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Party General Secretary To Lam receives Eric Hambly, President and CEO at Murphy Oil Corp (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam prioritizes energy cooperation in strategic partnership with US

Party General Secretary To Lam made the statement while receiving Eric Hambly, President and CEO at Murphy Oil Corp of the US in Hanoi on October 15.

The Vietnamese chief welcomed the visit by Murphy Oil leader to Vietnam in the year marking the 30th anniversary of normalized relations between Vietnam and the US.

He hailed the corporation for its long-term investment and business operations in Vietnam with positive outcomes and welcomed its plan to expand and intensify oil and gas exploration activities in the country in the coming period.

Sharing Vietnam’s vision and strategy for the energy sector to achieve development goals by 2030 and 2045, while emphasizing energy security, efficient resource use, environmental protection, and climate change response, the Vietnamese Party chief expressed optimism about Vietnam’s development potential, including the oil and gas industry in the years ahead.

He reaffirmed that Vietnam will continue to facilitate foreign investment and business activities in the energy sector, including from the US, and urged Murphy Oil to closely coordinate with ministries, agencies, and Vietnamese partners to speed up the implementation of oil and gas projects, transfer technology and knowledge, and enhance training of high-quality human resources, thereby continuing to make positive contributions to Vietnam’s development and Vietnam–US relations.

Eric Hambly expressed his honor at being received by General Secretary To Lam. He shared the corporation’s global business strategy, noting that Vietnam remains an important partner, cited VOV.

The Murphy Oil leader sincerely thanked Vietnam for its support and the close, effective coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group in the company’s exploration and production activities in recent years.

Building on past achievements and confidence in Vietnam’s strong development potential in the years ahead, Eric Hambly confirmed Murphy Oil’s commitment to further investment in Vietnam, while supporting the development of the oil and gas industry, transferring technology, and training high-quality human resources in line with the direction set by General Secretary To Lam.

Vietnam, Italy seek to strengthen cooperation in high-tech shipbuilding

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha hosted a reception on October 15 for Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta and leaders of Fincantieri Group to discuss potential investment cooperation in high-tech shipbuilding in Vietnam.

Ha praised the dynamic and comprehensive activities of the Italian Embassy in Vietnam. He affirmed that Vietnam has strong potential for developing its shipbuilding industry, particularly in coastal localities.

Despite periods of fluctuation, Vietnam is pursuing a strategy to revitalise and modernize its maritime fleet, aiming to produce internationally standardised vessels.

The Deputy PM noted that Fincantieri’s high-tech ship products not only suit the Vietnamese market but also meet global demand. The Vietnamese Government, he said, supports cooperative projects in advanced shipbuilding and will assist the group’s projects and those of other foreign enterprises wishing to develop a green, clean and sustainable high-tech shipbuilding industry in Vietnam.

He also emphasized the importance of aligning projects with local planning, environmental protection and appropriate site selection to ensure both industrial development and the maintenance of eco-friendly tourism. These efforts, he added, would help open long-term cooperation opportunities between Italian and Vietnamese enterprises in high-tech shipbuilding, contributing to sustainable marine economic growth, reported VNA.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (right) hosts Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta on October 15. (Photo: VNA)

For his part, Della Seta and Fincantieri representatives said the group, which employs around 20,000 staff, specializes in shipbuilding, design and repair. In Vietnam, Fincantieri operates the VARD Vung Tau Shipyard, which designs and constructs offshore and specialized vessels.

Fincantieri leaders expressed their desire to expand production capacity and apply modern technologies to build ships serving key sectors such as offshore wind power, ASEAN subsea cable installation and specialized vessels for the oil and gas industry.

On this occasion, on behalf of Fincantieri’s leadership, Della Seta presented aid to localities affected by recent storms and floods through the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

Vietnam re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for 2026–2028 term

The United Nations General Assembly on October 14 (New York time) elected members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026–2028 term.

Vietnam was re-elected with 180 votes in favor, the highest in the Asia-Pacific group.

This election result reflects the trust and appreciation of the UN members for Vietnam's strong commitments and efforts to promote and protect human rights, along with Vietnam's contributions and initiatives in its role as a member of the UNHRC for the 2023-2025 term.

The result also demonstrates the international community's trust in Vietnam's open foreign policy, efforts to participate and contribute to multilateral mechanisms, Vietnam's achievements in international integration and recognition of Vietnam's increasingly consolidated position as an active member, a reliable partner for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

Vietnam achieved the highest number of votes in the Asia-Pacific group, and is the only Asia-Pacific country that is a member of the UNHRC for the 2023-2025 term to be re-elected for the 2026-2028 term.

In its third term as a member of the UNHRC, Vietnam will continue to promote eight priority areas, namely improving the effectiveness of the UNHRC, ensuring human rights in climate change and digital transformation, promoting gender equality, protecting vulnerable groups, the right to health, the right to work, human rights education and the right to education.

Vietnam will continue to contribute to the common efforts of the international community, addressing common concerns on human rights in the spirit of "Respect and Understanding – Dialogue and Cooperation – All Human Rights for All".

The term of membership of the UNHRC for the 2026-2028 term will begin on January 1, 2026.

Vietnam's re-election affirms growing global standing

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang underscored that the result reflects international recognition of the country's socio-economic achievements over the recent past as well as its commitment to promoting and protecting human rights while ensuring social welfare and improving living standards for its citizens. This high level of trust also reaffirms the consistent foreign policy of the Party and State, and the outcomes of the multilateral diplomacy in recent years, according to VGP.

The Vietnamese delegation attends the voting session, New York, October 14, 2025. Photo: VNA

She attributed the success to the meticulous guidance from the Party, State and Government, coupled with coordinated diplomatic outreach and communications campaigns harmoniously carried out across multiple levels. Vietnamese representative offices abroad, particularly the missions in New York and Geneva, played a crucial frontline role, working alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, and various ministries and agencies who are members of inter-ministerial mechanisms on human rights, as well as news agencies and media outlets.

Vietnam's success in the UNHRC election, alongside its upcoming hosting of the Opening for the Signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime on October 25-26, is a vivid demonstration of its swift, effective, and substantive implementation of the Politburo's Resolution No. 59 on international integration in the new situation, affirming a new posture for Vietnam - transitioning from a proactive and responsible partner of the international community to an active and responsible contributor to shaping global issues.

The UN General Assembly's meeting, with the participation of 190 eligible voting member states of the UN, elected 14 members of the UNHRC for the 2026–2028 term, including Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa, Mauritius, Angola, Estonia, Slovenia, Chile, Ecuador, Italy and the UK.

Vietnam affirms position on global 5G technology map

Vietnam has affirmed its growing position on the global 5G technology map as Viettel High Tech, a subsidiary of the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group, has been honored by Gartner for its role in commercializing 5G technology.

At the Open RAN Connect 2025 international conference in Hanoi on October 15, Viettel High Tech was named by Gartner as a “Niche Player” for its pioneering role in developing and commercializing 5G Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technology using ASIC chipsets.

With its proven capability in deploying large-scale 5G technology both in Vietnam and across the region, Viettel High Tech is the only enterprise in Southeast Asia to receive such recognition in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for CSP 5G RAN Infrastructure Solutions 2025 report. The achievement affirms Vietnam’s growing position in mastering new-generation telecommunications infrastructure.

Founded in 1979, Gartner is a leading global research and advisory firm with over 2,000 researchers and consultants serving more than 15,600 enterprise clients in over 100 countries and territories. Its Magic Quadrant report is a globally respected assessment that provides an overview of the capabilities of 5G RAN infrastructure suppliers, evaluating them independently on two key criteria: completeness of vision and ability to execute.

The “Make in Vietnam” 5G ecosystem is fully developed by Viettel, covering every stage from research and design to manufacturing. Its 5G equipment has been widely deployed, serving tens of millions of users on Viettel’s core network (EPC and 5G Core). The group’s infrastructure also includes millions of optical and Wi-Fi access devices, thousands of transmission systems, an online charging system (OCS) supporting over 190 million global subscribers, and an IMS high-quality voice system catering to more than 50 million users.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Khac Lich, Director General of the Department of Information Technology Industry under the Ministry of Science and Technology, emphasised that 5G equipment is a strategic national technology product. Since 2019, the ministry has set a target for Vietnam to master the design, research and production of 5G equipment as a symbol of technological self-reliance. Viettel’s adoption of the Open RAN approach reflects a strategic mindset of independence, technological openness, and proactive integration - demonstrating that Vietnamese engineers are capable of mastering some of the world’s most advanced technologies and bringing “Make in Vietnam” products to global markets, VNA reported.

Viettel High Tech named by Gartner as a “Niche Player” for its pioneering role in developing and commercializing 5G Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technology using ASIC chipsets. (Photo: VNA)

Viettel’s 5G devices, designed to meet international open standards, have already reached markets such as India, the UAE and Türkiye. In 2025, the company plans to deploy 2,500 additional 5G stations in several provinces and cities while expanding its international footprint.

Nguyen Minh Quang, General Director of Viettel High Tech, described Gartner’s recognition as a historic milestone, laying a solid foundation for Viettel to expand its global technology ecosystem. After more than a decade of investment in research and the development of national telecommunications and digital infrastructure, Viettel’s efforts have been acknowledged worldwide. This success, he said, will help Vietnam strengthen its mastery of strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and semiconductors.

The Open RAN Connect 2025 international conference was co-hosted by Viettel High Tech and Qualcomm, a leading US technology corporation. The 2024 edition drew significant attention when Viettel announced the commercial launch of its Open RAN (O-RAN) 5G Network, featuring key equipment developed in-house.

Open RAN Connect 2025 gathered representatives from international and domestic telecommunications enterprises, research institutions and technology organizations to discuss pathways for expanding Open RAN commercialisation towards efficient and sustainable digital infrastructure. The event underscored Vietnam’s emergence as one of the new global centers of the Open RAN movement and a testament to the pioneering role of Vietnamese enterprises in shaping the telecommunications networks of the future.

Trang An among Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best Destinations

Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site in northern Ninh Binh province, has been named one of Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best Destinations in its Travelers’ Choice Awards.

The Best of the Best title celebrates the highest level of excellence in travel, awarded to properties and sites receiving a high volume of exceptional reviews from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period. Out of more than 8 million listings worldwide, fewer than 1% achieve this recognition.

Spanning 20 communes and wards across five districts and towns in Ninh Binh, the complex includes the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the Trang An-Tam Coc-Bich Dong Scenic Landscape, and the Hoa Lu Special-Use Forest, covering a total of 12,252 hectares. Its winding rivers flow through limestone mountains, creating an exceptionally serene landscape. International visitors praise not only the site’s natural beauty, but also its safe, civilized, and environmentally conscious tourism practices, VOV reported.

Trang An Landscape Complex.

A representative from the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism said the “Best of the Best” title confirms the province’s capacity to manage, preserve, and promote Trang An, helping to affirm Ninh Binh’s position on the global tourism map.

In addition, two other popular destinations in Ninh Binh-Tam Coc-Bich Dong and Bai Dinh Pagoda were honored by Tripadvisor with the “Travelers’ Choice – Outstanding Destination 2025” award, ranking among the top 10% of the world’s most popular destinations.

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