Vietnam's top legislator addresses general debate at 152nd IPU Assembly

Vietnam is striving with confidence and self-strengthening to enter a new stage of development, aiming to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a high-income developed country by 2045, said NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man at the general debate of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152).

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man speaks at the general debate of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Türkiye on April 16, 2026. (Photo: VNA)
Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man speaks at the general debate of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Türkiye on April 16, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Istanbul (VNA) – Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man delivered an important address at the general debate of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Türkiye on April 16 afternoon (local time).

In his remarks, the NA Chairman underscored that the IPU-152 theme of “Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations” conveys a message that is both timely and urgent, as the world is witnessing growing instability and conflict driven by geopolitical competition, non-compliance with international law, the use of force, and the destruction of essential infrastructure, causing immense suffering and loss to millions of people. Wars, conflicts, trade protectionism, and increasing trends of polarisation and fragmentation, alongside emerging non-traditional security challenges, are exerting multifaceted impacts on humanity, he added. Breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), while offering significant development opportunities, also present new challenges for governance and management.

In the face of these realities, the Vietnamese leader noted that there remain grounds for confidence and hope for the future.

At the global level, commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation remains strong. Shared frameworks such as the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development continue to serve as foundations for collective global action. Through the declaration adopted at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, IPU member parliaments have reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation for peace, justice and prosperity for all.

At the regional and inter-regional levels, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, efforts to strengthen connectivity and promote multilateral cooperation initiatives across various sectors are being strongly advanced. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) continue to make important contributions to peace, cooperation and development in the region.

Highlighting the achievements of 40 years of its Doi moi (renewal), Chairman Man stated that Vietnam is striving with confidence and self-strengthening to enter a new stage of development, aiming to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a high-income developed country by 2045. The nation is also pursuing a new growth model driven by science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, while ensuring social equity and environmental sustainability so that people can better benefit from development outcomes.

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A view of the general debate of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Türkiye on April 16, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

With a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, NA Chairman Man affirmed that Vietnam has been working actively, proactively and responsibly with its partners to address common regional and global issues.

To overcome challenges and seize opportunities, he called on the IPU and its member parliaments to further promote cooperation and international solidarity, uphold the rule of law, and support national initiatives for peace and development. He proposed strengthening parliamentary diplomacy, enhancing dialogue, building trust and friendship among nations, addressing the root causes of conflicts, and respecting the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.

“In that spirit, together with other IPU members, we strongly call on all parties concerned to seriously observe ceasefires and continue peace negotiations to seek satisfactory, sustainable solutions to ongoing conflicts,” he said.

The top Vietnamese legislator also urged parliaments to play a pioneering role in establishing legal frameworks, internalising international commitments, especially those related to peace, security, sustainable development, climate change response, and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and exercising supreme oversight over their implementation.

NA Chairman Man emphasised that no matter how great the challenges humanity faces, solidarity, sharing and cooperation will enable nations to overcome difficulties and build a brighter future for generations to come./.

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National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man (left) and Yerlan Koshanov, Speaker of the Mazhilis - the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, during their in Istanbul, Türkiye, on April 16 (Photo: VNA)

NA Chairman meets with Kazakhstan’s lower house speaker in Türkiye

The two sides also consented to continue close coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums, particularly the IPU, promoting the role of legislatures in advancing multilateralism and respect for international law, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development regionally and globally.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam (L) receives Chen Gang, member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader receives Secretary of Guangxi’s Party Committee

Vietnam is a close neighbour, trusted friend and one of Guangxi’s most important partners. The Party organisation and authorities of China's autonomous region attach great importance to friendship and cooperation with Vietnamese localities; and will continue to take the lead in thoroughly implementing the important common perceptions reached by the two top leaders, thereby deepening cooperation and friendship between China and Vietnam.

Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at their meeting in Istanbul on April 16, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese NA Chairman meets Turkish President

Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasised that economic, trade, and investment ties should serve as key pillars of the relationship. They agreed to create favourable conditions to raise bilateral trade turnover to 4 billion USD, while continuing to encourage Turkish enterprises to invest in Vietnam and contribute to its economic development.

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man speaks at the policy dialogue aimed at promoting Vietnam–Türkiye cooperation (Photo: VNA)

NA Chairman attends policy dialogue promoting Vietnam–Türkiye cooperation

Türkiye is one of Vietnam’s key partners in the region, serving as a strategic bridge between Asia and Europe. Conversely, Vietnam, with its dynamic and fast-growing economy, is an important gateway for Türkiye to access Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacific markets. These complementary advantages provide a solid foundation for the two countries to further deepen their cooperation in the coming period.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (C, first row) and representatives from 52 leading US enterprises (Photo: VNA)

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At the meeting, representatives of USABC, the US Embassy in Vietnam and participating businesses commended Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and improving investment climate, as well as its strategic development orientation toward rapid and sustainable growth driven by science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra (R) receives President and CEO of Japan’s erex Co., Ltd. Honna Hitoshi (Photo: VGP)

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Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra highly valued the training programme jointly implemented since 2022 by Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Japan’s erex Co., Ltd, which focuses on enhancing public administration capacity, particularly for grassroots officials, young civil servants and female cadres. Through the initiative, nearly 300 local-level officials and leaders from Vietnam have been sent to Japan for training and professional development.

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 16

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 16

Vietnamese PM Le Minh Hung's phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's attendance at the opening of the IPU-152, and the presentation of the 20th Devotion Awards are among news highlights on April 16.

President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung (Photo: Yonhap)

RoK President to pay state visit to Vietnam

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Prime Minister Le Minh Hung holds phone talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong on April 16. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Prime Minister holds phone talks with Singaporean counterpart

PM Hung noted that Vietnam is preparing new policies to attract greater foreign investment, including from Singapore. He called Singapore’s support in developing international financial centres in Vietnam, as well as expanding and upgrading next-generation Vietnam–Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) in tandem with high technology transfer.

☀️ Morning digest on April 16

☀️ Morning digest on April 16

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's meetings with Chinese leaders, PM Le Minh Hung's attendance at the expanded online summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) on energy security, and EuroCham's release of the Business Confidence Index (BCI) for Q1 are among news highlights on April 15 evening.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam visits the Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing on April 15. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese leader visits Museum of Communist Party of China in Beijing

During the visit, the Vietnamese top leader wrote in the guest book, affirming that the Vietnamese and Chinese Parties and States will continue to preserve and promote the traditional friendship of "both comrades and brothers" while advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and building a Vietnam–China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance for the happiness of the two nations' people and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang (L) and Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi co-chair the 10th session of the countries’ joint committee on economic cooperation. (Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade)

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Both sides agreed to facilitate market access for key export products, and prioritise cooperation in investment attraction and technology transfer in emerging and strategic sectors such as new energy, renewable energy and automation, while continuing to strengthen existing cooperation in textiles, footwear, climate change response, electronics, culture and tourism.