☀️ Morning digest on December 12

The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

☀️ Morning digest on December 12

Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

- The fight against corruption, wastefulness, and wrongdoing must be resolute, persistent, regular and continuous, with strict but humane measures, and without forbidden zones and exceptions, said Party General Secretary To Lam on December 11.

The Party leader made the request at a nationwide conference reviewing anti-corruption work hosted by the Central Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Corruption, Wastefulness and Negative Phenomena. The event was linked to over 4,000 locations from ministries, agencies, military zones, army units, cities, provinces, communes, districts and special administrative units nationwide, with over 190,000 delegates joining either in person or online. Read full story

- The 10th session of the 15th National Assembly (NA) wrapped up on December 11 afternoon, after 40 working days with 51 laws and 39 resolutions adopted.

In his closing remarks, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man stressed that the session recorded substantial law-making work, accounting for nearly 30% of all laws and resolutions passed during the entire term. Read full story

- The 10th and final session of the 15th National Assembly wrapped up on December 11, passing 51 laws and eight normative resolutions passed, making up 30% of all legislation approved during the whole term.

The information was released at a press conference following the closing ceremony of the 10th session. Read full story

- Personnel work, which was consolidated at the 15th National Assembly (NA)’s just-ended 10th session, was not only an organisational requirement but also an important solution for enhancing national governance capacity, ensuring stable operations of the state apparatus, and aligning with the orientation of better serving the people and the country’s development goals.

The statement was made by Vice Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Deputy Affairs Ta Thi Yen, while addressing a press conference following the closing ceremony of the 10th and final session of the 15th legislature on December 11 afternoon. Read full story

- Vietnam aims to continue practical and effective cooperation with Russia across all fields, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy, for the benefit of both nations and for regional and global peace, stability, and development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on December 11.

During phone talks with Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), PM Chinh highlighted Russia’s and the former Soviet Union’s significant contributions to Vietnam’s energy sector, particularly the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as in training generations of leading scientists and experts, forming a strong foundation for Vietnam’s nuclear development today. Read full story

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung received Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, in Hanoi on December 11.

Expressing his pleasure at the rapid and substantive development of the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Trung appreciated and thanked Takebe for his long-standing dedication to advancing bilateral relations over the years, especially in cultural and people-to-people exchanges, local cooperation, and human resources training. Read full story

- Vietnam’s Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam on December 11 attended and spoke at the Advisory Board Conference of the Australia–Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI).

The meeting was held online with the full participation of AVPI’s Advisory Board, including representatives from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, RMIT University (AVPI’s parent institution), Business Champion Louise Adams (appointed by the Australian government to promote investment and trade between Australia and Vietnam), and Asia Society Australia, a leading global advisory organisation. Read full story

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A U22 Malaysia player strives to stop Khuat Van Khang’s dribble. (Photo: VNA)

- Vietnam’s U22 team delivered a convincing 2–0 victory over Malaysia on the afternoon of December 11 in Bangkok, securing top spot in Group B of the SEA Games 33 men’s football tournament.

A standout performance from Dinh Bac, combined with a well-executed tactical approach by head coach Kim Sang Sik, powered the team into the semifinals as group leaders. Read full story

- Vietnamese authorities have been working with the organisers of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Thailand regarding inaccuracies in the depiction of Vietnam’s map during the Games’ opening ceremony, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MoFA)'s spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told the press on December 11.

She was responding to reporters’ questions about the December 9 opening ceremony, where the organisers used visual effects to display maps of Southeast Asian countries, with Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), as well as Phu Quoc Island absent from the map shown for Vietnam./. Read full story

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Ministries and sectors are requested to pay special attention to promoting election publicity and legal education. - Illustrative image (baochinhphu.vn)

Government sets out coordinated plan for 2026 elections

The plan also aims to ensure that the elections are conducted in a democratic, equal and law-abiding manner, while being safe and cost-effective, truly becoming a nationwide civic event, thus contributing to strengthening and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the state apparatus and building a socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam of the people, by the people and for the people.

President Ho Chi Minh’s image featured on ballots at Communist Party of Uruguay congress (Photo: VNA)

Image of President Ho Chi Minh appears on ballots at Uruguay Communist Party congress

Among the ballots used at the congress were three featuring posters of President Ho Chi Minh and one bearing an image depicting the Vietnamese people engaged in production during the period of resistance against foreign aggression. The latter also carried the inscriptions “80th Anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day” and “33rd National Congress of the PCU".

Flowers are laid in memory of victims of the shooting on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 15, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Vietnam sends sympathy to Australia following Sydney shooting

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 15 sent a message of sympathy to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese over a shooting that occurred on December 14 at Bondi beach in Sydney, New South Wales, resulting in multiple civilian casualties.

Party General Secretary To Lam and NA deputies are welcomed by locals in Hung Yen on December 15, 2025 (Photo: VNA)

Party leader meets with voters in Hung Yen province

Responding to Hung Yen voters’ recommendations, Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed the consistent principle of placing people at the centre, safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring that all policies and decisions serve the people.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung holds phone talks with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro on December 15. (Photo : VNA)

Vietnamese, Philippine foreign ministers hold phone talks

Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and his Philippine counterpart Maria Theresa Lazaro agreed to continue promoting efforts to elevate bilateral ties to a new height, including stepping up high-level and all-level delegation exchanges across Party, State, National Assembly and people-to-people channels.

The NA Standing Committee's meeting on electoral affairs on December 15. (Photo: quochoi.vn)

NA Standing Committee discusses electoral affairs

The NA Standing Committee adopted a resolution on the first adjustment to the structure, composition, and number of candidates nominated for the 16th NA, and approved a plan to supervise and inspect the election.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man chairs the fourth meeting of the National Election Council on December 15, 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Election preparations on track ahead of upcoming polls: NA Chairman

Highlighting key positive aspects of the preparation process so far, the top legislator pointed to the strong, coordinated engagement of agencies from the central to local levels, swift yet methodical progress, particularly in finalising documents, developing organisational plans and drafting resolutions on electoral units.

Frigate 015 – Tran Hung Dao and the delegation of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) on December 14 leave Jinhae Naval Base. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Frigate 015 – Tran Hung Dao concludes visit to RoK

During the visit, officers and sailors of the two navies toured Frigate 015 and the RoK Navy’s Munmu the Great destroyer, shared experience in training and long-duration deployments at sea, and took part in sports exchanges. The VPN delegation also hosted a banquet aboard Frigate 015 for senior officers and sailors of the host navy.