Politics

☀️ Morning digest on May 9

Party General Secretary To Lam's activities during his visits to Azerbaijan and Russia, PM Pham Minh Chinh's phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart, and the 13th Vietnam – US Defence Policy Dialogue are among news highlights on late May 8.

☀️ Morning digest on May 9

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

– General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam had a meeting with Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, as part of his state visit to the Caucasus country.

The General Secretary affirmed the Party, State and people of Vietnam always remember and are grateful for the valuable support and assistance that the Azerbaijani people have given to Vietnam in the past struggle for independence and national reunification as well as in the current process of national construction and development. He stressed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wants to further deepen relations with Azerbaijan in all fields. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam had a meeting with Speaker of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova on May 8.

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam (R) neets with Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of Azerbaijan, in Baku on May 8. (Photo: VNA)

General Secretary Lam said he hopes that the bilateral cooperation will develop in a deep and substantive manner, commensurate with the sound traditional friendship between the two countries. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam has affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and is willing to strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijani enterprises across all sectors, particularly in the fields of energy, mining, finance, banking, infrastructure development, and real estate.

At a meeting with leaders of several prominent Azerbaijani companies and corporations operating in the fields of oil and gas, mining, and finance, on May 8 morning (local time), the Vietnamese Party leader praised the important role and contributions of these firms to Azerbaijan's socio-economic development, as well as their efforts to promote substantive cooperation with international partners, including Vietnam. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Vnukovo 2 Airport in Moscow on May 8 evening (local time), to begin an official visit to the Russian Federation and attend the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War from May 8-11, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The official welcome ceremony was solemnly held right at the Vnukovo 2 Airport. Read full story

– Party General Secretary To Lam met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on May 8, saying Vietnam attaches special importance to the traditional friendship and is ready to cooperate closely with Russia to elevate bilateral relations.

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Party General Secretary To Lam (left) meets with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on May 8. (Photo: VNA)

He said the trip this time reflects the Vietnamese Party and State’s high regard for the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, as well as both sides’ strong political determination to further intensify bilateral relations. Read full story

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held phone talks with Secretary-General of the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong on May 8.

PM Chinh proposed the two countries boost economic cooperation and expand Singapore’s investment in Vietnam, particularly in high-tech sectors, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and sustainable urban development. He also called for stronger collaboration in offshore wind power exports, carbon credit trading, financial innovation, port development, and transnational crime combat. Read full story

– Innovation and private sector development should have no bounds, aiming to achieve the national goals of prosperity, strength, democracy, equity, and civilised society in this new era, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.

The cabinet leader made the statement on May 8 at a working session with the Government's policy advisory council to gather input on the National Assembly (NA)’s draft resolution concerning specific mechanisms and policies to promote the development of the private economic sector, in line with the Politburo’s Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, dated May 4 this year. Read full story

– The sub-committee in charge of documents for the first Congress of the National Assembly (NA)’s Party Organisation convened its first meeting in Hanoi on May 8 under the chair of Secretary of the NA Party Committee and NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

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Secretary of the NA Party Committee and NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the first meeting of the sub-committee in charge of documents for the first Congress of the NA’s Party Organisation in Hanoi on May 8. (Photo: VNA)

As part of the plan to organise Party congresses at all levels in the lead up to the first Congress of the NA's Party Organisation for the 2025-2030 term, the NA Party Committee has established five sub-committees, including that tasked with drafting documents. Read full story

– The 13th Vietnam – US Defence Policy Dialogue took place in Hanoi on May 8, co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and US Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence John Noh.

Chien said defence relations between the two countries have grown increasingly substantive and effective, building on the previously signed agreements and guidance from the countries' leaders. Read full story

– A Vietnamese delegation will take part in the 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit, scheduled for May 11-14 in Maryland, the US, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang told US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper at their meeting in Hanoi on May 8.

Thang said this is seen as part of key activities aimed at boosting Vietnam – US trade and investment ties. Read full story

– The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has signed cooperation agreements with media partners of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to improve information efficiency and contribute to promoting the Vietnam-Kazakhstan and Vietnam-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnerships, which have just been announced by Party General Secretary To Lam and senior leaders of the two Central Asian countries.

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VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang (centre, right) and Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) Vugar Alyev (centre, left) hold talks on May 8. (Photo: VNA)

The signing of the cooperation agreements took place within the framework of Party General Secretary To Lam's state visits to Kazakhstan (May 5-7) and Azerbaijan (May 7-8). Read full story

– The Asia Pacific Domain Name System Forum (APAC DNS Forum) 2025, themed “An Inclusive Internet: Connecting People, Empowering our Future”, opened in Hanoi on May 8.

The forum is a meaningful platform for the regional DNS community to network, exchange ideas, and explore collaboration opportunities concerning the domain name industry. It enables regional DNS industry experts and the wider community to come together to discuss the latest developments, opportunities, and challenges in the domain name marketplace. Read full story./.

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#morning digest #Party General Secretary #To Lam #Azerbaijan #Russia #Vietnam – US Defence Policy Dialogue #Pham Minh Chinh #Singapore #Lawrence Wong
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