Vietnamese, Lao FMs co-chair 12th political consultation

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and his Lao counterpart Thongsavanh Phomvihane co-chaired the 12th Vietnam–Laos political consultation at the foreign ministerial level in Hanoi on December 18 morning, as part of the Lao official’s four-day visit to Vietnam.

During the consultation, in a spirit of special trust, the two officials reviewed recent cooperation between the two Parties, countries and foreign ministries. They also discussed future cooperation orientations and held in-depth exchanges on regional and international issues of common concern.

Trung spoke highly of the close and effective coordination in implementing the agreement between the two ministries in recent years, and welcomed the signing of their cooperation agreement for 2026–2030, which concretizes tasks and measures aligned with the new phase of bilateral relations.

He underscored the need to intensify exchanges and propose concrete orientations to ensure bilateral cooperation is substantive, commensurate with the Vietnam–Laos great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion.

Thongsavanh reaffirmed a commitment to close coordination, with regular annual rotating ministerial and vice-ministerial cooperation mechanisms. He also emphasized promoting meetings and joint activities between the two ministries, while boosting exchanges between functional units in areas like economic affairs, consular services, border issues, personnel training, information and press, international law, overseas citizen affairs, and multilateral cooperation, including that within Mekong sub-regional framework, ASEAN, and the UN.

He expressed confidence that continued effective coordination and cooperation between the two ministries will importantly contribute to strengthening and nurturing the Vietnam–Laos great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion, reported VNA.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung (R) and his Lao counterpart Thongsavanh Phomvihane at the 12th Vietnam–Laos political consultation at the foreign ministerial level in Hanoi on December 18, 2025 (Photo: VNA)

The two sides welcomed the flourishing development of Vietnam–Laos ties, with political cooperation and strategic trust as the core; solid defense and diplomatic cooperation; notable progress in economic, investment and trade cooperation; and advancing collaboration in culture, education, science and technology and between Party and governmental bodies, sectors and localities.

Regarding cooperation between the Party Committee of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lao Party Central Committee's External Relations Commission, Trung applauded the results achieved so far and highlighted the successful implementation of the 2021–2025 cooperation agreement, as well as the signing of a new agreement for the next five years.

He affirmed these agreements have deepened and solidified strategic coordination between the two bodies, thus strengthening their core role in safeguarding and strengthening the special Vietnam–Laos relationship.

Valaxay Lengsavad, Deputy Head of the Lao External Relations Commission emphasized that the traditional friendship between the two Parties, along with cooperation and mutual support between his commission and the Party Committee of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides a crucial foundation for effectively carrying out each Party’s foreign affairs tasks, thereby helping to strengthen the Vietnam–Laos relationship.

The two sides pledged to implement bilateral cooperation agreements and carry out other tasks assigned by the two Parties and States' leaders, particularly the organisation of elections of deputies to the National Assembly in the new tenure in each country, and continue coordination in implementing high-level foreign affairs activities between the two Parties and States in the future.

They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and welcomed the regular coordination and mutual support between the two countries in multilateral forums, particularly within the UN, ASEAN, and the Mekong sub-regional cooperation framework. They agreed to hold the 13th political consultation in Laos.

Homeland Spring 2026 promotes unity among Vietnamese community in Japan

The program “The Homeland Spring 2026 – Osaka Tet of National Solidarity”, organised for Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Japan, will take place on January 4, 2026, at Ikuno Park in Osaka, Japan.

The event is jointly organised by the Vietnamese Association in the Kansai region, the International Friendship Promotion Organisation, and 15 Vietnamese associations in Japan, under the patronage of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka and the Ikuno Ward authorities of Osaka city.

“The Homeland Spring 2026 – Osaka Tet of National Solidarity” is a culturally significant event for the Vietnamese community in Japan, with a view to preserving and promoting national cultural identity, reinforcing solidarity within the overseas Vietnamese community, and intensifying people-to-people exchanges and friendship between Vietnam and Japan.

It also provides an opportunity for overseas Vietnamese to gather and celebrate the Lunar New Year together in a warm and meaningful atmosphere, while introducing Japanese friends and the international community to the distinctive values of Vietnamese culture, according to VOV.

The Homeland Spring 2026 programme for Vietnamese expats in Japan set to take place at Ikuno Park in Osaka, Japan on January 4. (Photo: Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka)

The program is expected to feature a wide range of activities, including a screening of the film Mua Do (Red Rain); art painting and photography exhibitions; a photo contest showcasing Vietnamese Tet meal trays in Japan; traditional banh chung(square glutinous rice cake) wrapping competitions; Vietnamese traditional costume performances; Vietnamese folk games; as well as food stalls, hands-on cultural experiences, and various Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange activities.

Through its diverse and culturally rich activities, the program seeks not only to spread the spirit of national unity and raise awareness of preserving traditional culture among overseas Vietnamese, but also to highlight the positive role of the Vietnamese community in Japan in international integration and cultural exchange.

Hanoi among world's top 6 most affordable cities for tourists

The capital city of Hanoi has been named in the list of world's most affordable cities for tourists as compiled by renowned UK-based travel magazine Time Out.

The magazine asked 18,000 people in over 100 cities to rate the affordability of a bunch of day-to-day activities, including eating out to a restaurant, going to see a movie, grabbing a coffee, going to see art, going to see theater or comedy, going to see live music, getting a drink in a bar and going on a night out.

Based on the percentages of respondents who answered ‘cheap or free’ and ‘affordable’, Time Out crunched the data to figure out the planet’s cheapest and most expensive cities to live in.

Hanoi trailed only behind Medellin of Colombia, Bogota of Colombia, Beijing of China, New Orleans of the U.S., and Naples of Italy.

Foreign tourists pose for a photo at Hanoi Autumn Festival on Hoan Kiem pedestrian street.

In January, Matt, a digital nomad, shared that Hanoi is among the most affordable cities in Asia for travelers seeking extended stays without straining their budgets.

Overall, international visitors noted that a backpacker traveling in Hanoi can live quite comfortably on a budget of around VND600,000 per day to cover basic needs. This amount typically includes accommodation, three daily meals at local eateries, and the use of public transport or walking to explore the city.

This clearly demonstrated that foreign travelers can still enjoy a rich and fulfilling stay in Hanoi even on a tight budget.

Meanwhile, Seoul of the Republic of Korea was voted as the world’s most expensive city. Other cities classified as high-cost destinations by Time Out included Oslo of Norway, London of the UK, and Stockholm of Sweden.

Da Nang tourism moves towards a green, sustainable transition

On December 17, the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism held a seminar titled “Raising awareness of environmental protection and training on sorting solid waste at source at tourism service establishments”.

In his opening remarks, Van Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said that Da Nang is positioning green tourism development as a key pillar, with investment in sustainable infrastructure, public transport, and the restructuring of visitor flows as the foundation. At the same time, it is promoting ecotourism, community-based tourism, and agricultural tourism linked to OCOP to ease pressure on central attractions and increase value for local communities.

Da Nang is currently continuing to refine and adjust its Green Tourism Criteria Set, bringing it closer to the standards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, in order to unify green practices citywide and facilitate businesses’ access to international sustainability certifications.

Practical implementation in recent years has shown that green accommodation models and sustainable tourism businesses in Da Nang have delivered clear results, NDO reported.

An exhibition area showcasing Da Nang’s clean agricultural products that meet OCOP 4- and 5-star standards. (Photo: Anh Dao)

Accommodation providers such as Furama, Four Seasons, Silksense Riverside Resort, La Siesta, Almanity, as well as homestays and villas with sustainability certification, have recorded average room booking growth of around 30%, revenue increases of 40%, and about a 20% reduction in operating costs – particularly energy and waste treatment costs. This is clear evidence that green development not only protects the environment but also increases economic value for businesses.

Van Ba Son also noted that the tourism sector is currently facing a range of challenges in the green transition, such as the use of single-use plastics, inconsistent implementation of waste sorting at source, and waste treatment infrastructure, low-emission transport, and renewable energy failing to keep pace with the growth of tourism.

At the seminar, experts provided guidance and shared important content to help state management agencies, units, and businesses keep abreast of new legal provisions on environmental protection under the two-tier local government model.

In 2025, Da Nang tourism continued to recover strongly and achieved many positive results. Total overnight visitors are estimated at more than 17.3 million, up 15% compared with 2024; international visitors reached more than 7.6 million, up 25%. Revenue from accommodation, food, and beverage services, and travel is estimated at nearly 60 trillion VND, up 21% year-on-year. Da Nang was selected by a reputable travel magazine in the US as Vietnam’s only representative on the list of “26 destinations to visit in 2026”.

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