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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam holds phone conversation with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Vietnam, Cuba reaffirm special friendship through high-level phone talks

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam on February 4 held phone talks with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel.

On behalf of the Party, State, people of Cuba and General Raul Castro Ruz, Diaz-Canel conveyed the best wishes to the Party, State and people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 95th founding anniversary of the CPV (February 3, 1930 - 2025) and the Lunar New Year of the Snake.

He commended Vietnam’s achievements in national construction and development under the leadership of the CPV, regarding it as a shining example for the revolutionary movement and international communism. He also expressed deep appreciation for Vietnam’s solidarity and unwavering support for Cuba over the years, cited VOV.

For his part, Lam sincerely thanked Cuba for its profound friendship and special affection for Vietnam, reflecting the strong political bonds and deep mutual understanding between the two nations. He congratulated Cuba on the 66th anniversary of its successful revolution (January 1, 1959 - 2025) and acknowledged the country’s efforts in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment while overcoming challenges.

The Vietnamese Party leader reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent support for the United Nations General Assembly’s resolutions calling for an end to the embargo against Cuba.

In a spirit of comradeship and brotherhood, and ahead of the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960 - 2025), the two leaders updated each other on the situation of their respective parties and countries. They reaffirmed the significance of the special Vietnam-Cuba friendship, considering it an invaluable asset that both sides must continue to strengthen and further develop in the coming time.

Both leaders consented to accelerate the implementation of cooperative activities to enhance political trust, effectively carry out high-level agreements reached during the historic visit to Cuba in September 2024 by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, and actively launch commemorative events and people-to-people exchanges during the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year 2025.

Lam reiterated his invitation for Díaz-Canel to visit Vietnam again in 2025 and extended his warm regards to General Raul Castro Ruz.

Robust trade activities at border gates signals strong economic start to 2025

Import-export activities at Lao Bao and La Lay international border gates in the central province of Quang Tri have experienced a sharp rise in the early days of the Lunar New Year, indicating a positive economic outlook for 2025.

According to the Quang Tri Customs Department, from January 1 to February 1, the La Lay International Border Gate handled 7,348 vehicles and over 19,750 passenger crossings. The customs office handled 244 import-export declarations worth 17.7 million USD and 124 transit declarations valued at 4.6 million USD, generating over 35.1 billion VND (over 1.39 million USD) to the state budget.

During the Tet holiday (January 29 - February 1), La Lay Customs facilitated 134 vehicle transits, 433 passenger entries and exits, and four import-export declarations totaling 425,000 USD, with cargo volume reaching 2,000 tonnes, according to VNA.

Freight vehicles await customs clearance at Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri province. (Photo: VNA)

At the Lao Bao International Border Gate in Huong Hoa district, trade activities were equally vibrant. From January 25 to February 2, customs officials cleared 69 shipments worth more than 1.28 million USD, alongside 239 transit shipments and 2,265 vehicle movements. The efficient clearance procedures enabled smooth border crossings, ensuring a hassle-free return for Lao workers traveling home for Tet and resuming work post-holiday.

Vietnam, Czech Republic, Slovakia mark 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has sent his congratulatory messages to Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Slovakian Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the two European countries.

Vietnam and the Czech Republic and Slovakia established diplomatic relations on February 2, 1950.

In January this year, Vietnamand the Czech Republic issued a Joint Statement on upgrading their relationship to a Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the official visit by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the Czech Republic.

Bilateral trade has increased very quickly, reaching US$2.9 billion in 2023 and US$3.8 billion in 2024, of which Vietnam's exports stood at US$3.3 billion. The Czech Republic is the first country in the EU to ratify the EU-VietnamInvestment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), reported VGP.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

The Czech Republic is running 41 direct investment projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of US$92.39 million.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and Slovakia have consolidated and enhanced traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation. Both nations attach great importance to their traditional ties.

It is estimated that about 7,000 Vietnamese-origin people are living and studying in Slovakia. In June, 2023, the Slovak Government officially recognized the Vietnamese community as the 14th 'national minority' in Slovakia.

Tet travel boom: Flights soar at major airports

Flight volumes at major airports such as Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat are expected to continue rising as post-Tet travel demand remains strong, according to the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM).

The corporation said it is committed to ensuring flight safety, operational stability, and security across aviation facilities during this period.

Throughout the Lunar New Year holiday (January 25–February 3), VATM managed 25,328 flights. Notably, January 25 (the 26th day of the last month of the Year of the Dragon) saw 3,005 flights, the highest recorded during Tet, cited VNA.

Flight volumes at major airports such as Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat are expected to continue rising as post-Tet travel demand remains strong. (Photo: VNA)

As the holiday drew to a close, major international airports witnessed a surge in flight operations. On February 2 (the 5th day of the first month of the Year of the Snake), Tan Son Nhat Airport handled 978 flights, Noi Bai 570 flights, and Da Nang 269 flights.

Chinese scholar proposes measures to boost substantive Vietnam - China ties

Lei Xiaohua, Deputy Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies under the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, has made several proposals to help China and Vietnam promote practical cooperation as the two are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

In an article on the Global Times, a publication of the People's Daily – the organ of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Lei firstly stressed the importance of creating a "concentric circle of cooperation" based on mutual trust, adding strengthening strategic trust is a crucial foundation for enhancing substantive cooperation, and that effective opinion exchanges and policy connection are useful to reinforcing their mutual strategic trust.

In the context of complex regional and international developments, both sides need to persist in maintaining the stable development of relations between the two Parties and two countries, while also enhancing multilateral coordination. This includes jointly promoting the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), pushing for the early signing and implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, and Vietnam actively supporting China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Secondly, the scholar stressed the need to improve the effectiveness of collaboration in terms of connectivity, as infrastructure connectivity is crucial for enhancing substantive cooperation between the two countries, reported VNS.

In the future, they need to accelerate the construction of high-capacity railway lines, focusing on building cross-border standard-gauge railways, speeding up the building of transit facilities, developing smart border crossings, boosting "hard connectivity", connecting their regulations and standards, developing smart customs, and increasing the level of "soft connectivity".

Thirdly, promoting more effective and larger economic and trade links is essential. The scholar cited statistics from Vietnam Customs as showing that in 2024, bilateral trade reached US$205.2 billion, setting a new record and making China Vietnam's first partner with a trade scale exceeding $200 billion.

The two sides need to continue fostering the balanced and sustainable development of bilateral trade, and increasing the proportion of high-tech products such as electronics, machinery and equipment, and new energy vehicles, Lei suggested.

Fourthly, the expert highlighted the role of the China-Vietnam Working Group on Financial and Monetary Cooperation to form guidelines for bilateral currency payment, support the expansion of the scope of payments in local currencies, and improve the cross-border payment network.

Last but not least, it is important to strengthen the social foundation of public opinion on cooperation from the perspective of responsibility. Chinese businesses in Vietnam need to actively fulfil their social responsibility, continuously improve the quality and efficiency of their products through technological innovation and business model changes, and build their own image based on high standards, he said.

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