Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasised the importance of not only promoting new growth drivers but also revitalising traditional ones—namely exports, consumption, and investment—during a group discussion on socio-economic development tasks held on May 23 morning, as part of the ongoing 9th session of the 15th National Assembly.

The Government leader stressed the need to promote public investment as a catalyst for private investment, as well as to boost overall social and foreign investment. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 22 signed an official dispatch, ordering ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of centrally-run cities and provinces to expedite the simplification of administrative procedures.

The Government leader asked competent sides to complete the update and publication of the remaining administrative procedures, business conditions, and compliance costs on the national database before June 10. Read full story

- Under the leadership of the Party, the National Assembly will continue to stand alongside the Government to push forward with strong institutional and legal reforms to meet the urgent need of removing obstacles for the economy, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed on May 23.

Speaking at group discussions related to the socio-economic development plan and state budget in 2024 and in the early months of 2025, as part of the 15th NA’s 9th session, Man pointed out that in the first four months, the global situation remained challenging, with declining purchasing and selling power in several major economies. Read full story

- The state visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse from May 25 - 27 demonstrates strong commitments by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders to develop bilateral relations, as well as the comprehensive strategic partnership in a substantive and effective manner.

This is the French President's first visit to Vietnam since he took office in 2017 and was re-elected in 2022. It holds special significance for the bilateral relations, especially following the upgrade of the ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in October 2024 during Party General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the European country. Read full story

- Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington, D.C. on May 22, as part of his four-day working visit to the US to promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation and review progress in negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement between the two countries.

At their meeting, the two officials agreed that Vietnam and the US have highly complementary economies with great potential for cooperation. Read full story

- The Vietnam - China cross-border passenger train service will resume from May 25 after five years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be two trains - MR1 and MR2 - departing from Hanoi’s Gia Lam station to China’s Nanning station and vice versa daily. Specifically, train MR1 will depart from Gia Lam station at 9:20 pm and arrive at Nanning station at 10:06 am the next day. In the opposite direction, train MR2 will depart from Nanning station at 6:05 pm and arrive at Gia Lam station at 5:30 am the next day. Read full story

- Vietnam has been officially classified as a “low-risk” country under the European Union’s new Anti-Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a recent announcement by the European Commission (EC) in Brussels.

The classification means that Vietnamese exports to the EU will be subject to simplified due diligence requirements, easing the compliance burden on businesses. Read full story

- Only 11% of Vietnamese enterprises and organisations are adequately prepared to respond to cybersecurity incidents, according to data released by the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA).

While this marks an improvement from just 5% in 2024, the overall level of readiness remains critically low, experts said./. Read full story