HCM City (VNA)🐻 – The 15th ministerial meeting between Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos on drugs prevention and combat is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City on December 9-10.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Chairman of the National Committee for HIV/AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Prevention and Control, said the Vietnamese Government hopes to closely work with Cambodia and Laos in the fight against drugs, thus ensuring healthy and sustainable development in the respective nations.
The trilateral collaboration has become more important than ever given the increasingly complicated developments in the region and beyond, he said, adding that the meeting creates an opportunity for the three countries to discuss measures to drive the drug crime back.
Implementing the tripartite agreement on cross-border drugs prevention, the three countries have jointly held periodic meetings to exchange information and increase training cooperation, while conducting joint patrols along the shared borderlines to control drug-related crime.
They had also shared one another hundreds of pieces of information on drug-related crime, which have helped detect 1,813 cases in 19 Vietnamese provinces bordering with Cambodia and Laos since last December.
The competent agencies have worked together to bust 21 drug trafficking rings and eradicate 12 complicated drug hot-beds. They also seized over 455 kg of heroin, 4,000 kg of dried cannabis leaves, and 220,000 synthetic pills.
Participants suggested the three countries step up cooperation in the field via increasing educational activities to persuade local residents not to plant opium trees, use or trade drugs, and expanding programmes on building drug-free border areas.-VNA
Border guards in the central province of Ha Tinh, in collaboration with Lao police officers, busted members of a trans-national drug ring with 5.5 tonnes of drugs, said Chief in Command of the provincial Border Guard Senior Lieutenant Colonel Vo Trong Hai on July 26.
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam agreed to maintain their coordination to ensure security, order and safety at their shared border during the 2nd joint conference of their Defence and Security Committees.
As of June 17, Ca Mau province had achieved its target of supporting the construction and renovation of 4,400 homes, with a total budget of over 235 billion VND (about 9 million USD).
Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) Le Quoc Minh has called for technology to be leveraged not to replace identity, but to enhance it—allowing Vietnamese journalism to reach both local and global audiences.
In recent years, with strong support from the Party and State, and building on its tradition as a heroic news agency, the VNA has not only actively participated in OANA but also proactively proposed various ideas for cooperation, helping shape a fresh image of effective media collaboration in the digital era, said VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang.
The education sector has been one of the foundations playing a vital role in deepening Vietnam – New Zealand ties, said Prof. Damon Salesa, Vice-Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
Tien Giang province has addressed the housing needs of 608 poor, near-poor, and policy-beneficiary families facing housing difficulties. Of these, 370 houses were newly constructed while 238 underwent major renovations.
Dr Pham Minh Hung from the University of Economics and Business under Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said the fixed-term contract mechanism is a correct step, liberating the entire system from traditional constraints which have long stood in the way of innovation.
The partnership will focus on studying and recommending LRT routes that connect the city’s transport network with urban development zones, industrial parks, and TOD areas. The research will cover Thu Dau Mot city and surrounding areas, with completion scheduled before August 15, 2025.
Media must not only serve as a channel for information but also act as a vanguard in shaping public opinion, combating misinformation, upholding the Party’s ideological principles, and reinforcing unity between Vietnam and Laos.
In Vietnam, the voluntary blood donation movement was first launched on January 24, 1994. In 2008, the Prime Minister established the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation.
Currently, 20 Vietnamese citizens remain in Iran, including embassy staff and personnel. All are safe, mentally stable, and in regular contact with the embassy.
A VietnamPlus survey of 764 young people shows that 83.9% of Gen Z use smartphones to read news, only 12% use computers, and the rest access content via tablets.
GVB Startup 2025 attracted the participation of nearly 150 individuals and organisations from across Vietnam. The event seeks to promote bold and ambitious startup ideas and projects, contributing to the future of global innovation, and supporting startups through the provision of resources, networking opportunities, and market insights.
AI could not replace human judgment in verifying information and sensitive political events, and that humans remain the final gatekeepers of content, said Leonid Kovachich, head of the Asian department at Sputnik's international broadcasting division.
A veteran journalist of Argentina has praised the modern evolution of Vietnam’s press, which now serves a dual purpose: introducing Vietnam to the world while bringing global perspectives to domestic audiences.
The court announced that Quyet had submitted a written request to be tried in absentia, citing serious health issues. According to an official statement from Hospital 19/8, the defendant is suffering from multiple illnesses, experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath, with doctors warning of a “very high risk of death.”
A senior Party official highlighted the VNA’s consistent role over the past eight decades, noting that it remains a mainstream, uninterrupted, timely, accurate, and authoritative source of news that helps shape public opinion, strengthen public trust, and safeguard the ideological foundation of the Party.
Dr. Kobelev, born in 1938 in Ulyanovsk, was among the first Soviet scholars to specialise in Vietnam. As a former TASS correspondent during the war in Vietnam, he worked closely with Vietnamese institutions and later helped found Russia’s Centre for Vietnamese and ASEAN Studies.
At the conference (Photo: VNA)
