National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, his spouse, and a high-level Vietnamese delegation are in Geneva, Switzerland to attend the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and carry out bilateral activities from July 27 to 30, 2025. This marks Chairman Man’s first official visit to Switzerland, aiming to reinforce political trust and deepen the Vietnam–Switzerland Comprehensive Partnership while promoting cooperation across various sectors.

The year 2025 marks 30 years since Vietnam became a member of ASEAN. Over the past three decades, the decision to join the bloc has proven to be a historically and strategically significant move by the Party and the State, bringing major benefits in terms of security, development, and international standing. With a proactive, positive, and responsible approach, Vietnam has made many practical contributions to ASEAN’s success.

On the morning of July 20, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Government’s Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Project 06, chaired the committee’s third meeting to review progress made in the first half of the year, and set out tasks for the remainder of 2025. In the first six months, ministries, sectors, and localities completed 76 out of 106 tasks under the Action Programme implementing Resolution 57.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man is paying an official visit to Morocco from July 24 to 27 at the invitation of Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami. The visit reflects the foreign policy line set by the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which promotes independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and proactive, comprehensive, and deep integration into the world.

Vietnam’s team secured 2 gold medals, 3 silver, and 1 bronze with a total score of 188, placing 9th among 113 countries and territories at the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), held from July 10 to 20 in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

To date, the Ministry of Public Security has launched 43 utilities on the VNeID platform, effectively serving both citizens and businesses with a people-centred approach.

At the invitation of El Malick Ndiaye, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Senegal, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man is paying an official visit to Senegal from July 22 to 24, 2025. This is the highest-level visit ever between the two countries in over 55 years of diplomatic ties, and is expected to mark a turning point, opening up new prospects for bilateral cooperation.

According to the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion, as of July 19, 2025, a total of 266,511 makeshift and dilapidated houses across the country have received support for reconstruction. Of these, 231,513 have been completed, while construction has commenced on the remaining 34,998.

To ensure a green environment for the series of activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945-2025) and the National Day (September 2, 1945-2025), Hanoi has launched a range of environmental sanitation measures.

With a score of 91.00, Hoi An has been ranked sixth among the world’s best destinations for 2025, as voted by readers of the prestigious Travel + Leisure magazine.

The iconic Vietnamese dish bun bo Hue has been officially inscribed on the list of national intangible cultural heritage under the category of folk knowledge. A symbol of Hue’s culinary tradition, the dish embodies centuries of folk wisdom and reflects the soul, lifestyle, and gastronomy of the Hue people. This recognition not only affirms the cultural value of Hue cuisine but also marks an important step towards the city’s ambition of becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Launched recently, this AI-assisted handbook on VneID has quickly proven valuable, with over 67,800 visits to date, offering useful support to citizens, businesses, and government bodies.

The Vietnamese team achieved a historic milestone at the 2025 International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), securing four gold medals — including two ranked among the top ten. This marks the first time Vietnam has won four golds at an in-person edition of the IChO.

With the newly-adopted decisions at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, Vietnam now has a total of nine World Heritage sites. Among them are two inter-provincial World Heritage sites: Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago (Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city) and the Complex of Monuments and Landscapes of Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac (Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh provinces and Hai Phong city). Additionally, Vietnam now has its first transboundary World Heritage site: Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri province) – Hin Nam No National Park (Khammouane province, Laos).

Vietnam’s Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Scenic Landscape Complex has been officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held recently in France. This marks Vietnam’s 9th World Heritage site recognised by UNESCO and the second trans-provincial heritage site, following Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago (which spans Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City).

With its cool climate and poetic highland landscapes, Da Lat remains an ideal getaway for travel enthusiasts. The city has recently been ranked among the top five most affordable summer destinations in Asia, highlighting its growing appeal as a budget-friendly yet experience-rich destination.

The traditional craft of making banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri village has been officially inscribed on Vietnam’s list of national intangible cultural heritage under the category of folk knowledge and traditional craftsmanship. This recognition marks a significant milestone in preserving, honouring, and promoting the unique cultural and culinary values of the craft village, enriching the capital’s gastronomic heritage.

In the first six months of 2025, Vietnam’s total outbound investment — including both newly registered and adjusted capital — reached 487.1 million USD, 3.6 times higher than the same period in 2024. Key sectors included electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and air conditioning production and distribution (111.2 million USD), transportation and warehousing (78.5 million USD), and wholesale, retail, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (76.8 million USD).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has urged nationwide efforts to totally eradicate makeshift and dilapidated housing by August 31. In particular, he stressed that all substandard homes belonging to national contributors, relatives of martyrs, and revolutionary veterans must be addressed no later than July 27, 2025, as a tangible and meaningful gesture of gratitude for their sacrifices and service.

In the first six months of 2025, over 91,200 new businesses were registered nationwide (up 11.8%), while more than 61,500 businesses resumed operations (up 57.2%). This brought the total number of newly established and reactivated businesses to over 152,700, a 26.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024.