Party chief meets with voters in Hanoi

Party chief To Lam expressed his belief that with unity, determination, and innovation, Hanoi will continue to thrive and deserve its role as the nation’s political and administrative centre, and the heart of the nation.

Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the meeting with voters in 11 wards of Hanoi on July 2 (Photo: VNA)
Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the meeting with voters in 11 wards of Hanoi on July 2 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam, together with the delegation of NA deputies of Hanoi, met with voters in 11 wards of the capital city on July 2 to inform them of the outcomes of the 15th NA's 9th session and listen to their ideas and aspirations.

The Party chief spoke highly of the voters' candid, democratic and responsible opinions, which reflected a high level of public consensus on the country’s key decisions.

Highlighting the historic decision to streamline the administrative apparatus and officially launch the two-tier local administration model starting from July 1, 2025, Lam stated that the re-organisation of administrative units is not merely a technical solution, but a pivotal decision in the roadmap to reform the political system and national governance, towards a leaner and more effective administration to better serve citizens and businesses.

meeting.jpg
Party General Secretary To Lam speaks highly of the voters' candid, democratic and responsible opinions, which reflected a high level of public consensus on the country’s key decisions. (Photo: VNA)

During the implementation process, there must be no disruption, decline in motivation, or emergence of a passive and wait-and-see attitude, he stressed, adding that the appointment of personnel after the arrangement must be based on integrity, competence, credibility, and performance, with a firm stance against factionalism, group interests, and internal division.

The two-tier government system must be truly streamlined, strong, efficient, high-performing, and more accessible to the people, thus better serving the people and businesses, he said.

Lam underlined the need to make thorough preparations for Party congresses at all levels, saying that draft documents to be submitted to the congresses must be completed with high quality and on schedule, accurately reflecting local realities as well as the strategic vision for the development of the wards in the new period.

Careful preparations must be made for the election of the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure, ensuring democracy, fairness, and compliance with the law, he went on.

He demanded the swift implementation of the National Assembly’s resolutions on universal preschool education and tuition waivers for general education students, noting that the entire political system must be aligned with the goal of improving people's living standards, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Party leader applauded Hanoi’s plan to provide lunch support for primary school students starting from the 2025–2026 academic year, as well as its efforts to improve the quality of education and public health care. He emphasised the importance of strengthening the healthcare network at all levels; promoting preventive medicine and reducing hospital overload; enhancing vocational training, creating jobs, effectively implementing social welfare policies; ensuring sustainable poverty reduction; and narrowing the development gap between urban and rural areas.

He asked for substantive administrative reform centred on serving the people and businesses, urged the prompt resolution of delayed projects, and underlined the need for efficient use of public funds and assets.

The Party chief expressed his belief that with unity, determination, and innovation, Hanoi will continue to thrive and deserve its role as the nation’s political and administrative centre, and the heart of the nation.

Earlier, Lam inspected operations at the one-stop administrative service unit of Dong Da ward, during which he stressed that under the two-tier local government model, all administrative procedures related to citizens must be handled at the ward or commune level, in the spirit of staying close to the people and serving them effectively.

At the meeting, voters expressed their satisfaction with the outcomes of the NA’s 9th session, saying that the decisions adopted at this session have contributed to institutional improvement, promoting rapid and sustainable socio-economic development, and enhancing the quality of life for the people.

The restructuring of the two-tier local government system is a necessary step aligned with practical conditions, thus enabling citizens to handle administrative procedures more quickly, promptly, and effectively, they said.

Voters showed their hope that newly enacted laws will be effectively implemented. They called for continued attention to law-making efforts, stronger oversight of the implementation of the NA’s resolutions, and an enhanced supervisory role for ward-level People's Councils.

They also raised concerns regarding the development of private economic sector, renovation of old apartment buildings, environmental pollution, public security and order, traffic congestion, and issues related to urban planning, land use, and long-delayed projects./.

VNA

See more

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (right) and President of Panama José Raúl Mulino at their meeting in Hanoi on October 6. (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese, Panamanian leaders hold talks in Hanoi

General Secretary and President Lam believed that the two countries will continue tapping their potential for cooperation in trade, agriculture, maritime affairs, aviation, logistics and digital transformation, thus making bilateral ties more substantive, effective and sustainable for the benefit of their people and contributing to peace, cooperation and development in both regions.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and his spouse welcome Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and his spouse (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Panama cast themselves as gateways between Southeast Asia and Latin America

In his speech, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that Mulino's official visit holds special significance for bilateral ties. He expressed his belief that the visit will not only resume high-level contacts after a long gap but also give new momentum to ties, moving them into a more substantive, effective and deeper phase.

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President To Lam and President of Panama José Raúl Mulino meet with the press immediately after their talks (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese, Panamanian leaders meet the press following talks

Both sides agreed that there is ample room for cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and services. They pledged to step up joint work in the economic, trade, investment, agriculture, port logistics, finance, banking, tourism and transport sectors, as well as other areas of mutual strength. They also plan to continue negotiating agreements on investment protection, aviation and other areas to create a more favourable framework for expanding cooperation.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (second, right) and Panama President José Raúl Mulino (second, left) witness the exchange of an agreement on maritime transport cooperation between the Governments of Vietnam and Panama (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Panama exchange cooperation documents witnessed by top leaders

The documents include an agreement on maritime transport cooperation between the Governments of Vietnam and Panama, an agreement on cooperation in combating transnational crime, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on agricultural cooperation, and an MoU on tourism cooperation between the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the Panama Tourism Authority.

Uch Leang, Acting Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and Middle East Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s Institute of International Relations speaks to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Phnom Penh (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Cambodia strengthen connectivity, create new momentum for growth

The visit’s focus is expected to be on translating high-level agreements into economic and infrastructure connectivity projects and practical cooperation that benefit people and businesses, said Uch Leang, Acting Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and Middle East Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s Institute of International Relations.

President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino and his spouse, Maricel Cohen De Mulino, visit Hanoi's Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam on October 6, 2026 (Photo: VNA)

Panamanian President and spouse visit Temple of Literature

Visiting Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy) in Hanoi, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino showed keen interest in the historical, cultural and artistic values of the World Documentary Heritage site, which houses 82 stone steles honouring doctoral laureates. He praised Vietnam’s tradition of learning, respect for teachers and appreciation of talent.

Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Party Committee and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong holds talks with visiting President of the Hungarian Workers' Party Gyula Thürmer in Hanoi. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

CPV, Hungarian Workers' Party seek to deepen ties

The CPV pursues a policy of expanding relations with political parties, including the Hungarian Workers' Party, a traditional partner that has consistently shown interest in and supported Vietnam.

Former Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Servio S. Samudio with Vietnamese children he met during his trip to a Vietnamese northern mountainous region (Photo courtesy of Former Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Servio S. Samudio)

People-to-people exchanges forge stronger Vietnam-Panama ties

The October 5-8 official visit to Vietnam by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and his spouse is expected to create new avenues for collaboration and open more doors for the people of the two countries to meet, for Vietnamese culture to become more familiar to Panamanians, and for Vietnamese people to have more opportunities to discover Panama.

The meeting between Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu and President of the Hungarian Workers’ Party Gyula Thürmer in Hanoi on October 5, 2026 (Photo: VNA)

Key Party leader hosts Hungarian Workers’ Party chief

The Communist Party of Vietnam always values its solidarity and friendship with the Hungarian Workers' Party and communist and workers' parties worldwide, which helps build political trust and supports Vietnam's relations with other countries, said key Party leader Tran Cam Tu.