West Lake is one of Hanoi’s most beautiful landmarks, its timeless charm long inspiring poets and travellers alike. As the largest lake in the capital, it offers breathtaking scenery, from ancient pagodas to stretches of lush greenery.
Vietnam’s logistics sector is advancing rapidly, achieving average annual growth of 14–16%, contributing 4.5–5% to GDP, and ranking among the Top 5 in ASEAN. With modernised infrastructure, over 34,000 enterprises, and deeper integration into global supply chains, the sector is becoming a key driver of national efficiency and innovation.
Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam and Laos’ top leader Thongloun Sisoulith co-chaired a high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party in Vientiane on December 2. This cooperation mechanism holds special significance in enhancing friendship, solidarity and partnership between Vietnam and Laos, ensuring practical benefits for both peoples and contributing to peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world.
Addressing the Central Military Commission’s 15th meeting in Hanoi on December 4, the Party chief, who is also Secretary of the commission, emphasised that the army must ensure steadfast political mettle, steadfast discipline, steadfast technology, steadfast military art, and steadfast troop welfare.
In the new development phase, the Vietnam News Agency and Xinhua News Agency should continue innovating methods of collaboration to meet the requirements of the digital technology revolution.
The daily reference exchange rate is at 25,151 VND/USD on December 5, down 1 VND from the previous day.
In 2026, the province targets expanding its lychee-growing area to 29,800 ha with an expected output of 160,000 tonnes. Of this, 17,500 ha will be produced under VietGAP standards with an estimated yield of 125,000 tonnes; GlobalGAP-certified lychee areas will be maintained at 235 ha; and organic lychee areas at 10 ha.
Vietnamese durian is still experiencing strong growth despite facing technical barriers from China, thanks to improved quality and competitive pricing.
The transport connectivity project for northern mountainous provinces, approved by the Prime Minister, comprises two routes with a total length of around 200 km. Work is under way to resolve site-clearance obstacles to ensure the project stays on schedule for completion and opening to traffic by June 30, 2026, creating major opportunities for economic growth, tourism and trade across the northwest region.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued Official Dispatch No. 234/CD-TTg to launch and implement the “Quang Trung Campaign” for the rapid reconstruction and repair of homes for families whose houses were damaged by recent natural disasters in the central provinces.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith described the 48th Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee meeting on December 3 in Vientiane as a great success.
Con Dao National Park in Ho Chi Minh City has officially been awarded the prestigious IUCN Green List certification, becoming Vietnam’s third (following Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve and Cat Tien National Park) and the world’s 101st protected area to receive the global recognition for effective and equitable conservation management.
From late October to November 2025, historic floods struck Hue city and Da Nang city in central Vietnam, leaving the Hue Monuments Complex and the Hoi An ancient town underwater for days and causing significant damage.
Con Dao National Park has received Green List certification by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recognising its effective, transparent and equitable management in line with international standards.
From 2015 to 2025, Vietnam’s hospitals have made significant progress towards modern, internationally aligned quality standards, with most facilities achieving over 90% compliance in key quality-improvement and patient-safety activities.
Relevant ministries and agencies must continue to review and verify data on violating fishing vessels, particularly those detained for illegal exploitation or encroaching on foreign waters, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on December 2.
Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam joined Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, senior Lao leaders, and international delegations at a grand ceremony in Vientiane on December 2, marking the 50th anniversary of Laos’ National Day.
In recent years, Vietnamese climbers have reached places once thought beyond human limits, from Everest - the roof of the world, to K2 - the “killer mountain,” and even the icy edges of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Party General Secretary To Lam had separate meetings with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, and Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane, in Vientiane on December 1, during his two-day official state visit to Laos.
Over the past 65 years, Vietnam and Cuba have always stood shoulder to shoulder, from the struggles for national independence to the challenging periods of national building and development.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse attended a ceremony in Vientiane on December 2 morning marking the 50th National Day of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and the 105th birth anniversary of President Kaysone Phomvihane.
Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Laos is one of Vietnam’s most significant foreign affairs activities in 2025. The visit reaffirms the strong resolve of the two countries’ leaders to continue preserving, nurturing, and promoting the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
Top leaders of Vietnam and Laos have agreed to deepen the bilateral relationship with a reinforced framework of “Great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion”, affirming a shared vision, intertwined strategic interests and long-term companionship orientation for the goal of sustainable development, self-reliance and common prosperity of the two peoples.
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith on December 1 awarded a National Gold Order - the highest honour of Laos - to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 1 hosted a reception for Jorge Legañoa Alonso, President of Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency, who is visiting Vietnam on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
A beauty pageant for cows kicked off on November 29 in Pho Bang border commune in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang.
State President Luong Cuong hosted an official welcome ceremony in Hanoi on December 1 morning for Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, who is on a three-day state visit to Vietnam.
The ongoing visit to Vietnam by Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah further deepens political trust and advances multifaceted cooperation, making bilateral ties increasingly substantive and effective.
