| Vietnam News Today (Aug. 8) notable headlines Party leader calls for stronger Vietnam – Japan economic connectivity Vietnam and Angola to build model for South-South cooperation in Africa Senior officials of Vietnamese, Australian ministries of foreign affairs hold first dialogue Vietnam's FDI hits USD 24.09 billion in first seven months of 2025 Vietnam ranks among Asia’s top three most revisited destinations Domestic, international players eye Vietnam’s pilot digital asset market Vietnamese consumers drive strong shift toward digital shopping |
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| Party General Secretary To Lam (R) receives Yuko Obuchi, Japanese Diet member and Chair of the Japan–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, in Hanoi on August 7. (Photo: nhandan.vn) |
Party leader calls for stronger Vietnam – Japan economic connectivity
Enhancing economic connectivity between Vietnam and Japan is a top priority in bilateral relations, Party General Secretary To Lam said during his reception in Hanoi on August 7 for Yuko Obuchi, Japanese Diet member and Chair of the Japan–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance.
Noting the 1,300-year history of cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan, the leader expressed satisfaction with the vibrant, multi-channel cooperation that has emerged since the upgrade of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership nearly two years ago. He highlighted growing collaboration across politics, economy, human resources, education, as well as in emerging fields like green transition and digitalization, along with deeper local and cultural exchanges.
The Party leader briefed his guest on Vietnam’s ambitions goals to become a modern industrialised nation with upper-middle income by 2030 and a high-income developed economy by 2045. He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to institutional reform, administrative innovation, scientific and technological breakthroughs, and streamlined governance as key pillars for sustainable growth.
The leader emphasized the strategic importance of Japan among Vietnam’s long-term international partners and highlighted the private sector and international integration as critical engines of progress.
He called on the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance to continue playing a vital role as a bridge between the two legislatures, governments, and business communities, facilitating greater Japanese business participation in Vietnam’s strategic infrastructure projects, renewable energy development, and sustainable urban initiatives.
He also proposed expanding collaboration in human resource training, supporting industries, climate change adaptation, and people-to-people exchanges. Vietnam, he affirmed, is committed to providing favorable conditions for Japanese enterprises to operate effectively and contribute to both countries' development.
The Party chief also underscored the importance of supporting the Vietnamese community in Japan and mutual cooperation within regional and international forums.
Obuchi, for her part, conveyed her admiration for Vietnam’s impressive economic growth and the vibrancy of its people. She noted Japan’s strong support for Vietnam’s renewal initiatives and expressed eagerness to collaborate in delivering Vietnam’s development goals into the new era.
Stressing the need to further deepen multilateral cooperation amid a shifting global context, she called for expanded engagement in areas beyond politics and economy, including defense, people-to-people exchanges, green infrastructure, smart development, and urban rail.
Obuchi pledged to further promote exchanges between lawmakers and citizens of both countries, while connecting Japanese businesses with Vietnamese partners, to help foster the Japan-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership in a new era.
Vietnam and Angola to build model for South-South cooperation in Africa
Vietnam and Angola have agreed to strengthen their partnership and develop it into a model for South-South cooperation on the African continent.
The agreement was reached during talks in Luanda on August 7 between Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco and his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong.
Emphasizing that Angola is one of Vietnam’s leading partner in Africa, President Cuong stated that the two countries still have ample potential to strengthen cooperation and they should build a partnership for joint development, serving as a model for South-South cooperation.
Vietnam wishes to deepen and expand comprehensive cooperation with Angola in key areas such as defense, security, education, healthcare, agriculture, and human resource training, he told his host.
President Lourenco, for his part, expressed admiration for Vietnam’s development achievements and welcomed enhanced bilateral cooperation. He called on Vietnam to share its expertise in agriculture, especially rice and fruit cultivation, to help Angola ensure sustainable food security. He also invited Vietnamese businesses to invest in Angola in areas such as energy, mining, metallurgy, defense, and trade.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance the effectiveness of the Vietnam –Angola Intergovernmental Committee, boost bilateral trade, and jointly develop economic cooperation agreements.
Sharing a common understanding with his host on the importance of elevating bilateral trade and investment relations, President Cuong proposed that Angolan authorities create favorable conditions and offer incentives for Vietnamese enterprises to promptly implement investment projects and plans in areas such as oil and gas, energy, mineral exploration and processing, and the metallurgical industry.
He also recommended that the two sides strengthen trade promotion activities, enhance business-to-business connectivity, boost cooperation between the two countries’ banking systems, while stepping up the negotiation and signing of foundational economic cooperation agreements, aiming to raise bilateral trade turnover to US$1 billion in the near future.
President Cuong also urged the Angolan government to facilitate a stable and secure living and working environment for the Vietnamese community in their host country, recognizing their role as a vital bridge to strengthen bilateral ties, cited VOV.
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| Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco (R) and his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong shake hands for a photo ahead of their talks in Luanda on August 7. |
On regional and international issues, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to resolving disputes by peaceful means, based on respect for international law and the UN Charter.
President Cuong also called on Angola to support Vietnam’s efforts to deepen cooperation with the African Union and gain greater representation in international organizations.
On this occasion, President Cuong extended a warm invitation to President Lourenco and his spouse to pay an official visit to Vietnam. President Lourenco thanked the Vietnamese leader and gladly accepted the invitation.
At the end of the talks, the two presidents issued a joint statement between Vietnam and Angola, affirming both sides’ commitment and determination to open a new chapter in their bilateral cooperation. The two leaders co-hosted a press briefing and witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents on the transfer of sentenced persons, on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, on crime prevention and control, as well as in the fields of defense, agriculture, broadcasting and oil and gas cooperation.
This is President Luong Cuong’s first official State visit to Angola, and it takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating 50 years of their diplomatic relations (1975–2025).
During his stay from August 6 – 8, President Cuong is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the National Assembly of Angola.
Senior officials of Vietnamese, Australian ministries of foreign affairs hold first dialogue
At the invitation of Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michelle Chan, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong visited Australia from August 4-7 and co-chaired the first dialogue between senior officials from the two foreign ministries.
At the dialogue, both sides expressed satisfaction with the intensive and extensive development of bilateral relationship since it was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year. They noted with appreciation that cooperation under this upgraded framework has been advancing effectively and comprehensively across all six pillars, with over 100 joint activities completed and nearly 60 ongoing activities on track, yielding tangible results across multiple sectors.
The officials adopted the annual review report of the Action Program for the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2024-2027.
On political and defense-security cooperation, the dialogue highlighted deepening strategic trust. Regular mechanisms, including the Ministerial Security Dialogue in October 2024 and the current Senior Officials’ Dialogue, have fostered greater mutual understanding. Both sides agreed to coordinate preparations for upcoming high-level exchanges, including a foreign ministers’ meeting and a defense policy dialogue.
On the economic front, they welcomed a 2.3% hike in two-way trade to 14.1 billion USD in 2024. Australia has opened its market to Vietnamese passion fruit, while Vietnam has approved the import of Australian plums. Notably, Australia's registered investment in Vietnam exceeded the 3 billion USD mark for the the first time in the first half of this year, according to VNA.
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| Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong (L) and Australian Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michelle Chan (Photo: baoquocte.vn) |
The two countries will effectively realize Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 and the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) between Vietnam and Australia, while finalising and signing a Memorandum of Understanding on digital economy.
They also agreed to hold the first ministerial dialogue on energy and minerals, and continue with effective coordination at regional and multilateral economic forums, as well as regional trade agreements to which they are parties, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Vietnam praised Australia’s strong commitment to provide and increase official development assistance (ODA) in recent years. Cuong acknowledged Australia’s practical and impactful initiatives, especially those supporting climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta, and called for continued support for Vietnam’s energy transition in pursuit of net-zero emissions target by 2050.
In sci-tech and innovation, both sides promised to further advance the Australia–Vietnam Innovation Partnership program (Aus4Innovation). The establishment of the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technology Centre in June was hailed as a pivotal step. Both sides recognized sci-tech and innovation as promising areas for collaboration, aligning with Vietnam’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in sci-tech, innovation and national digital transformation. They committed to strengthening university and research ties, promoting academic exchanges for students and doctoral researchers, and fostering joint research to drive innovation.
On the occasion, Cuong also held working sessions with leaders from various Australian agencies, localities, scholars, and researchers. Their discussions focused on future directions for the bilateral ties, including enhanced local-level cooperation and deeper collaboration in sci-tech, and education.
He also met with representatives from the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Association, the Vietnam-Australia Scholars & Experts Association, and other members of the Vietnamese community. He listened to their recommendations on how overseas Vietnamese professionals and businesspeople can further contribute to Vietnam’s economic growth, scientific advancement, and innovation ecosystem.
Vietnam's FDI hits USD 24.09 billion in first seven months of 2025
FDI from 74 countries boosts growth, with Singapore and China leading the way.
As of July 31, 2025, total foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam - including newly registered capital, adjusted capital, and capital contributions or share purchases by foreign investors - reached USD 24.09 billion, marking a 27.3% increase compared to the same period last year.
According to the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, there were 2,254 newly licensed FDI projects during the period, with a total registered capital of USD 10.03 billion. While the number of projects increased by 15.2% year-on-year, the total registered capital declined by 11.1%. The manufacturing and processing sector attracted the largest portion of new FDI, followed by real estate, which accounted for 23.5%.
Among the 74 countries and territories with newly licensed investment projects in Vietnam over the seven-month period, Singapore led the pack, contributing 28.3% of total newly registered capital. China ranked second, followed by Sweden, Japan, and Taiwan (China), which invested USD 735 million, representing 7.3% of the total.
European investors have also maintained a steady presence in Vietnam. Nguyen Hai Minh, Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham), emphasized that Vietnam remains an attractive destination for foreign investment, particularly from Europe. He cited Vietnam’s geographic location, infrastructure, preferential policies, and political stability as key advantages.
In terms of adjusted capital, 920 existing projects registered to increase their investment by a total of USD 9.99 billion, an impressive 95.3% increase year-on-year, VNN reported.
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| Foreign businesses continue to place trust in Vietnam’s investment environment. |
There were also 1,982 instances of capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors, with a combined value of USD 4.07 billion - up 61.0% from the same period in 2024. Of these, 836 cases involved capital contributions that raised charter capital, totaling USD 1.52 billion, while 1,146 transactions involved share purchases that did not increase charter capital, valued at USD 2.55 billion.
Of note, realized FDI disbursement in the first seven months of 2025 is estimated at USD 13.6 billion, up 8.4% year-on-year. This marks the highest level of FDI disbursement for a seven-month period in the past five years. Within this total, the manufacturing and processing sector accounted for USD 11.1 billion (81.6%), real estate activities reached USD 1.09 billion (8.0%), and electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply totaled USD 505.2 million (3.7%).
Vietnam ranks among Asia’s top three most revisited destinations
Vietnam has been named one of Asia’s top three countries attracting the highest number of returning international tourists, according to a new ranking by online travel platform Agoda.
Agoda’s 2025 Return Visitor Rank, based on booking data in the first half of 2025, placed Vietnam third after Japan and Thailand.
Da Nang made its debut in the top 10 most revisited cities in Asia, earning the title of the most attractive city in Asia, according to Agoda. This marks a major milestone for the central coastal city and further cements Vietnam’s growing appeal on the regional tourism map.
In the first six months, the five most revisited destinations in Vietnam were Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Phu Quoc. While the three beach paradises captivate visitors with white sand, clear waters, and sun-soaked resorts, the two major cities win hearts with their vibrant urban energy, deep cultural layers, and diverse local cuisine, offering a perfect balance of relaxation and local immersion, reported VNA.
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| Vietnam among Asia’s most revisited travel destinations: Agoda |
Beyond Vietnam, Agoda’s ranking also highlighted other major Asian destinations that attract frequent returns, including Bangkok, Tokyo and Osaka, Seoul, Bali, China's Taipei, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. These cities offer a rich array of experiences from food to culture, allowing travelers to discover something new with every visit.
The latest ranking underscores Vietnam’s strong recovery in tourism and its growing reputation as a destination that not only attracts first-time visitors but also keeps them coming back.
Around 1.56 million international tourists visited Vietnam in July, bringing the total number of foreign arrivals in the first seven months to 12.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 22.5%, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
The nation set an ambitious goal of attracting 22-23 million international visitors in 2025, as compared to 17.5 million in the previous year.
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