Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with his visiting Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Hanoi on March 18.

To promote cultural diplomacy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has proactively coordinated with international organisations, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.

Foreign affairs and diplomacy have played a pioneering role in mobilising external resources to serve the country's socio-economic development, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told a question and answer session at the National Assembly Standing Committee’s 31st sitting on March 18.

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission scruntinised violations of and proposed disciplinary actions be taken against officials of the Party Committees of Vinh Phuc and Quang Ngai provinces, at its 38th session in Hanoi on March 18.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, on behalf of the Party and State of Vietnam, on March 18 sent a congratulatory letter to Vladimir Putin over his re-election as President of Russia

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc cleared up questions regarding the management and monitoring of insurance business raised by legislators at the ongoing 31st session of the National Assembly Standing Committee on March 18.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung has told Minister of State at the Department of Justice of Ireland James Browne that Vietnam hopes to further expand and promote cooperation with Ireland in trade and investment, especially in the fields of agriculture, IT and pharmaceuticals.

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

State President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on March 17 sent separate greetings to leaders of Ireland on the occasion of its National Day.

Vietnam is one of the most important partners of Brazil in Southeast Asia, Eduardo Paes Saboia, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, has stated at the Vietnam-Brazil meeting recently held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Brasilia.

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe Hoang Sy Cuong presented his credential letter to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on March 13.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a government meeting on the current development of social housing and housing for workers on March 16 morning from the capital city of Hanoi.

The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum is located on Vo Nguyen Giap Street in Muong Thanh ward, Dien Bien Phu city, in Dien Bien province, serving as a repository for thousands of documents and artefacts associated with the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory, which shook the world in 1954.