Politics

☀️ Morning digest on October 20

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

☀️ Morning digest on October 20

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

- Vietnam and Denmark have built deep mutual trust, paving the way for a new horizon of cooperation, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam stressed while delivering a policy speech at the University of Copenhagen on October 19 afternoon (local time) as part of his state visit to the European country.

Speaker of the Danish Parliament Henrik Frandsen, senior Vietnamese and Danish officials, and numerous professors, lecturers, scientists, students and friends of Vietnam attended the event. Read full story

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (second from right) and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly meet with King Frederik X and Queen Mary. (Photo: VNA)

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam met with Speaker of the Danish Parliament Henrik Frandsen in Copenhagen on October 19 afternoon (local time), as part of his ongoing state visit to the European country.

Speaker Frandsen warmly welcomed General Secretary and President Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on their first state visit to Denmark. Read full story

- King Frederik X of Denmark on October 19 morning (local time) presented General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam with the Order of the Elephant, the European country’s highest-ranked honour awarded to members of the Royal Family and foreign heads of state.

The presentation took place during the top Vietnamese leader’s state visit to Denmark. Read full story

- Vietnam attaches importance to and wants to further deepen its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Denmark, one of its key partners in Northern Europe and Europe as a whole, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam told King Frederik X on October 19.

General Secretary and President Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly met with King Frederik X and Queen Mary in Copenhagen, as part of their state visit to the European country. Read full story

- National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man met with Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Brigitte Haas at the National Assembly House in Hanoi on October 19, during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam.

NA President Man warmly welcomed PM Haas to Vietnam, stressing the significance of the visit and expressing his belief that it would mark an important milestone and open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2008. Read full story

- Politburo member, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and Politburo member, National Assembly (NA) President Tran Thanh Man met with female deputies of the 16th NA and female department-level officials of the NA Office in Hanoi on October 19 to mark the 96th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union and Vietnam Women’s Day (October 20).

Also attending the meeting were Politburo members: Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc, and Standing Vice President of the NA Do Van Chien; along with Secretaries of the Party Central Committee: Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra; and Member of the Party Central Committee and NA Vice President Nguyen Thi Thanh, who chairs the Women Deputies Group of the 16th NA. Read full story

- Liechtenstein Prime Minister Brigitte Haas left Hanoi on the evening of October 19, concluding her official visit to Vietnam from October 17-19 at the invitation of her Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hung.

While in Hanoi, PM Haas paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs on Bac Son street. Read full story

- Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who is also Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, in Hanoi on October 18 to discuss measures to bring the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) into force at an early date, boost trade and investment, and expand cooperation into new areas.

The meeting took place during President Parmelin’s official visit to Vietnam on October 17–18, as the two countries are celebrating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations (October 11, 1971–2026)./. Read full story

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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (sixth from right, front row) visits the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen on October 19 afternoon (local time). (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader visits Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark

Joachim Mathiesen, head of the institute, briefed the Vietnamese guests on its history and research activities. He said that as a leading physics research centre at the University of Copenhagen, the institute is renowned for its foundational contributions to atomic physics and quantum mechanics.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (right) and Liechtenstein Prime Minister Brigitte Haas (Photo: VNA)

Liechtenstein Prime Minister concludes official visit to Vietnam

The two sides also agreed to expedite the ratification of the Vietnam-EFTA Free Trade Agreement and accelerate its implementation once it enters into force, while strengthening cooperation in green transition, the circular economy, renewable energy, emissions reduction and climate change adaptation.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (second from right) and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly meet with King Frederik X and Queen Mary. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam treasures time-tested friendship, multifaceted cooperation with Denmark: Top leader

Both leaders welcomed the positive development of the bilateral relations, particularly since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2013 and the Green Strategic Partnership in 2023. Economic, trade and investment cooperation has continued to expand, with Danish companies such as LEGO, Pandora and Carlsberg operating and expanding their business in Vietnam, contributing to socio-economic development, job creation, technology transfer and sustainable green growth.

Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung (L) meets with Swiss President Guy Parmelin. (Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade)

Vietnam–EFTA Free Trade Agreement targeted for implementation in 2027

Switzerland is Vietnam’s largest trading partner within the EFTA. Swiss statistics showed that bilateral trade reached approximately 3.5 billion USD in 2025, up nearly 26%. According to Vietnam's Department of Customs, two-way trade totalled 806.2 million USD in the first nine months of 2026. As of September 30, Switzerland had 247 valid investment projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital of around 2.5 billion USD, ranking 20th among 154 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian country.

King Frederik X (L) presents the Order of the Elephant to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (second from left). (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader receives Denmark’s highest-ranked honour

General Secretary and President Lam said he wishes to dedicate this great honour to the Vietnamese people, generations of Vietnamese and Danish people who laid the foundations for and have nurtured the two countries’ friendship over the past 55 years, and those in both countries who are carrying this legacy forward and ushering bilateral relations into a new chapter of development.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam and Danish King Frederik X review the guard of honour. (Photo: VNA)

Top leader arrives in Copenhagen, beginning State visit to Denmark

The top Vietnamese leader’s visit to Denmark is expected to strengthen political trust, set long-term cooperation priorities and further deepen bilateral relations. It also offers an opportunity to promote economic, trade and investment ties, as well as cooperation in science-technology and innovation, in line with the development priorities and needs of both countries.

At a group discussion in Hanoi on October 19 (Photo: VNA)

NA President urges tougher rules to curb bid rigging in property auctions

National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man called for tighter safeguards against collusion, bid rigging, sham bidders and last-minute bid withdrawals, as lawmakers reviewed a draft revision of the Law on Property Auction during the 16th legislature’s second session in Hanoi on October 19.

Minister of Justice Hoang Thanh Tung presents the Government’s proposal on the draft revised Law on Asset Auction at the ongoing second session of the 16th-tenure NA on October 19, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

NA considers revised law to curb auction profiteering

To curb the activities of intermediaries who manipulate auctions and participants who have no genuine intention to buy, the draft stipulates that bidders who submit valid applications, pay the required deposits and attend an auction are deemed to have agreed to bid at least the starting price.