Vietnam News Today (Jul. 26): Vietnam Attends 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane
	Vietnam News Today (Jul. 27): Prime Minister Hosts Reception For Thai Counterpart's Special Envoy

President To Lam (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Photo: VNA)

President To Lam receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

On behalf of Vietnamese Party and State leaders, President To Lam hosted a reception in Hanoi on July 27 for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who came to Vietnam to offer condolences and pay tribute to late General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

At the reception, Secretary Blinken conveyed US President Joe Biden’s letter of condolences on the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to President To Lam.

In the letter, President Biden reminisced about his first meeting with General Secretary Trong in Washington D.C. in 2015. He expressed his pride in having stood side by side with the General Secretary during his visit to Hanoi in 2023 where they together opened up a new era of cooperation between the two countries.

President Biden called this event a testament to the two countries' shared desire for peace and prosperity for all and that it also reflected General Secretary Trong's determination to elevate the bilateral relations to the highest level, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, cited VNA.

The US President affirmed that the US will never forget his leadership and fully supports a strong, resilient, and independent Vietnam to which General Secretary Trong dedicated his life.

Secretary Blinken personally expressed his sorrow over the loss of a visionary leader and valued General Secretary Trong's contributions to strengthening and fostering Vietnam-US relations and the friendship between the two countries' people.

President Lam conveyed his heartfelt thanks to President Biden for his kind sentiments and deep condolences over the passing of General Secretary Trong, as well as to Secretary Blinken for traveling to Vietnam to offer condolences to the General Secretary’s family during this sorrowful time.

President To Lam shared that during his lifetime, General Secretary Trong highly valued developing relations with the US and often spoke fondly of President Biden. The historic visit to the US in 2015 by General Secretary Trong provided a strong impetus for the two countries to develop vigorously and become Comprehensive Strategic Partners as they are today.

Secretary Blinken affirmed that the US values its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and looks forward to further deepening this important bilateral relationship.

He expressed confidence that both sides will continue to uphold and nurture the Vietnam-US relations, strengthening the friendship between the two people according to General Secretary Trong’s wishes.

The US Secretary of State noted that the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss for the bilateral relations, and he affirmed that the US government and people would always remember and honor General Secretary Trong’s legacy, particularly his efforts to promote reconciliation and build a future of peace, stability, and prosperity for the region and the world

On this occasion, President Lam and Secretary Blinken expressed their pleasure at the positive development in the bilateral relations in recent times across various fields, including politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, security-defense, and war legacy remediation.

President Lam reaffirmed that Vietnam considers the US a top strategic partner and welcomes the US’s continued commitment to supporting a “strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous” Vietnam. He expressed the desire to closely coordinate in fulfilling the commitments of General Secretary Trong and President Biden to deepen and stabilize the new framework of relations.

Secretary Blinken thanked President Lam for his support of the good Vietnam-US partnership and stressed that the US regards Vietnam as a top partner in the region.

He affirmed the US’s commitment to working with Vietnam to further strengthen the bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in regional and international forums on shared concerns, contributing to promoting dialogue, peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world, including frameworks such as the Mekong-US Partnership, ASEAN, APEC, and the United Nations, for the common peace, stability, and prosperity of the region and the world.

PM offers incense in tribute to fallen heroes on War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh offered incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and fallen heroes, and presented gifts to policy beneficiary families in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on July 27, on the occasion of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day.

The incense-offering ceremony took place at the National Relic Site 27/7 in Ban Co village, Hung Son town, Dai Tu district, where 300 officials, soldiers and people from all walks of life gathered on July 27, 1947 to hear President Ho Chi Minh's letter recognizing the birth of the War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day. The site now stands as a memorial to martyrs nationwide.

Presenting gifts to veterans and martyrs’ families in Dai Tu district, PM Chinh said over the past 77 years, the Vietnamese Party and State have always provided special care and preferential treatment for war invalids, martyrs' families and revolution contributors, considering it an important and regular political task.

He hailed them as war heroes who also excelled in education, labor and production. Their contributions to national construction and defense, he said, made them exemplary models for the youth to admire, learn from and follow, according to VOV.

PM Pham Minh Chinh offers incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and fallen heroes in Dai Tu district of Thai Nguyen province. (Photo: VNA)

The leader also urged localities, agencies, and organizations to launch more practical activities to honor those who devoted their lives to the cause of national liberation and reunification.

In the afternoon, the PM visited the National Relic Site of Company 915, Battalion 91 Bac Thai in Thai Nguyen city. There, he offered incense to 60 volunteer youth martyrs who fell down on the night of December 24, 1972 while on duty.

PM Chinh also visited a space displaying the “Flame of Company 915”, highlighting its role in the national liberation struggle and its enduring legacy as a heroic epic for current and future generations.

Vietnam attends Mekong-US Partnership Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Laos

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, empowered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the third Mekong-US Partnership (MUSP) Foreign Ministerial Meeting held in Vientiane, Laos, on July 27.

As part of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-57) and related meetings hosted by Laos, the event marked 15 years since the establishment of a formal partnership between Mekong sub-region countries and the US, which began with the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), VNA reported.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet (Photo: VNA)

Member countries assessed that via the successful implementation of its 2021-2023 action plan, the MUSP has significantly contributed to enhancing climate resilience, energy transition, and ensuring food, energy, and water security. The MUSP has also helped the sub-region empower women and youths and establish an annual dialogue platform for scholars and experts to propose measures for sustainable development and regional challenges.

Vietnam and other Mekong countries emphasized the need for the sub-region to be a core element in MUSP-related cooperation. They proposed several priorities for the future, including climate change adaptation, sustainable water management, economic connectivity, infrastructure development, business network integration, building a high-tech workforce, and encouraging leading research institutions from member countries to conduct joint studies on emerging technologies.

The meeting adopted a joint statement and the MUSP action plan for 2024-2026, with Laos officially transferring the role of co-chair of MUSP cooperation to Thailand.

Vietnam’s contributions to 29- year journey of joining ASEAN

Vietnam will continue proactively and responsibly promoting the role, position, and prestige of ASEAN whilst upholding its solidarity and centrality as the regional bloc moves towards building and realizing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

This affirmation was made by the Vietnamese Ambassador to ASEAN Ton Thi Ngoc Huong in a recent interview given to a VOV correspondent in Jakarta, Indonesia, ahead of the 29th anniversary of Vietnam joining ASEAN back in July 28, 1995.

On July 28, 1995, the nation became an official member of the bloc and during the journey of accompanying ASEAN for nearly 30 years, the country has remained determined to contribute in a proactive, positive, and responsible spirit.

Ambassador Huong emphasized three important milestones in the process of Vietnamese engagement in ASEAN, namely being the Chair of the ASEAN Standing Committee for the 2000 to 2001 term. After the ASEAN Charter was issued, the country served as ASEAN Chair again in 2010 and 2020.

Vietnam's ASEAN Chair terms marked some of its most important and significant contributions to the regional grouping, especially in 2020 when the region experienced an extremely great challenge, namely the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, causing very profound and serious consequences globally.

Furthermore, the nation also contributed to shaping important future development directions of the bloc, such as building and approving the Hanoi Action Plan in 1998 with ASEAN to respond to the 1997 to 1998 financial and economic crisis.

It also contributed to building and realizing the ASEAN Vision 2020, the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Charter, as well as successfully assuming the role of coordinating ties between ASEAN and important partners such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the United States, and Russia, cited VOV.

Vietnamese Ambassador to ASEAN Ton Thi Ngoc Huong.

Vietnamese contributions have been acknowledged by ASEAN member states and partners, thereby helping to reinforce solidarity, unity, centrality, and the self-reliance of ASEAN in the face of a rapidly evolving and complex regional and international environment.

The Vietnamese diplomat highlighted the nation’s consistent commitment to ASEAN as being among the top countries in terms of implementing commitments on economic integration in the regional bloc. Indeed, the Vietnamese side initiated the idea of ​​forming the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community and paid great attention to building a harmonious, cohesive, unique, and people-focused ASEAN Community.

At the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-57) in Vientiane, Laos, Vietnam officially transferred the role of organizing ASEAN-RoK relations and took over the role of coordinating ties between ASEAN and two new partners, namely New Zealand and the UK.

According to the Ambassador, this is also a new practice in ASEAN, because for the first time the nation will take on the role of coordinating with two partners at the same time in one period.

The country is closely working alongside with partners as well as the current co-ordinating country, Brunei, to carry out the smooth and effective transfer of the role, as well as devising a plan to promote relations between ASEAN and two partners, New Zealand and the UK, for the 2024 to 2027 period.

Vietnam's medal hopes high as Paris 2024 Olympics kick off

Vietnam's quest for Olympic medals continues as the Paris 2024 Games begin. This year, the sports delegation, featuring 16 athletes, is focused on achieving podium finishes in shooting, archery, and weightlifting events.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Vietnam's delegation did not win any medals. This year, with 16 athletes, including two special invitees, the goal is to secure a medal in any of the disciplines they are competing in, particularly shooting, archery, and weightlifting.

In shooting, Trinh Thu Vinh will compete in the women's 10m air pistol event on the afternoon of July 27. Her chances of advancing past the qualifiers are high, given her 5th-place finish at the 2023 World Championships. If she makes it to the finals, anything is possible.

At the 2016 Olympics, shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh made history with one gold and one silver medal, the highest achievement ever for Vietnam in the Olympics.

Trinh Thu Vinh's potential for a medal is bolstered by the assessment of Park Chung Gun, the Korean expert and head coach of the Vietnamese shooting team.

"During training and international competitions, Vinh has shown consistent performance. Her current scores in the 10m air pistol and 25m sports pistol events are consistently around 580 and 583 points, respectively. If she maintains this form and times her peak performance well, she can reach the finals and contend for a medal," he said.

Another shooter, Le Thi Mong Tuyen, will compete in the women's 10m air rifle event. While Tuyen is among the top contenders in Asia, she will need an extraordinary performance to secure a medal, VNN reported.

Trinh Thu Vinh was once ranked 5th in the world.

In weightlifting, Trinh Van Vinh (61kg men's category) is another medal hopeful for Vietnam. His career-best total lift is 307kg. To win a medal at Paris 2024, the weightlifter from Bac Ninh province will need to lift at least 300kg. Although his total lift at the 2024 Weightlifting World Cup was 294kg (131kg snatch and 163kg clean and jerk), Vinh has previously achieved remarkable lifts. If he performs at his best, he could spring a surprise.

In archery, Vietnam's hopes lie with archers Do Thi Anh Nguyet and Le Quoc Phong. In her first match on July 25, Anh Nguyet scored a total of 648 points, placing her 37th out of 64 archers. She will face Fallah Mobina from Iran in the knockout round on July 30. Mobina scored 652 points, ranking 28th in the opening round.

Anh Nguyet’s teammate, Le Quoc Phong, scored 652 points, ranking 47th out of 64 archers. He will face Olaru Dan from Moldova, who ranked 18th with 671 points.

In the mixed team event, Le Quoc Phong and Do Thi Anh Nguyet scored a combined 1,300 points, placing 24th out of 27 teams. Only the top 16 teams advanced to the knockout round, so Vietnam did not qualify in this category. However, the two archers still have opportunities in the individual events.

Other athletes, such as swimmer Huy Hoang, cyclist Nguyen Thi That, badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh, and boxers Vo Thi Kim Anh and Ha Thi Linh, while having slim chances of winning medals, are still highly anticipated.

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics took place at 0:30 AM on July 27 (Vietnam time). Vietnam's delegation paraded with 10 members (6 athletes and 4 officials). The flag bearers were Le Duc Phat (badminton) and Nguyen Thi That (cycling).

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