Politics

☀️ Morning digest on March 12

Party General Secretary To Lam starting an official visit to Singapore, Vietnam's participation in the Foodex Japan 2025, and a 7.2% increase in the two-month Index of Industrial Production are among news highlights on March 12 evening.

☀️ Morning digest on March 12

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

– Party General Secretary To Lam hosted receptions for representatives of outstanding enterprises in Singapore on March 11, as part of his ongoing visit to the city state from March 11 to 13.

He said Vietnam targets a growth rate of 8% or higher this year to pave the way for double-digit growth in the following years. To achieve this, he highlighted the priority to large-scale foreign direct investment (FDI) projects to drive innovation and economic progress. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam met with overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in Singapore on March 11 to discuss and listen to petitions and suggestions for development policies.

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam speaks at the meeting with overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in Singapore on March 11. (Photo: VNA)

With extensive expertise and experiences in working in Singapore, which is a leading science, technology and economic centre in the region and the world and a model that Vietnam can learn from, overseas Vietnamese intellectuals made many practical and effective suggestions for Vietnam to take full advantage of technological potential in key areas that play a core role in the country's breakthrough development such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and investment. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and over 200 representatives of the Vietnamese community in Singapore in the evening of March 11.

The Party chief said that his visit to Singapore aims to deepen the Vietnam – Singapore relationship that was established over half a century ago and tested over time, towards developing the relationship in a more intensive, effective and practical manner in all areas. Read full story

– The restructuring of administrative units aims to bring the government closer to people, streamline operations, and improve public services, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.

PM Chinh made the comment on March 11 while chairing a session of the Government Party Committee's Standing Board on the administrative reorganisation and the shift to a two-tier local government model. Read full story

– National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 11 for Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance.

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NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man (right) and Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance at the meeting in Hanoi on March 11. (Photo: VNA)

Man expressed his pleasure at meeting Takebe, a close friend of the Vietnamese people, and recalled the positive impressions from his meeting with leaders of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance during his working visit to Japan in December 2024. Read full story

– Governor of Saint Petersburg Aleksander Beglov has signed a decree naming a square in the northern part of Russia’s second-largest city after President Ho Chi Minh.

Accordingly, an unnamed square on Prosveshcheniya Avenue, near building No. 15 in Vyborg district, will now be called "Ho Chi Minh Square" in honour of the great Vietnamese revolutionary leader. The name also reflects the city's close ties with its sister city, Ho Chi Minh City. Read full story

– Vietnamese food has drawn much attention from Japanese consumers as it has been featured at the Foodex Japan 2025 – one of the largest international food and beverage exhibitions in Asia, which kicked off in Tokyo on March 11.

As part of the national trade promotion programme, the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment sent a delegation of 27 businesses to participate in the Vietnamese booth at Foodex Japan 2025. Read full story

– The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in the first two months of 2025 surged by 7.2% compared to the same period last year, with manufacturing and processing driving the entire sector’s growth, according to the National Statistics Office.

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Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)

In February, the IIP was estimated to decrease by 2.2% compared to January, but expand by 17.2% compared to the same month last year. Read full story

– Vietnam’s tourism brand is gaining increasing recognition and competitiveness in the international market, particularly in Asia.

Recent reports from both domestic and international tourism research firms highlighted Vietnam as a top searched destination with numerous attractive locations for international travellers. Read full story

– The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences held a seminar in Hanoi on March 11 to release outcomes of its recent research on the country’s gender equality as a driver of sustainable development.

Based on a 2024 survey of 9,094 people living in six socio-economic regions nationwide, the findings lead to an analysis of the general situation and related issues across key areas of society, namely politics, education-training and science-technology, economy, healthcare, family, gender-based violence, climate change, and disaster response. Read full story./.

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