Vietnam News Today (Jan. 16): Ambassador Joanna Skoczek Confident of Growing Poland – Vietnam Relations
	Vietnam News Today (Jan. 18): Vietnam, Italy Convene Sixth Deputy Ministerial-level Political Consultation

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) hosts a reception in Prague on January 18 afternoon (local time) for Chairman of the Czech - Vietnamese Friendship Association Milos Kusy. (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister receives Chairman of Czech - Vietnam Friendship Association

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Prague on January 18 afternoon (local time) for Chairman of the Czech - Vietnam Friendship Association Milos Kusy as part of his official visit to the European country.

PM Chinh said he was pleased to meet Kusy and friends who have close connections with Vietnam. He affirmed that the Vietnamese people always appreciate the sentiments, and valuable support and wholehearted help of the Czech people for Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence and reunification as well as in the current process of national construction and development.

Appreciating the activities of the Czech - Vietnam Friendship Association and Kusy himself for supporting the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, as well as their activities to connect the people of the two countries, PM Chinh affirmed that the Vietnamese State always supports and creates favourable conditions for the association to continue to operate and stand side by side with the Vietnamese people.

Informing Kusy and the Czech friends about the socio-economic situation of Vietnam, PM Chinh said that his visit to the Czech Republic this time aims to strengthen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic in all fields and further tighten the friendship between the two countries’ people. He proposed the association to continue supporting and promoting the Vietnam-Czech relationship to make it more profound, substantive and effective.

Thanking PM Chinh for his reception, Kusy recalled PM Pham Van Dong's visit to the Czech Republic in 1957 with many important milestones. He believed that PM Chinh's visit to the Czech Republic this time will open a new phase in the relationship between the two countries.

Expressing his admiration for Vietnam's outstanding development, Kusy said that the association has coordinated very closely with the Vietnamese Embassy and associations of Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic and the Vietnam - Czech Friendship Association, thus contributing to promoting the Vietnam - Czech relations in general and between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries, cited VNA.

Kusy proposed Vietnam coordinate with the Czech Republic to promote people-to-people exchanges, creating conditions for the people of the two countries to better understand each other's country, people, and culture, including building a Vietnam culture center in the Czech Republic. He affirmed that the Czech - Vietnam Friendship Association will do its best to stand side by side with Vietnam in the process of developing and cultivating relations between the two countries.

Agreeing with the proposal of Kusy, PM Chinh said he would assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and agencies to research and build a Vietnamese culture center in the Czech Republic.

Vietnam gives top priority to developing relations with China, says diplomat

Developing relations with China is Vietnam’s top priority, affirmed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, in a recent interview with the press on 75 years of Vietnam – China diplomacy (January 18, 1950 – 2025).

According to Vu, the potential for cooperation between the two countries remains substantial, and the 75th anniversary will serve as a foundation to further boost bilateral relations in the coming years.

He recalled the visit to China by General Secretary To Lam in August 2024 which he said achieved significant results, as the top leaders of the two countries agreed to further promote friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and China based on the '6 more' directions. The directions are higher political trust, closer security-defense cooperation, deeper practical cooperation, stronger social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better management and resolution of differences.

These key directions have been implemented seriously at all levels, industries, and localities of the two countries, yielding very concrete and clear results, said Vu.

Strategic exchanges and high-level contact have been enhanced with a variety of forms and unprecedented frequency. The exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the two sides have become increasingly comprehensive and diverse, reflecting high trust.

Trade, investment, and tourism cooperation have grown positively, with two-way trade hitting US$185.6 billion in the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 18.9% year on year. The export value of durian, a key agricultural export item, also exceeded US$3.5 billion, up 50% compared to last year. More than 3.3 million Chinese tourists visited Vietnam last year, up 222%.

Building on the gains, he said, in 2025 both sides will continue to comprehensively implement the high-level common perceptions, and enhance effective exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Politically, he said, the two countries will continue to promote high-level exchanges and make effective use of cooperation mechanisms between the two parties, governments, parliaments, and mass organizations, especially those in charge of diplomacy, defense, and public security.

They will strive to create new breakthroughs in economic trade and other mutually beneficial fields, with primary focus on implementing three railway lines connecting the two countries. They will expand cooperation into potential areas where China has strengths and Vietnam has demand, such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, clean energy, according to VOV.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu.

The two sides will also continue to enhance people-to-people exchanges, especially among the youth, organize the cultural exchange year and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations. It is also important to manage and resolve disputes in the sea appropriately, in line with international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the region.

In his opinion, the friendly, trustworthy, and mutual understanding sentiment between the peoples of Vietnam and China is an important foundation for the sustainable development of political relations and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Based on the importance of people-to-people exchanges, the leaders of the two countries have identified a stronger social foundation as one of the six pillars in Vietnam-China relations. To realize the goal, Vu said, in the recent phone conversation, the two General Secretaries launched the Year of Vietnam – China Humanistic Exchange 2025 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Vu revealed that both Vietnam and China have jointly drawn up specific plans with activity lists to implement the exchange year.

Accordingly, both countries will continue to increase high-level exchanges and contact at all levels and through all channels. Other activities will include organizing friendly meetings, photo exhibitions, cultural, artistic, physical, and sports exchanges, cultural and language trivia contests. Localities, especially border provinces, will organize cultural exchanges and friendship activities between people on both sides of the border.

Tourism cooperation will be fostered, creating favourable conditions for people from one country to travel to the other.

“We firmly believe that the rich, diverse, and practical activities of the Year of Vietnam – China Humanistic Exchange 2025 will contribute positively to enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries, especially the youth. Together, we will further solidify the social foundation for the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership toward building a shared future community between Vietnam and China with strategic significance,” said the Deputy Minister.

Vietnam, UN strengthen cooperation in peacekeeping operations

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix to discuss cooperation between Vietnam and the UN in the field of peacekeeping.

During the meeting, Ambassador Giang expressed his thanks to the UN and Under-Secretary-General Lacroix for their support and assistance, which have enabled Vietnam to effectively contribute to peacekeeping operations over the past decade.

Highlighting the significant achievements and contributions of Vietnam’s peacekeeping forces, the ambassador emphasized that peacekeeping remains a top priority in the Vietnam-UN partnership. He affirmed the country’s readiness to deploy additional forces at the UN’s request, including both military and police personnel, with a particular focus on increasing the participation of female officers and peacekeepers. The diplomat also reiterated Vietnam’s intention to pursue candidacy for relevant positions in the UN Secretariat.

Giang called on UN agencies and functional units to continue to support Vietnam in training and building the capacity of its military and police peacekeeping forces to better meet operational demands and contribute more effectively to UN peacekeeping missions in the new context, according to VNA.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang (left), Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix (Photo: VNA)

For his part, Lacroix emphasized that peacekeeping remains an indispensable tool for the UN to address global security challenges in an increasingly complex world. He praised Vietnam for its supportive policies and its active, effective participation in UN peacekeeping operations over recent years.

The UN official affirmed his support and readiness to assist Vietnam in building its capacity and contributing further to peacekeeping, particularly ensuring its readiness to deploy its first peacekeeping police unit when requested by the UN. He also encouraged Vietnam to pursue senior positions within the UN Secretariat and peacekeeping missions, and welcomed the country’s commitments to the UN’s related goals and targets, particularly in increasing the participation of female personnel in peacekeeping operations.

Japan supports Vietnam to address war-left chemical consequences

The Japanese Government-funded equipment for dioxin and environmental analysis was handed over to the Chemical Corps recently, aiming to assist Vietnam in settling consequences of toxic chemicals left from wartime.

At the event in HCM City, Miho Hanai, Director of Japan’s Crow company, and Major General Ha Van Cu, Commander of the Chemical Corps and Director General of the National Action center for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), signed the handover record.

The equipment includes a laboratory outfitted with 25 dioxin and environmental analysis systems. They are expected to help enhance the capacity of NACCET and the Chemical Corps in assessing and monitoring the settlement of toxic chemicals left over from the war in Vietnam, VNS reported.

The project, carried out between 2019 and 2023, involved a total investment of over US$2.8 million, including more than US$2.7 million in non-refundable aid from the Japanese Government and counterpart funding from the Vietnamese Government. The Ministry of National Defence served as the managing agency, with NACCET overseeing project execution.

Photo: VOV

It aims to bolster Vietnam's capabilities of investigating, assessing, and treating areas contaminated with toxic chemicals, particularly Agent Orange/dioxin. It also looks to transfer equipment, train personnel in equipment operation and use, and upgrade laboratory infrastructure for NACCET’s branch in the southern region.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence and head of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for the Settlement of Post-War Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences (Steering Committee 701), underscored that addressing war-left toxic chemical contamination is a pressing and profoundly humanitarian task.

He extended heartfelt gratitude to the Japanese Government and people, highlighting that this support reflects the strong cooperative relationship between the two nations and also contribute to their shared efforts to help settle war legacies and protect the environment in Vietnam.

He expressed confidence that the provision of 25 modern systems under the project will greatly help to improve Vietnam's capacity of analysing, assessing, and remediating dioxin-contaminated areas.

This initiative is also expected to accelerate the implementation of Vietnam’s national plan for post-war toxic chemical/dioxin remediation for the 2021 - 2030 period, while also solidifying NACCET’s role as a leading institution in environmental research, remediation, and protection.

To maximize the benefits of this project, Chien directed NACCET to efficiently utilise the equipment and actively engage in investigating, surveying, assessing, and remediation of areas affected by toxic chemicals/dioxin.

He encouraged the center to expand international cooperation, attract high-quality human resources, and foster the research and application of advanced technologies in treating hazardous chemicals and environmental pollution.

Airlines add 586 flights to meet Tet holiday travel demand

To accommodate the significant travel demand during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, airlines have announced an additional 586 flights, adding over 134,000 seats to their schedules from January 17 to February 12.

To meet the travel demands of the public during the Tet holiday (Year of the Snake), airlines have scheduled an additional 586 flights between January 17 (the 18th day of the lunar month) and February 12 (the 15th day of the lunar month).

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has allocated more flight slots, resulting in airlines increasing their capacity by approximately 134,800 seats compared to the previous week. These additional flights will operate from January 17 to February 12, focusing on high-demand routes.

At Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route will see an increase of 90 flights, with 89 additional flights in the opposite direction. Other popular routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang will add 24 flights, Ho Chi Minh City - Thanh Hoa 22 flights, Ho Chi Minh City - Hue 23 flights, Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh 24 flights, and Hai Phong - Ho Chi Minh City 43 flights, VNN reported.

Passenger traffic at Noi Bai International Airport is expected to increase significantly in the coming days. Photo: N. Ha

Passenger traffic at major airports, particularly Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, is expected to surge during the holiday period. This increase may lead to localized congestion at domestic terminals and potential delays in baggage claim.

The CAAV advises passengers to stay informed about flight schedules, plan their travel accordingly, and adhere to safety and security regulations to ensure a smooth travel experience.

Vietnam News Today (Jan. 14): Vietnamese, Russian Deputy PMs Discuss Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation Vietnam News Today (Jan. 14): Vietnamese, Russian Deputy PMs discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation; Mishustin begins Vietnam visit to foster Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; PM seeks stronger ...

Vietnam News Today (Jan. 15): Vietnamese, Russian PMs Hold Talks, Agree on Major Orientations for Bilateral Ties Vietnam News Today (Jan. 15): Vietnamese, Russian PMs hold talks, agree on major orientations for bilateral ties; China attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam, ...