Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah in Kuwait City on November 17, during which the two sides agreed to upgrade the countries' relations to a strategic partnership.
The Kuwaiti PM welcomed PM Chinh and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, describing the visit as a historic milestone that injects new momentum into bilateral relations, opening up a phase of deeper, more substantive, and effective cooperation. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace, Kuwait City on November 17, during which the host expressed his wish that two sides broaden cooperation across trade, investment, food security, and science and technology, while enhancing coordination on international issues.
Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah warmly welcomed PM Chinh, his spouse, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their official visit to Kuwait, saying that the trip marks a new milestone in bilateral relations and reaffirms Vietnam’s strategic importance in Kuwait’s foreign policy. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Kuwait City on November 17 as part of his official visit to the Gulf country.
The Crown Prince expressed his pleasure at meeting PM Chinh again after the event in Glasgow, Scotland, on the sidelines of the 26th UN Climate Conference (COP26) four years ago. He welcomed the Vietnamese PM's official visit ahead of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, stressing that the visit holds historic significance and will open a new phase of cooperation between the two countries. Read full story
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 17 visited Kuwait’s Al-Zour Refinery, the second largest one in the Middle East, as part of his official visit to the Gulf country.
Construction for the complex started in 2017, and it began commercial operations in late 2022. The project has a total investment of approximately 27 billion USD. The complex, managed and operated by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company, has a design capacity of producing 615,000 barrels per day, accounting for around 43.5% of Kuwait’s domestic refining capacity. Read full story
- Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has expressed his hope that Vietnam and China will continue to coordinate closely in arranging high-level diplomatic activities and ensuring the successful organisation of the 17th meeting of the Vietnam – China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.
At a reception for Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei on November 17, Son, who also serves as Chairman of the Vietnam – China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, said that during the meeting, the two sides will review their cooperation and work out future orientations and measures for continuing to implement the common perceptions reached by high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and the two countries. Read full story
- The Government has issued a resolution on cutting and simplifying administrative procedures based on data, replacing paper documents in administrative dossiers with corresponding information extracted from databases.
It applies to 786 administrative procedures under the management of 14 ministries and one ministry-level agency. Read full story
- Police on November 17 officially launched an investigation into and temporarily detained two suspects for the charge of “making, storing, distributing, or spreading information, documents, or items aimed at sabotaging the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.
The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said that on November 8, the MPS’s security agency for investigation officially launched a probe into the case of “making, storing, distributing, or spreading information, documents, or items aimed at sabotaging the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”. Read full story
- Thailand's GDP growth is likely to slow down to 1.6% in 2026 amid persistent economic headwinds though easing monetary policy will provide some support, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to an IMF statement following its 2025 Article IV Consultation mission to Thailand, conducted between October 30 and November 13, the Thai economy is projected to soften in the second half of 2025 and further in 2026. GDP growth is forecast at 2.1% in 2025 and 1.6% in 2026./. Read full story
