Hanoi (VNA)💙 - The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. (Photo: VNA)

PM Chinh thanked Kao for his attendance at theforum, which was held at the initiative of Vietnam, and expressed his hope thatthe AFF will be a venue where initiatives to bolster regional cooperation willbe shared, helping to build an ASEAN community of solidarity, resilience andsustainable development. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 23 proposedbreakthrough orientations to make ASEAN a model in digital transformationglobally, while co-chairing a business roundtable with his Lao counterpartSonexay Siphandone in Hanoi.

Chinh stressed the importance of equal access todigital transformation and digital economy on the principle of"harmonising benefits and sharing risks"; ensuring transparency,safety, inclusiveness, and sustainability; strongly promoting ASEAN's self-relianceand autonomy in digital transformation, based on specific factors, potentialand advantages of each country; and soon completing the ASEAN Digital EconomyFramework Agreement. Read full story

🅘 - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke highly of cooperationbetween the Russian Federal Bar Association (RFBA) and the Vietnam Lawyers’Association (VLA) while receiving RFBA Chairman Sergey Stepashin, who is alsoformer Prime Minister of Russia, in Hanoi on April 23.

PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and RFBA Chairman Sergey Stepashin. (Photo: VNA)

PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam always attachesimportance to and wants to continue deepening and developing its traditionalfriendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, contributing topeace, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Read full story

🔴 - Politburo member, permanent member of the Party CentralCommittee’s Secretariat and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’sOrganisation Commission Truong Thi Mai on April 23 received outgoing JapaneseAmbassador Yamada Takio.

Politburo member, permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai (R) and outgoing Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takioও at their meeting in Hanoi on April 23. (Photo: VNA)

Mai, who is also Chairwoman of the Vietnam – JapanFriendship Parliamentarians’ Group, praised the diplomat’s significant contributionsto the comprehensive and strong growth of the countries’ relations over thepast four years. Read full story

♍ - Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son met with SecondMinister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Dato Pehin Erywan Yusof in Hanoi on April23, as the latter has been in Vietnam to attend the ASEAN Future Forum 2024.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Dato Pehin Erywan Yusof. (Photo: VNA)

 Both officials expressed their delight at thepositive development of the Vietnam-Brunei Comprehensive Partnership over thepast time and agreed to facilitate all-level visits in the coming time, with aparticular focus on preparations for the Vietnam visit by the Sultan of Brunei. Read full story

🍸 - A delegation from the Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper led bymember of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee andEditor-in-Chief Le Quoc Minh is paying a working trip to China from April 21-26as guests of the People’s Daily - the organ of the Communist Party ofChina (CPC) Central Committee.

Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vice Chairman of the CPV Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Associationไ Le Quoc Minh (L) and Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s Secretariat and Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee Li Shulei. (Photo: VNA)

Hosting a reception for the delegation on April22, Politburo member, Secretary of the CPC Central Committee’s Secretariat andHead of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee Li Shulei saidthe visit is significant to promoting exchange and cooperation between the NhanDan Newspaper and the People’s Daily, thereby helping to enhance mutualunderstanding and friendship between the two nations. Read full story

▨ - The 11th Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) defence policydialogue took place in Hanoi on April 23, reviewing results of the countries’cooperation in the field, discussing matters of shared concerns, and agreeingon orientations for joint work in the time to come.

Deputy Minister of National Defence Hoang Xuan Chien (fifth from right) shakes hands with his RoK counterpart Kim Seon Ho at the 11th Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Minister of National Defence Hoang XuanChien and his RoK counterpart Kim Seon Ho co-chaired the event. Read full story

- The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its secondplenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways toensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.

The session deliberated on the bloc’scomprehensive approach to ensuring regional security, considering allsocio-economic and environmental aspects. Participants exchanged ideas andproposed directions to help ASEAN contribute more effectively to addressingglobal challenges and affirm its role and contributions to regional and globalpeace and security. Read full story

- The Vietnam National Mekong Committee (VNMC) on April 23 helda consultation workshop on Cambodia’s proposed Funan-Techo canal project whichhas raised concerns about potential impacts on the Mekong river. 

Attending the workshop in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho,domestic stakeholders and international experts discussed Cambodia’s planto build the Funan Techo canal, a 180km waterway linking Bassac River (calledthe Hau River in Vietnam, which is one of the two main branches of MekongRiver) with Kep port and onto the Gulf of Thailand./.Read full story