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

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Minsk Airport on May 11 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Belarus from May 11-12 at the invitation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

They were welcomed at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov, Belarussian Ambassador to Vietnam Uladzimir Baravikou, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belarus Nguyen Van Ngu, staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Belarus. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow on May 10 (local time) within the framework of his official visit to the Russian Federation, where he also attended the military parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

At the talks, President Putin respectfully thanked General Secretary Lam and his spouse, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam for attending the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Vietnam People's Army for sending forces to participate in the parade at the Red Square on May 9. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and Russian President Vladimir Putin witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents between the two nations, immediately following their talks in Moscow in the afternoon of May 10 (local time).

Among the signed key agreements were a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) on collaboration between Radio the Voice of Vietnam and the Russian Federal Budget Institution for the organisation, production, and dissemination of music, cultural, and educational programmes by the Russian State Musical TV and Radio Centre, as well as an MoU between the Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University). Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam delivered a speech at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) in Moscow on May 10, highlighting the cultivation of the Vietnam – Russia traditional friendship in the new era for peace, cooperation, and development.

The activity was part of his official visit to Russia, during which he also attended the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Great Patriotic War. Read full story

- Party General Secretary To Lam has written an article highlighting the private economic sector as new momentum for economic development in Vietnam.

The following is a translation of the article by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). Read full story

- The state visit to Belarus by Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse and a Vietnamese high-ranking delegation from May 11-12 will create new momentum for strengthening and expanding Vietnam-Belarus relations, and provide orientations to further deepen the bilateral relationship, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belarus Nguyen Van Ngu has said.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s correspondent ahead the visit, the ambassador said that the visit is also expected to enhance the effectiveness of existing mechanisms, form new cooperation mechanisms, help ministries, agencies, localities and businesses of the two countries to better understand each other's potential, and seek more cooperation opportunities. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked ministries, agencies and localities to take bold, focused and effective actions to achieve the goal of basically wiping out makeshift and run-down houses nationwide by October 31, two months ahead of the initial target.

PM Chinh made the request while chairing the fourth meeting of the central steering committee for the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses across the country in Hanoi on May 11, which was connected with all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities. Read full story

- All of the eight Vietnamese students attending the 2025 Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) have brought home medals, the Ministry of Education and Training said on May 11.

Specifically, the Vietnamese students won three gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the 2025 APhO, which was held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from May 4-12./. Read full story