Politics

☀️ Morning digest on May 7

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

☀️ Morning digest on May 7

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

- The May 7-8 state visit to Sri Lanka by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam is poised to foster market connectivity, tap potential, and shift bilateral ties toward more substantive cooperation in the years ahead.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Sri Lanka is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trade partner in South Asia after India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In recent years, Vietnam has been running a steady surplus, with exports exceeding imports. Read full story

- Vietnam always values and wishes to further develop its traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India, considering it one of the top priorities in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, diversification and multilateralisation in the new period, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam.

He made the statement during talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on May 6 right after the state welcome ceremony co-chaired by Indian President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi. Read full story

- Vietnam and India have issued a Joint Statement on Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries on the occasion of the state visit to India from May 5-7 by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the exchange of various cooperation agreements between both countries’ ministries and agencies in New Delhi on May 6.

The signed documents include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in digital technology between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, a MoU on pharmaceutical management between the Vietnamese Ministry of Health’s Drug Administration and the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, and the Vietnam–India Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026 - 2030. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam on May 6 delivered a policy speech at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) under the theme “Vietnam–India Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a New Era: Shared Vision, Strategic Convergence, and Substantive Cooperation”, as part of his ongoing state visit to India.

The ICWA, with a track record spanning more than eight decades, ranks among India’s most prestigious strategic research bodies. It has played a pioneering role in shaping Indian foreign policy and has hosted landmark events in the external relations of India, Vietnam and nations across Asia and the globe, gathering leaders, policymakers and diplomats worldwide. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam attended and delivered a keynote address at the Vietnam–India Innovation Forum, jointly organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in New Delhi on May 6.

Addressing the forum, the Vietnamese leader described its theme on cooperation in human resources development, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as both timely and well-targeted, reflecting global development trends and the increasingly deepening cooperation needs between the two countries. Read full story

- The 34th Vietnam International Medical and Pharmaceutical Exhibition (VIETNAM MEDIPHARM 2026) opened in Hanoi on May 6, bringing together 300 industry participants from more than 15 countries and territories.

The exhibition, which runs until May 9 at the Hanoi International Centre for Exhibition, showcases advanced products and technologies across a range of fields, including pharmaceuticals, drug manufacturing machinery and equipment, medical devices, hospital and clinic services and dental equipment. Read full story

- Delegates at the 10th meeting of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centres Network (APCN) have commended Vietnam’s contributions, highlighting its practical and wide-ranging experience in improving peacekeeping training capacity.

At the plenary session on May 6, held as part of the conference conducted online from May 4–8, Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and head of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence delegation, said the event provided an important forum for ASEAN member states to sustain momentum and strengthen cooperation in capacity-building through training. This, he noted, would enable more effective contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, particularly amid emerging challenges./. Read full story

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