Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.
- Vietnam must develop its materials industry in a green, sustainable and self-reliant direction with international competitiveness, in line with global commitments, while ensuring the highest national interests, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam said at a working session in Hanoi on May 21.
Speaking at a meeting with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Policies and Strategies and representatives from relevant ministries and agencies on orientations for developing Vietnam’s materials industry, the top leader stressed that the country has natural resources and market demand. Its greatest shortcomings lie in core technologies, deep processing capabilities, leading enterprises, an integrated ecosystem for research, testing, certification and commercialisation, as well as a sufficiently robust strategy to organise a national materials value chain. Read full story
- National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man on May 21 chaired a working session with standing members of the NA Committee on Legal and Judicial Affairs regarding key tasks for 2026 and the entire 2026–2031 tenure.
Emphasising that tasks in 2026 and throughout the 16th-tenure legislature would be heavier, more complex and subject to higher requirements, the top legislator said the committee must take the lead in legal thinking, uphold high legislative drafting standards, sharpen policy appraisal work, strengthen oversight of law enforcement, and proactively contribute to building institutions for development. Read full story
- Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung on May 21 led a Vietnamese delegation to an expanded informal online consultation meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers to prepare for the ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit. The event was chaired by Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa P. Lazaro, Chair of ASEAN 2026.
ASEAN foreign ministers shared views on the significance and importance of the summit commemorating the 35th anniversary of ASEAN–Russia relations, scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, on June 17–18, 2026. They affirmed the political commitment, strategic orientation, and renewed momentum for the ASEAN–Russia Strategic Partnership and broader cooperation in the coming period. Read full story
- Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung hosted a reception in Hanoi on May 21 for the Group of African Ambassadors to Vietnam, ahead of the 63rd anniversary of Africa Day (May 25).
Trung extended warm congratulations to the African governments and people, and the African community living and working in Vietnam as well on the occasion. Read full story
- The Vietnamese government will impose fines of up to 50 million VND (about 1,900 USD) on social media users who share fabricated or false information, as part of a broad new decree aimed at tightening control over digital platforms.
The decree, spanning eight chapters and 117 articles, details administrative violations, penalty levels, remedial measures, and the authorities empowered to issue sanctions and write up violation reports across postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, e-transactions, information technology (IT), and civilian cryptography under cybersecurity management. Read full story
- The Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS) under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences convened a scientific seminar in Hanoi on May 21 to chart a path for Vietnam-Africa cooperation for sustainable development, timed for Africa Day on May 25.
In his opening speech, ISAWAAS Director Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Xuan Trung said climate change, economic instability, food security concerns, and the push for green transition have made international cooperation increasingly important to achieve sustainable development and prosperity. Read full story
- The Vietnamese Embassy in Greece on May 19 held a ceremony marking the 136th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 – 2026).
The event was attended by head of the Communist Party of Greece's commission for foreign affairs Seretakis Nikos, Cuban Ambassador to Greece of Cuba Aramis Fuente Hernandez, along with around 50 guests, including Greek friends, representatives of the Vietnamese community in the host country, and staff of the Vietnamese embassy./. Read full story
