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

– Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his entourage arrived at Orly Airport in Paris in the evening of October 3 (local time), starting their participation in the 19th Francophonie Summit and an official visit to France from October 3-7 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Prominent in his entourage are Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Politburo member, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee; Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chief of the Office of the Party Central Committee; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of its Commission for External Relations; and Bui Thanh Son, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 3 chaired a meeting between permanent Government members and representatives from various construction associations and enterprises to address challenges and accelerate nationally important projects.

During the meeting, participants proposed the Government focus on improving regulations on investment, contracts, and bidding processes, raising credit limits for construction companies, and facilitating partnerships between domestic and international firms for project implementation, among other works. Read full story

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will lead a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to attend the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Vientiane, Laos, from October 8-11.

The trip will be made at the invitation of Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of Laos which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024, according to an announcement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read full story

– This year’s total registered foreign investment, including new capital, adjustments, and capital contributions via share purchases, exceeded 24.78 billion USD as of September 30, up 11.6% year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

In September alone, foreign capital neared 4.26 billion USD, the highest monthly figure this year and accounting for 17.2% of the nine-month total. Read full story

– Vietnam’s exports are expected to thrive in the remaining months of the year thanks to local businesses' concerted efforts and robust results during the January – September period, according to insiders.

The country was estimated to ship some 300 billion USD worth of goods abroad during January – September, rising 16% against the same time last year. Read full story

— The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has affirmed its commitment to attracting 17-18 million international visitors to Vietnam in 2024 by ramping up promotional and marketing efforts during the fourth quarter, with a particular focus on the Indian market, known for high-spending tourists.

The ministry made the statement at its quarterly press conference held on October 3. Read full story

– A digital exhibition named “Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa: Historical and legal evidence” is being held at Ly Thuong Kiet and Nguyen Truong To high schools in La Gi township, the south-central province of Binh Thuan, on October 3-4.

The activity aims at introducing and disseminating historical and legal documents and evidence affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) to the schools’ teachers and students./. Read full story