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

- The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee has voted unanimously to approve in principle a resolution reorganising commune-level administrative units, paving the way for a major restructuring set to take effect in 2025.

During its ongoing 46th session in Hanoi on June 5, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra presented proposal on behalf of the Government, outlining a plan to consolidate 52 provincial-level administrative units into 23 newly formed entities. This will result in a leaner structure of 34 units, including six centrally-run cities and 28 provinces. The overhaul will also slash the number of commune-level administrative units by 66.91%, bringing the total to 3,321. Read full story

- Party General Secretary To Lam has affirmed Vietnam’s appreciation of ties with the Republic of Korea (RoK), expressing readiness to work closely with the new Korean administration to further elevate the bilateral relationship to new heights, making it more substantive, effective, and comprehensive.

During a reception in Hanoi on June 5 for RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Young-sam, Lam extended congratulations to Lee Jae Myung on his election as the Rok’s 21st President, believing that the new leadership would steer the country toward stability and growth. Read full story

- President Luong Cuong has hailed the planned merger of Hung Yen and Thai Binh provinces as more than mere administrative restructuring, describing it as a strategic move that could create a stronger locality capable of competing effectively across the Red River Delta and nationwide.

At a working session with the Party Committees of Hung Yen and Thai Binh provinces in Hanoi on June 5, the State leader commended the close coordination between the two localities in translating the resolutions and conclusions of the Party Central Committee and its Politburo into action without compromising existing political goals. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with President of the Riigikogu (the Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar on June 5 afternoon (local time) as part of his ongoing official trip to Estonia, during which the latter affirmed Vietnam as an important partner of the Baltic nation in the Southeast Asian region.

At the event, the Vietnamese Government leader thanked Estonia for its support during Vietnam's past struggle for national liberation and reunification as well as ongoing nation-building endeavours. Read full story

- Vietnam, as a co-chair of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) for 2022-2025, has contributed to turning the initiative into a truly regional cooperation pillar with substantive impacts and long-term vision, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang.

Speaking to the press on the occasion of Vietnam’s completion of its co-chairmanship, Hang said that SEARP is one of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s five regional programmes. It was launched in 2014 at the initiative of Japan to support economic reform across the Southeast Asian region through sharing development experience and promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth via 13 collaboration areas. Read full story

- The first shipment of 500 tonnes of Vietnam’s low-carbon footprint rice set sail for Japan on June 5, marking the international debut of the rice produced under the initiative to cultivate one million hectares of low-emission and high-quality rice in the Mekong Delta (the one-million-hectare rice project).

At a ceremony in Thot Not district, Can Tho city, on June 5, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (Vietrisa) and Trung An High-Tech Agriculture JSC celebrated the export of Japonica rice bearing the new eco-label and priced at 820 USD per tonne. Read full story

- As many as 100 outstanding voluntary blood donors were honoured during a ceremony in Hanoi on June 5.

The event, jointly held by the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, and the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, highlighted the selflessness of those who have collectively donated 4,800 units of blood and platelets, averaging 48 donations each. Read full story./.