Friendship
Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association: 30 Years of Building Bridges Between the Peoples
Over the past 30 years, the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association has maintained traditional friendship exchanges while expanding its activities to localities, businesses, educational institutions and younger generations. As Viet Nam-Thailand relations enter a new phase as a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Association continues to renew its approaches and methods of operation, taking effectiveness and substantive value as the benchmarks for its activities.
Friendship
Viet Nam-Philippines: Building Bridges Through Education
Nearly 2,000 Vietnamese students and trainees have completed programmes under educational cooperation between Thai Nguyen University and Philippine partners, while nearly 300 Filipino students have received scholarships to study in Viet Nam. As the two countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations, a Hanoi roundtable highlighted the role of education in connecting people, developing young human resources and creating new opportunities for long-term cooperation.
Friendship
Japan to Continue Supporting Viet Nam in Poverty Reduction and Narrowing Development Gaps
Japan will continue to support Viet Nam in its efforts to reduce poverty and narrow development gaps, said Masafumi Saito, First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Viet Nam, in an interview with Viet Nam Times Magazine at the Workshop on sharing and scaling up results and Lessons learned from the project model “Improving the livelihoods of ethnic minority people in Son La province through agriculture and nutrition improvement.”
Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tu Elected President of Viet Nam-Sweden Friendship Association for 2026-2031 Term
On September 30 in Hanoi, the 6th National Congress of the Viet Nam-Sweden Friendship Association for the 2026-2031 term elected Nguyen Thanh Tu, Deputy Minister of Justice, as President of the Association. For the new term, the Association has identified the need to strongly renew its content and methods of operation, expanding from friendship exchanges to substantive connections and cooperation that deliver concrete results.
Quang Tri: Where War Memory Grows into Peace
On September 25, 2026, on the banks of the Nhat Le River in Dong Hoi Ward, Quang Tri Province, hundreds of doves were released from the foot of the Mother Suot Monument by domestic and international delegates, including former officials, diplomats, scholars, veterans and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Earlier, they had signed a panel bearing a Message of Peace, which will be sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The international symposium “From memory to the future: The value of peace,” held as part of the 2026 For Peace Festival, continued Quang Tri’s efforts to preserve memories of war, address its consequences and move toward building a cultural space for peace.
Expanding Viet Nam-India Partnership Network
On September 29 in Hanoi, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Vietnam Tshering Wangchuk Sherpa to discuss directions for promoting people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the coming period.
Viet Nam-Algeria: Looking Back on History, Nurturing Friendship
According to a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent in Algiers, on the morning of September 27, Vietnamese and Algerian agencies jointly organised a screening of the documentary Viet Nam-Algeria: Far apart yet close, introducing the history and development of the friendship and comradeship between the two countries, their peoples and their respective revolutionary struggles to a large number of Algerian leaders and military personnel, as well as Vietnamese officials and the Vietnamese community in Algeria.
Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Pays Tribute to Fallen Kazakh Military Personnel
On September 28 in Hanoi, a delegation from the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), led by VUFO Vice President Dong Huy Cuong, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Vietnam to pay tribute and sign the condolence book in memory of military personnel who died while on duty in Mangystau Province.
Wanting One Year, Finding a Lifetime
At the age of 20, Tang Ping came to Hanoi from Guangxi, China, with plans to study in Viet Nam for just one year. Little did she know that this land would keep her there for so long. And she now wants to spend the rest of her life here. She recalls:
Five Bells for Peace Aboard the Odyssey
Five bells rang aboard the Odyssey in Ho Chi Minh City, carrying the peace wishes of international friends sharing the journey. The activity took place one day after members of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise community gathered at the War Remnants Museum.
From Memory to the Future: Nurturing Peace, Friendship and Cooperation
On September 25, in Dong Hoi Ward, Quang Tri Province, the Viet Nam Peace and Development Council, in coordination with the Quang Tri Union of Friendship Organizations, held an international seminar titled “From memory to the future: The value of peace.”
General Secretary and President Calls for Expanded Vietnam-Canada People-to-people Exchanges
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam called on members of the Canada-Vietnam Friendship Association to work more closely with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association, and continue to enhance their role as a bridge between the two peoples.
War-Time Frames Tell the Story of Peace
On the occasion of the International Day of Peace on September 21, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City inaugurated a newly renovated exhibition space featuring three thematic exhibitions: “Requiem,” “Agent Orange in the War in Viet Nam,” and “Viet Nam: War and Peace.” The documentary photographs invite the public to look back on a painful past while conveying a message about the value of peace to present and future generations.
Viet Nam-Armenia Friendship Association Congratulates Armenia on 35th Independence Day
Marking the 35th anniversary of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia (September 21, 1991-September 21, 2026), the Viet Nam-Armenia Friendship Association visited the Embassy of Armenia in Viet Nam to extend its congratulations and affirmed that it would continue to coordinate in organising friendship exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.
Party General Secretary and President Meets American Friends
General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that the Vietnamese people have not forgotten those who stood by them during the most difficult years.
The Bell of Peace Rings Out from the War Remnants Museum
On September 20, a programme in response to the United Nations International Day of Peace (September 21) was held at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of representatives from peace and friendship organisations and more than 50 international guests from the Villa Vie Odyssey community and the Global Flagship of Peace initiative. In a space preserving memories of war, the bell of peace rang out alongside a message of dialogue, understanding and a shared commitment to the future.
The Bonds Between People Are Why I Love Viet Nam
Speaking about Viet Nam, where I currently live and work, brings me many emotions. What I notice most clearly about Ha Noi is the increasingly rapid pace of change across society. Residential complexes, shopping malls, roads and new bridges are continuously being built throughout the city. Some places have changed dramatically in just a few months. Particularly recently, it is easy to see that Hanoi is implementing major projects on drainage and water treatment to reduce flooding. This shows that the Government is taking urban infrastructure improvement very seriously.
10 Local Union Organizations Sign Agreement on Coordinating People-to-People Diplomacy for 2026-2027
The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations of 10 provinces and cities under Emulation Cluster No. 2 have signed an Emulation Agreement for 2026-2027, focusing on coordinating friendship activities, external information, the mobilisation of foreign non-governmental aid, work involving overseas Vietnamese, and organisational development.
KFHI Funds VND 5 Billion Project to Improve Life in Dong Duong
The Da Nang City People's Committee has approved the acceptance of the project "Child-Focused Community Transformation - CFCT (Phase I)" in Dong Duong Commune, funded by Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) of the Republic of Korea. The project has a total budget of more than VND 5 billion and will be implemented through September 2031.
50 Years of Viet Nam-Philippines: Friendship and Cooperation
The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Viet Nam–Southeast Asia Friendship Association, held a ceremony on September 16, marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the Philippines (July 12, 1976 - July 12, 2026).
Opening of 14th Viet Nam-China People’s Forum: Joining Hands and Moving Forward Together to Build Community with Shared Future
On September 20, the opening ceremony of the 14th Vietnam–China People’s Forum was held in Wuyi Mountain, Nanping City, Fujian Province, China, under the theme “Joining hands and moving forward together to build a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future of strategic significance at a higher level.” The forum brought together a large number of experts and researchers from theoretical agencies, Party schools, academies, news agencies and media organizations, as well as the business communities of both countries.
30 Minutes of “Quintessential Viet Nam” Every Day
Affection for a country can stem from the simplest of things. For Kaneya Manabu, a Japanese national who formerly served as a police officer in Saitama Prefecture and later chose to make Viet Nam his home, one such thing is the workplace lunch nap. Though it lasts only about 30 minutes a day, this habit has given him a deeper appreciation for the local rhythm of life and a distinctly Vietnamese approach to balancing work and personal time.
Dien Bien Provides Professional Training for 14 Officials from Northern Lao Provinces
14 officials from the Lao provinces of Oudomxay and Phongsaly will participate in a training and field-study program, focusing on five topics, in Dien Bien from September 14 to October 15, 2026.
