☀️ Morning digest on September 12

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

- Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long held meetings with Japanese officials on September 11 as part of his working trip to Japan and attendance at Vietnam National Day at World EXPO Osaka 2025.

At his meeting with Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Abe Toshiko, Long praised her ministry's cooperation with Vietnamese ministries and agencies, particularly in science, technology, and education, through scholarship and exchange programmes. He expressed appreciation for Abe’s long-standing contributions to advancing Vietnam–Japan relations. Read full story

- Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung on September 11 held phone talks with Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia.

Prak congratulated Vietnam on successfully carrying out administrative reforms and restructuring its apparatus from central to local levels, while maintaining robust economic growth in recent years. He stressed that Cambodia could draw valuable lessons from Vietnam’s experiences in renewal and development. Read full story

- A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Anh Tuan attended the 63rd session of the Asian–African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) in Kampala, Uganda, from September 8-10.

The meeting took place took place in the context of the 70th anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, a milestone that marked political cooperation among Asian and African nations in the post-colonial era, laying the foundation for the establishment of AALCO in 1956. Read full story

- The Vietnam Private Economic Landscape (ViPEL) model was launched in Hanoi on September 11, aiming to elevate the private sector into the country’s most powerful driver of development.

The launch ceremony was held by the Board for Private Economic Development Research (Board IV), which operates under the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform.

According to Chairman of FPT Corporation and head of Board IV Truong Gia Binh, the model embodies the vision of “public and private sectors joining hands in nation building,” creating a platform for collaboration and shared responsibility between private businesses and state agencies. Read full story

- Vietnam’s rice exports are unlikely to be significantly affected in the short term, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang said at a meeting on September 11 with businesses and associations following reports that the Philippines and Indonesia had temporarily suspended rice imports from early September.

Thang further stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) will report to the Prime Minister, seeking directives for banks to offer preferential credit, support debt restructuring, and resolve VAT refund bottlenecks. Read full story

- The central city of Da Nang is zoning off land areas, building infrastructure, proposing policies, and actively seeking strategic investors to soon put its Free Trade Zone (FTZ) into operation.

As Vietnam’s first FTZ, envisioned as a model to be replicated nationwide, the project has drawn significant attention. According to the Vietnam Institute of Architecture, FTZ development should be based on four pillars: digital platforms and global trade connectivity, technology and digital transformation, legal and institutional frameworks, and cybersecurity and data protection. Read full story

- The Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association (VJFA) of Hanoi celebrated its 30th anniversary on September 11, celebrating a journey of advancing bilateral people-to-people diplomacy, ahead of its official founding date on September 18.

From a modest start with three chapters and roughly 50 members, the association has grown to 12 chapters and over 400 members from walks of life. Read full story./.

VNA