the next five years. Under its framework, both sides agreed to conduct regular political consultations at various levels to discuss bilateral issues, including foreign and security policy, economic diplomacy, trade and economic relations, culture, science, education, sustainable development, regional and international issues of shared interest. Read full story

- UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Renato Ottone Ramirez has shared his interest in Vietnam’s heritage nomination and conservation dossiers and his readiness to provide assistance at a recent meeting with Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO.

The diplomat expressed her gratitude for the organisation’s valuable support, particularly in 2024. She highlighted progress made in a project on the preservation and enhancement of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi and the recognition of Ba Chua Xu Festival at Sam Mountain in An Giang province as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity in December 2024. Read full story

- Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast has unveiled two all-electric B-segment and C-segment SUVs, VF6 and VF 7, that will be sold in the Indian market within the framework of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 on January 18.

The launch event marks a significant milestone for VinFast in the promising Indian EV market. The two models are expected to meet the electrification needs of consumers and set a new benchmark in the green transport industry in India. Read full story

- Vietnam ranks third in Southeast Asia for the number of FIFA-accredited referees, following Thailand and Malaysia, according to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)'s official website.

The ASEAN Football forum recently released rankings detailing the number of FIFA referees across 11 Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam has a total of four FIFA referees, seven male assistant referees, three female referees and two female assistant referees. The country also boasts three futsal referees. Read full story./.

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