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Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang (right) and Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu at their meeting in Hanoi on December 9 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Russia promote law enforcement cooperation

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang chaired a welcome ceremony and held talks with Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu in Hanoi on December 9.

During the talks, Quang emphasized that since Party General Secretary To Lam’s May official visit to Russia, where he attended the ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, bilateral cooperation has been growing strongly in various fields. These include politics – diplomacy, security – defense, science – technology, the economy, education – training, transport, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Regarding security and law enforcement cooperation, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and relevant Russian authorities have regularly held mutual visits at various levels, signed new agreements to meet the collaboration demand in the new phase, coordinated in verifying, capturing, and extraditing criminals related to the two countries' citizens, and organised training courses and programmes to improve staff capacity, cited VNA.

Given the rapidly changing global and regional landscapes, with both traditional and non-traditional security challenges turning more complex and criminal activities becoming more sophisticated and transnational, directly impacting the social stability and security of both Vietnam and Russia, Quang proposed that both sides continue to fruitfully implement the Vietnam – Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

The minister stressed that his ministry and the Russian Federation Security Council Office, as well as other law enforcement and security agencies of Russia, need to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels to share information on issues of mutual concern, work together in verifying and handling cases involving citizens of the countries, and regularly consult, coordinate with, and support each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms.

For his part, Shoigu affirmed that security cooperation is an important pillar of the Vietnam – Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

He expressed confidence that with the political commitment and strong support of the high-ranking leaders of both countries, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, and the Russian law enforcement and security agencies, the two sides will continue to expand ties in various areas, including counter-terrorism, transnational crime prevention, information security, cybersecurity, capacity building for personnel, and other areas of mutual interest.

Vietnam, RoK strengthen cooperation on trade remedies

The Korea Trade Commission under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on December 9 announced that it successfully co-hosted the 9th conference on the Vietnam-RoK trade remedy cooperation and the 10th meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Committee on Trade Remedy to discuss ways to boost cooperation with the Vietnamese Government in the field of trade remedies.

The two countries have maintained annual exchanges to discuss bilateral trade-remedy issues, based on the Vietnam–RoK FTA which came into effect in 2015, and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on expanded cooperation between their trade-remedy authorities signed in 2018.

At the meetings held in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang, both sides shared updates on changes in relevant laws, policies and organisational structures, while exchanging views on each country’s import regulations. Technical matters concerning investigations, including cross-border subsidies and procedures for initiating probes, were also discussed, according to VNA.

Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)

Currently, both the RoK and Vietnam are each applying four trade-remedy measures on goods imported from the other. In particular, the RoK side called on Vietnam to exercise caution in its application of anti-dumping measures on four steel products from the RoK.

A MOTIE official said that through the discussions, the two sides agreed to continue operating their trade-remedy systems in a prudent, transparent and fair manner. They also pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation in dealing with emerging issues related to trade remedies, including acts of anti-dumping duty circumvention.

Vietnam experiences steady growth in global supply chains-related employment

Vietnam has experienced steady growth in global supply chains (GSC) employment since 2008 and hosted the largest number of GSC-related jobs in South-East Asia in 2023, according to a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The report examines Vietnam's expanding role in global supply chains and identifies key policy actions to strengthen their resilience and inclusiveness, while promoting decent work and enabling just transitions for workers and enterprises amid rising global trade uncertainties.

Rising global trade uncertainties demand that Vietnam recalibrate its efforts to enhance the resilience and inclusiveness of GSCs, while promoting decent work and enabling just transitions for workers and enterprises to achieve its socio-economic aspirations.

Vietnam accounted for more than 25 percent of the more than 75 million GSC-related jobs in South-East Asia, with over 35 percent of Vietnam's total employment linked to GSCs – reflecting a moderate level of reliance, reported VGP.

Photo: VGP

Manufacturing accounted for 49 percent of all GSC-related employment in Vietnam, with textiles and textile products accounting for nearly a third of all GSC-related employment within the sector.

Sectors with a high intensity of GSC-related employment tend to employ larger shares of female and young workers, with more formal wage employment compared to other sectors, but the proportion of high-skilled jobs remains low.

Over 76 percent of Vietnam's GSC-related jobs in 2023 relied directly or indirectly on foreign demand from ASEAN, China, the EU, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the U.S. – highlighting the country's exposure to external demand fluctuations.

To ensure decent work outcomes in GSCs, coordinated efforts are needed across several policy areas to mitigate short-term disruptions and shape Vietnam's medium and long-term positioning.

These include trade diversification and stronger domestic industrial linkages, inclusive, demand-driven skills development, gender-responsive labor market policies and shock-responsive social protection systems for just transitions, improved job quality and raising labor standards, and inclusive social dialogue and institutional coordination.

Strengthening the resilience of GSCs and taking advantage of new growth areas presents a strategic opportunity to further advance Vietnam's structural transformation, enabling shifts towards higher value-added activities and higher-skilled employment, thereby reinforcing progress on the decent work agenda.

Vietnam emerges as favorite year-end destination for families across Asia

Based on searches made between September and November for stays during December 2025 and January 2026, Agoda recorded a 30% increase in family travel interest to Vietnam compared with the same period last year.

The digital platform’s data showed that Vietnam is attracting more international families than ever this season.

Koreans took the lead as the top market interested in traveling to Vietnam in December and January, with families from India, Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia rounding out the top five. Notably, Agoda also reported that Indian families showcased the highest growth in travel interest to Vietnam during this period, with a 186% increase in searches. Malaysians also, are expressing strong growth in interest, with a 74% increase in searches, highlighting Vietnam’s appeal as a family destination in Southeast Asia and beyond. Families are choosing Vietnam for its storied culture and cuisine, diverse landscapes, and abundance of family-friendly resorts and attractions, cited VOV.

Koreans take the lead as the top market interested in traveling to Vietnam (Photo: Agoda)

In addition, Phu Quoc led as the most sought-after destination among international family travelers with a 47% increase in searches, popular for its sandy beaches, calm waters, and nature parks ideal for multi-generation vacations.

Meanwhile, Da Nang followed with 42% growth in travel interest, noted for its beaches, soft adventure activities, and access to Ba Na Hills theme park. Nha Trang came in third place, remaining a favorite for its long coastline, family-oriented resorts, and island experiences. In fourth place, Ho Chi Minh City appealed with its vibrant food scene, entertainment complexes, and day trips to the Mekong Delta. In the north, Hanoi continued to draw families with its cultural landmarks, museums, and festive atmosphere, rounding out the top five most family-friendly year-end destinations in Vietnam.

According to Agoda, though Vietnamese families traditionally travel less internationally at the end of the year, typically preferring to wait for the Lunar New Year, China is becoming a noticeable exception.

It stressed that among the top 20 outbound destinations preferred by Vietnamese families during the December-January period, searches for Shanghai increased 58%, while Beijing increased 59%. This shift is supported by the launch of new direct routes between Hanoi and selected Chinese cities earlier this year, making end-of-year overseas trips more accessible than ever.

Vu Ngoc Lam, Country Director at Agoda expressed his excitement as Vietnam increasingly chosen as an end-of-year holiday destination for families from across Asia and beyond.

“Agoda’s data shows that travelers are recognizing Vietnam’s family-friendly appeal, which further strengthen its position on the global travel map”, he concluded.

TasteAtlas ranks Vietnam 16th among world’s 100 best cuisines

Vietnam has been ranked 16th among the world’s 100 best cuisines, up three notches from 2024 and six places from 2023, according to the latest annual rankings released by international food guide TasteAtlas.

The 2025/2026 list was compiled from more than 590,000 dish ratings and nearly 19,000 food-product ratings submitted by global users.

TasteAtlas highlighted Vietnamese cuisine for its diversity and distinctive flavours, noting signature dishes such as pho (noodles), banh mi (bread), banh xeo (crispy pancake), cha gio (fried spring rolls), quay (crullers) and bò kho (beef stew).

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia led the region at 10th globally, followed by Vietnam (16th), Thailand (24th), the Philippines (25th), Malaysia (29th), Singapore (90th), and Laos (96th).

Vietnam’s banh mi (bread) is increasingly recognised worldwide for its culinary appeal.

Italy topped the global list, with Greece and Peru in second and third, respectively. Others in Top 10 were Portugal, Spain, Japan, Turkey, China and France.

TasteAtlas also announced the 2025/2026 list of 100 best dishes in the world, in which Vietnam has two representatives - Southern Vietnamese beef noodle salad (Bun bo nam bo), 81st, and Beef noodle soup (Pho bo), 83rd.

The recognition comes as Vietnam continues to gain traction as a culinary destination. Earlier, UK travel magazine Time Out listed the country among the world’s 20 best winter destinations for food in the 2025–26 season.

The trend of culinary tourism in the world is growing strongly. According to the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), 81% of international tourists consider enjoying local cuisine as indispensable experience during their trips and are willing to spend 25-35% of their budget on this experience.

Research and Markets, world's leading market research, forecasts that the global culinary tourism market will reach US$4.21 trillion by 2033, with an annual growth rate of 14.46%, and the Asia-Pacific region will account for 43.1% of the market share, showing that the demand for exploring cultures and destinations through food is booming.

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