Vietnam News Today (Jul. 25): State Funeral of Vietnamese Party Leader Nguyen Phu Trong Begins in Hanoi
	Vietnam News Today (Jul. 26): Vietnam Attends 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) hosts a reception for Thai Prime Minister's Special Envoy Jakkapong Sangmanee at the Government Office in Hanoi, July 26, 2024. Photo: VGP

Prime Minister hosts reception for Thai counterpart's Special Envoy

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Friday hosted a reception for Thai Prime Minister's Special Envoy Jakkapong Sangmanee who is in Vietnam to attend the funeral of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Prime Minister Pham thanked Jakkapong for leading a Thai delegation to Vietnam to attend the funeral, emphasizing that the move reflects the friendship and solidarity between leaders and people of the two countries.

Pham expressed sincere thanks to the leaders of Thailand for their messages of condolences, affirming that Vietnam treasures the affections of the Thai Royal family, the Government and people of Thailand for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who devoted his life to the cause of national development and laid the solid foundation for the establishment of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand in June 2013, cited VGP.

Jakkapong, who is Minister Attached to the Thai Prime Minister's Office, extended the deepest condolences to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and to the Party, State and people of Vietnam as well as the family of the deceased for this great loss.

He showed his admiration for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's contributions to Vietnam's innovation and development process, and to the advancement of the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Pham took the occasion to invite Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to pay an official visit to Vietnam to co-chair the 4th Vietnam-Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting at an appropriate time.

Jakkapong affirmed that Vietnam remains one of Thailand's major partners in the region, especially in the economic sector.

He also reassured that the Government of Thailand sticks to its policy of not allowing any hostile forces to use Thailand's territory to conduct activities to sabotage neighboring countries, including Vietnam.

International friends bid farewell to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

The respect paying ceremony for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong continued on the morning of July 26 at the National Funeral Hall in Hanoi, with high-level delegations from foreign countries and international organizations paying their last respects and expressing deep condolences.

Among them were high-level delegations from Belarus led by Siarhei Khamenka, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic (upper house) of the National Assembly of Belarus; from Malaysia led by Deputy Prime Minister Yab Dato’Sri Haji Fadillah Haji Yusof; from the Philippines led by Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr; from Thailand led by Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office and the PM’s Special Envoy Jakkapong Sangmanee; and from the Communist Party of Britain led by a representative of its leadership Kyril Whittaker.

In the condolence book, Deputy Chairman Siarhei Khamenka, on behalf of the Belarusian President and people, expressed his deep condolences over the passing of a true patriot of Vietnam and a sincere friend of the Belarusian people. Thailand will always remember him, he added.

Malaysian Deputy PM Fadillah Yusof wrote that the late Party chief was a truly dedicated leader who tirelessly served his country. Vietnam has lost a steadfast and committed leader who made great contributions. May his legacy inspire future generations, he wrote, affirming that the Party leader made invaluable efforts to significantly strengthen the Vietnam-Malaysia strategic partnership, contributing to regional peace and prosperity, according to VNA.

A high-level delegation from Belarus led by Siarhei Khamenka, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic (upper house) of the National Assembly of Belarus, pays last respect to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. (Photo: VNA)

Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr wrote that the Philippines shares the profound grief and great loss felt by the Vietnamese people over the passing of an outstanding “leader, diplomat, teacher, intellectual, and most cherished son of Vietnam ''.

“May his exemplary life and contributions to Vietnam and the world noble life and immense contributions to Vietnam and the world be remembered by generations to come, and may his love for peace and integrity long burn and inspire the hearts and minds of our fellow ASEAN brothers.”

Special Envoy of Thai PM Jakkapong Sangmanee, meanwhile, wrote that the late Part chief’s leadership and dedication significantly contributed to Vietnam's stable and prosperous development.

He was a great friend of Thailand, playing a crucial role in fostering a stable and strong relationship between the two countries. His visit to Thailand in 2013 marked a significant chapter, elevating the bilateral diplomatic relations to a strategic partnership. The people of Thailand will always remember the Vietnamese Party General Secretary.

Whittaker jotted down his farewell to "a revolutionary comrade of the highest caliber, leader of the Vietnamese people and light of the revolutionary movement."

FDI inflows into Vietnam surge over seven-month period

Vietnam attracted more than US$18 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the past seven months of the year, representing an increase of 10.9% against the same period from last year, according to details given by the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA).

Foreign investors registered over US$10.76 billion in new projects in the reviewed period, up 35.6%, while injecting additional capital of nearly US$4.97 billion, up 19.4%. Capital contributions and share purchases fell by 45.2% on-year to US$2.27 billion.

Foreign financiers have injected their capital into 18 out of 21 economic sectors in the country, with the processing and manufacturing industry attracting the largest investment of more than US$12.65 billion, up 15.7% on-year, reported VOV.

Photo: VOV

The real estate sector ranked second with a total investment capital of over US$2.87 billion, up 78% on-year, followed by the wholesale and retail industry with nearly US$740.5 million and science and technological activities with US$490.6 million.

Singapore topped the list of 91 countries and territories investing in the Vietnamese market with nearly US$6.52 billion in the reviewed period, up 79.1% on-year, followed by Hong Kong (China), Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea.

Most notably, the new emergence of investors from Kyrgyzstan contributed to raising the number of countries and territories injecting money into the nation to 147 so far.

Foreign investors channeled their capital into 48 cities and provinces across the country, of which Bac Ninh took the lead in terms of FDI attraction with nearly US$3.2 billion, Quang Ninh with more than US$1.56 billion, and Ho Chi Minh City with nearly US$1.55 billion.

Meanwhile, the total FDI disbursed nationwide stood at an estimated US$12.55 billion, up 8.4% on-year.

Vietnamese embassy explores businesses opportunities in Algerian localities

The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria held a working trip to Constantine and Bordj Bou Arreridj provinces from July 21-23 to explore market potential, promote trade and foster connections between Vietnamese and Algerian firms.

Meeting Governor of Constantine Abdelkhalek Sayoda, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh highlighted the promising spheres for bilateral cooperation, including pharmaceuticals, tourism, agriculture, construction, labor and freshwater aquaculture, as encouraged by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Sayoda praised Vietnam's economic and trade achievements. He noted that both nations are at similar developmental stages and emphasized the need for enhanced economic and trade collaboration to bring Vietnam and Algeria closer together.

Expressing his desire to establish a twinned relationship with a suitable Vietnamese locality, he welcomed all forms of cooperation and encouraged people-to-people exchanges. The governor also urged Vietnamese firms to join cultural, art, and tourism events in Constantine to gain a deeper understanding of the local culture, lifestyle and people, cited VNA.

Governor of Constantine Abdelkhalek Sayoda (second from left) receives the Vietnamese delegation. (Photo: VNA)

President of the Constantine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Souici Larbi underlined Algeria's interest in financial cooperation with Vietnam, saying that both Constantine and Algeria are ready to welcome Vietnamese government leaders or officials from ministries to the country to sign cooperation agreements in this field.

Larbi pointed out the interest of Constantine enterprises in industrial machinery, noting that local companies are ready to diversify their partnerships if Vietnamese firms can meet the required technical standards.

Representatives of Constantine firms also expressed interest in collaborating in personnel training for restaurants and hotels, higher education, agriculture, and business incubation via fostering partnerships between universities in Constantine and those in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and Da Nang cities of Vietnam.

In Bordj Bou Arreridj, the Vietnamese delegation was briefed on the province's investment incentives under Algeria's updated Investment Law 2022 by President of its Chamber of Commerce and Industry Belouahri Radjeh.

Vietnamese firms accompanying the delegation explored potential cooperation with local companies in pharmaceuticals, industrial machinery and equipment, construction, and labor export.

During the trip, the delegation also introduced several halal-certified products from Vietnamese companies, inviting local friends to taste these products.

Vietnam represented at ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet attended the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-57) in Vientiane, Laos, on July 26.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat hailed the progress in relations between ASEAN and its partners, underlining the need for coordination to further deepen existing cooperation areas.

He emphasized economic, trade and investment cooperation should be a pillar and motivation to develop the relations practically, adding that it is necessary to promote economic connectivity, and effectively utilize free trade agreements between ASEAN and its partners.

Viet, who is also head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam, called on nations to boost closer coordination to effectively take advantage of new trends and growth drivers, and enhance cooperation in new fields such as science and technology application, innovation, digital and green transition, and energy transformation, towards sustainable development.

The Vietnamese diplomat suggested that ASEAN and its partners should continue to promote dialogue, consultation, and trust building, and join efforts in responding to common challenges through ASEAN-led mechanisms, thus contributing to shaping an open, transparent, inclusive regional structure that upholds international law, with ASEAN playing a central role.

Viet expected partners to continue to support ASEAN's common stance on the East Sea, as well as ASEAN's efforts to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, security, stability, cooperation and sustainable development.

At the event, representatives from ASEAN member states and the bloc's partner countries laid stress on their commitments to effectively implementing existing economic and trade agreements, and agreed to finalize negotiations on the establishment, upgrading and review of FTAs with partners such as China, the Republic of Korea, India and Canada as planned.

They affirmed their determination to continue expanding cooperation in new and potential areas such as digital economy, digital transformation, green transition, smart agriculture, energy transformation, and climate change response, contributing to promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development.

ASEAN's partners proposed many cooperation initiatives of common interest such as strengthening ASEAN-China people-to-people exchanges; and realizing the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Connectivity Initiative, the ASEAN-India Fund for Digital Future, a key initiative on digital innovation and the ASEAN - RoK Methane Reduction Action Partnership, the EU-ASEAN Green Initiative and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE).

Regarding regional and international issues such as the East Sea, Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the Middle East in the spirit of frank and practical dialogue, delegates from ASEAN and its partners underscored the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, and stability, and creating a favorable environment for inclusive growth and sustainable development, VOV reported.

At the ASEAN Post Ministerial Meeting with China (Photo: VNA)

The foreign ministers adopted numerous documents such as the ASEAN-Australia Plan of Action for the 2025-2029 period; the ASEAN-UK Joint Statement on Strengthening Connectivity, the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Strengthening Humanitarian Mine Action Cooperation; and the Joint Statement of ASEAN and Russia Foreign Ministers Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Russia’s Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

Within the framework of the ASEAN+1 meetings with Australia, Canada, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the European Union (EU), India, New Zealand, Russian Federation and the UK, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Foreign Minister of the RoK Cho Tae Yul co-chaired the ASEAN-Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting, during which the Vietnamese official affirmed that the RoK is one of ASEAN's most important partners.

He greatly valued the RoK's commitment to promoting a stronger partnership with the bloc and welcomed the RoK's proposal to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN.

The RoK official used the occasion to extend his deepest condolences to the Vietnamese delegation over the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

He applauded the progress in connectivity cooperation between ASEAN and the RoK in terms of infrastructure, institutions and people-to-people exchanges, saying that these contributed to creating a solid foundation for the bilateral relationship to continue developing dynamically and positively in the coming time.

The RoK and other ASEAN member states thanked and praised Vietnam's efforts and important contributions in its role as coordinator of the ASEAN-RoK relations over the past three years, which offers favorable conditions for efforts to elevate the bilateral relationship in the years to come.

On July 27, ASEAN Foreign Ministers and partners will attend the ASEAN-US Meeting and meetings within the frameworks of ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

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