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

- The freshly-concluded state visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam has laid a firm foundation for the bilateral ties to grow more intensively and extensively, Chinese experts have said.

Talking with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s resident correspondents in Beijing, Dr Yang Danzhi at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Dr. Cui Chenhai, director of the Hong Kong social investment institute (China), shared the view that the visit, the first overseas trip by the Party leader after taking office, demonstrated the great importance both countries attach to the bilateral relations, and that the traditional, long-term cooperation has reached a new height. Read full story

- Politburo member and standing member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee's Secretariat Luong Cuong received a delegation of the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in Hanoi on August 21.

At the meeting, Cuong affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the traditional friendly and cooperative ties with the MPLA, the State and people of Angola, and briefed the guests on outstanding achievements Vietnam has recorded over nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), preparations for the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the country’s goals set to the mid-21st century. Read full story

- Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Japanese Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro exchanged views on the relations between Vietnam and Japan at their talks in Hanoi on August 21.

They rejoiced at the recent comprehensive and effective development of bilateral ties, notably the elevation of the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long cleared up questions regarding state management in judicial assessment and the handling of limitations in document issuance at a hearing session of the 36th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee in Hanoi on August 21.

According to the official, the Ministry of Justice plans to submit a new document relating to judicial assessment costs to the Prime Minister in the time ahead. Read full story

- Significant efforts are needed to develop supply chains that ensure clean products for export regarding a fragmented and small-scale agricultural sector like Vietnam’s, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan at the question-and-answer event on August 21, as part of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee’s ongoing 36th session.

Responding to a query about ways to control and improve the quality and food safety of Vietnamese agro-forestry products, the minister noted a reduction in food poisoning cases but acknowledged that some Vietnamese goods were still rejected by international markets due to safety concerns. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Government is working to promote public-private partnerships (PPP) in the healthcare sector as a means to improve the country's healthcare system.

A consultation workshop held by the Ministry of Health in Hanoi on August 21 discussed a draft circular guiding the implementation of PPP investment projects in healthcare. The circular aims to address the challenges and shortcomings faced by both regulatory agencies and investors in the sector. Read full story

- The total import-export turnover between Vietnam and Singapore surged 20.91% year-on-year to more than 3.1 billion SGD (about 2.3 billion USD) in July, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore.

Notably, Vietnam’s exports to Singapore increased 36.25% to 763.9 million SGD, while import turnover went up 16.7% to over 2.38 billion SGD. Read full story

- Binh Dinh and Korean Air should work together to launch a direct air route from the central Vietnamese province to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by the end of this year, an official said on August 21.

At a working session with a Korean Air delegation in Ho Chi Minh City, Chairman of the Binh Dinh People’s Committee Pham Anh Tuan requested the provincial People’s Committee Office, the Department of Tourism, the Department of External Affairs, and relevant agencies establish a working group and accomplish procedures in order to open the air route by the year's end./. Read full story