Vietnam News Today (Jun. 27): Vietnam Pledges to Play Active Role in UNESCO’s Global Missions: Party Chief

	Vietnam News Today (Jun. 26): Vietnam, France’s Toulouse City Strengthen Multi-faceted Cooperation
	Vietnam News Today (June 27): PM concludes WEF Tianjin 2025 engagement, working visit to China

Party General Secretary To Lam (R) receives UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in Hanoi on June 27. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam pledges to play active role in UNESCO’s global missions: Party chief

Party General Secretary To Lam has affirmed Vietnam's commitment to multilateral cooperation and UNESCO's vital role, pledging enhanced contributions to its key governance mechanisms while seeking continued support for national development across education, science, culture and communications sectors.

Hosting a reception in Hanoi on June 27 for Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay who is on an official visit to Vietnam, the Party chief expressed his deep appreciation for UNESCO's valuable support over the recent past, particularly in recognizing 72 titles across the country, which, he described as valuable assets for sustainable socio-economic development, livelihood improvement, and cultural preservation.

As Vietnam is stepping into a new era – the era of the nation's rise, aiming to realise its goal of becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2045, the country will continue its deep integration into the world politics, economy, and human civilization, constantly striving to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region and worldwide.

Against the backdrop, he asked for UNESCO’s continued assistance to Vietnam’s integration process, experience sharing, resources support for socio-economic development, and promotion of humanistic and cultural values aligned with both UNESCO's and Vietnam's interests.

The Party leader urged UNESCO to remain a trusted partner in preserving and promoting Vietnam’s heritage sites and titles, calling for UNESCO’s support in the implementation of the preservation and value promotion dossier for the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, nomination of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac Complex for world heritage status in July, as well as other submissions such as Dong Ho folk paintings for urgent safeguarding as intangible cultural heritage, and the inclusion of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in UNESCO’s global creative and learning cities networks.

He stressed that Vietnam welcomes and backs UNESCO’s mid-term vision and strategy for the 2022-2029 period, UNESCO strategic transformation, and the organization's priority cooperation initiatives and programmes, especially in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, according to VNA.

Azoulay, for her part, praised nearly 50 years of fruitful cooperation with Vietnam, calling the country one of UNESCO’s most active members, stating that the Vietnam-UNESCO cooperation has never been as good as it is today.

She thanked Vietnam for its strong support and commitment, hoping the country will make further contributions to UNESCO's activities. Vietnam's current positions in UNESCO's key mechanisms demonstrate the organization and member states' confidence in Vietnam's contributions to the organization's collective activities.

Expressing her impression of the country’s recent socio-economic achievements, she said Vietnam is a model that many other countries could learn from. Azoulay highly praised the vision and wise leadership of the Vietnamese Party and State through major institutional reforms which created key momentum for national development.

The UNESCO Director-General highlighted that the recognition of Vietnam's titles and heritage demonstrates the international community's high regard for the country’s cultural values while perfectly aligning with Vietnam's development trends. Besides, this also reflects appreciation for Vietnam's efforts and commitment to enriching the treasury of the human civilization and contributing to the international community's common efforts.

UNESCO will continue to back Vietnam’s nominations and heritage conservation efforts, while working with the country to develop its cultural industries, she pledged.

Vietnam moves up to 38th position in 2025 Global Peace Index

Vietnam has climbed one spot to rank 38th in the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), with an overall score of 1.721, making it one of the more peaceful countries globally.

This improvement places Vietnam in the second tier of countries with a high peace index, alongside countries like Romania in Europe.

The country also found itself above several other Asian countries, such as the Republic of Korea in 41st, Laos in 47th, and Indonesia in 49th, cited VOV.

Vietnam up in 2025 Global Peace Index (Photo: baodantoc.vn)

In contrast, other regional countries like Thailand (86th), Cambodia (87th), China (98th), the Philippines (105th), and India (115th) were placed in the third group, reflecting a lower level of peace. The United States was also included in this group, ranking 128th.

The 2025 GPI is the 18th edition of the report released by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). It evaluates 163 countries and territories based on three key indicators: societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarization. A lower score indicates a higher level of peace.

Iceland maintained its top position for the 17th consecutive year, followed by Ireland, Denmark, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal, Slovenia, and Poland. At the bottom of the list, Russia and Ukraine were ranked as the least peaceful nations.

Vietnam bolsters friendship, cooperation with RoK

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien on June 27 expressed readiness to work closely with Korean partners to enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK), making it more substantive, effective, and mutually beneficial for the people of both countries.

During a meeting with a delegation from the Association of People Loving Vietnam in the RoK (VESAMO) led by Chang Ho Ick, Vice Chairman of Dongwon Group and Vice Chairman of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hanoi on June 27, Chien reaffirmed Vietnam’s continued support for the RoK’s development policies.

Central to the relationship are the 300,000 Vietnamese living, working, and studying in the RoK and the nearly 200,000 Koreans residing in Vietnam, he said, stressing the role of 80,000 multicultural Vietnamese-Korean families in cementing bilateral ties.

The host also thanked VESAMO for its ongoing support to the Vietnamese community in the RoK, especially students and workers, reported VNA.

President of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien speaks at the meeting (Photo: VFF)

Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), stressed that VUFO and the Vietnam–Korea Friendship Association would continue partnering with VESAMO and other Korean civil society groups to effectively realise high-level agreements and foster people-to-people exchanges.

During the trip, the VESAMO delegation attended the inauguration of two charity houses in Hanoi's outlying district of Ung Hoa and donated 10 million VND to 10 families, explored investment opportunities in Quang Ninh province, and attended the Vietnam–RoK friendship night in Hanoi.

Founded in 2002 in Busan, VESAMO is a non-profit organization uniting academics, business leaders, legal professionals, artists, and intellectuals dedicated to promoting ties with Vietnam.

Hanoi named among 15 dream international vacations by Travel + Leisure

Hanoi has earned a spot on Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of "15 Dream International Vacations That Are Surprisingly Affordable," coming in at 13th place globally.

The US-based travel publication praised the Vietnamese capital for its rich cultural heritage, diverse culinary offerings, and budget-friendly travel experience.

In its article, Travel + Leisure describes Hanoi as a destination where ancient history meets modern vibrancy, highlighting its blend of thousand-year-old traditions, lush greenery creeping in from the outskirts, and a dynamic food scene that spans from street vendors to Michelin-starred restaurants.

The Turtle Tower in Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular attraction for locals and tourists.

The magazine emphasises Hanoi’s affordability, noting that even a single US dollar can go a long way for travellers exploring the city. Round-trip flights from New York City to Hanoi are cited as low as US$870, particularly between September and November when the city transitions from its humid rainy season to a cooler, drier, and more tourist-friendly climate. During this peak period, mid-range accommodations are also accessible, with three-star hotels ranging from US$125 to US$150 per night.

Topping the list is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Laos, celebrated for its historic temples, scenic landscapes, and authentic local charm. Other destinations featured include Toronto (Canada), Grand Est (France), Armenia, Kenya, Brisbane (Australia), Madeira (Portugal), Tunisia, Etyek (Hungary), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Valparaíso (Chile), Albania, and Donegal (Ireland).

Two FPT AI Factories entering the June 2025 edition of the TOP500 rankings marks a significant milestone that has helped position the nation among the 15 leading AI nations globally.

These factories, located in Japan and Vietnam, secured the 36th and 38th positions, respectively, in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers.

Launched in November 2024, FPT's AI Factories have been chosen by leading technology companies such as LandingAI to develop advanced AI solutions, with a view to creating practical value for society.

The launching ceremony of FPT AI Factory.

FPT aims to develop three more AI factories globally over the next five years, contributing to Vietnam's goal of becoming a regional leader in AI computing infrastructure.

The 65th edition of the TOP500 not only confirms the computational power and technical capacity of FPT's AI Factories but also highlights their internationally certified service quality-ready to meet the AI research, development, and deployment needs of organizations, enterprises, and individuals worldwide.

The recognition also marks Vietnam's first entry into the group of the world's top 15 AI nations, joining global powers such as the U.S., China, Japan, Germany, and France. It reflects FPT's effort to elevate Vietnam's position in the global technology landscape, VGP reported.

TOP500 is a prestigious global ranking of high-performance computing (HPC) systems based on the LINPACK benchmark, which evaluates a system's ability to perform complex numerical calculations in FLOPS (floating point operations per second).

The TOP500 list, launched in 1993 by three renowned HPC researchers, is published twice a year and is widely recognized by governments, scientific institutions, and businesses as a standard for assessing hardware performance, system design, operational optimization, and the ability to handle large-scale AI and scientific tasks.

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