VIETNAM: NEW ERA

President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is on a state visit to Vietnam. The visit from March 27-29 is made at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong. This visit follows the elevation of Vietnam-Brazil relations to a strategic partnership during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. It signals both nations' dedication to enhancing the Vietnam-Brazil Strategic Partnership with concrete actions that promote substantive cooperation.

At the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his spouse will pay an official visit to Vietnam on 25-26 March 2025. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973, upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2013, and further elevated relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025. This new framework strengthens political trust, expands cooperation, and sets a model for international partnerships based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and international law.

This message from Party General Secretary To Lam in his recent article "Developing private economic sector – A lever for a prosperous Vietnam" marks a turning point in the awareness about the private economic sector’s important role while touching on the aspiration for groundbreaking development of the country's most dynamic economic industry today.

With nearly one million enterprises and approximately five million individual business households, the private economic sector plays a crucial role in Vietnam's economy. It currently contributes 51% of GDP, generates over 30% of state budget revenue, and provides employment for more than 40 million people, accounting for 82% of the total workforce.

As a signature cultural and tourism event of Lam Dong, the Da Lat Flower Festival plays a vital role in promoting the cultural, natural, and human values of the locality to domestic and international visitors.

Half a century after the nation’s reunification, Binh Duong has emerged as a shining beacon of economic transformation. What was once a battlefield scarred by bombs has now become a thriving industrial-urban hub, playing a vital role in Vietnam’s Southern Key Economic Region.

Nguyen Thi Dinh, a female general of the Ho Chi Minh era, has become a legendary figure in history. Her life and career were deeply connected to the revolution and the South, embodying the pure and extraordinary beauty of Vietnamese women. Her name is closely linked to the Dong Khoi movement, the "Long-Haired Army," and the "Three-Pronged Attack" strategy in combat.

Vietnam Airlines has announced an increase in the frequency of flights on the Hanoi - Manila route, effective April 1, to accommodate the growing travel demand between Vietnam and the Philippines.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Central Steering Committee for the Elimination of Temporary and Dilapidated Houses emphasised the goal of completing the programme by October 31, 2025, while chairing the committee's third meeting to review progress and set future tasks. So far, over 65,000 houses have been completed and handed over, while more than 56,000 are under construction.

The Hanoi People's Committee on March 17 presented a report to the municipal Party Committee, on the plans for the renovation and improvement of public spaces around Hoan Kiem Lake, focusing on the development of a new square and park area.

Vietnam's overseas investment in the first two months of 2025 totalled nearly 239 million USD, 9.5 times higher than the same period last year.

Within just the first 15 days of March - the month marking the commencement of - a series of swift, decisive, and practical national and social policy decisions were made, demonstrating a firm commitment to the principles of ensuring an “elite, streamlined, strong, efficient, valid and effective” newly-formed system.

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has been tasked with collaborating with relevant agencies, to ensure the completion of electronic identification accounts for organizations, enabling all enterprises to carry out administrative procedures electronically starting July 1, 2025.

Since Hanoi converted routes 05, 39, 47, and 59 to electric buses, ridership has grown significantly, with both passenger volume and revenue increasing each month. According to a survey by the Hanoi Public Transport Management and Operation Centre, most passengers are satisfied with the service quality.

Across the vast rice paddies of Hong Ngu, where combine harvesters work tirelessly, a more timeless scene still unfolds—buffalo carts moving at their own unhurried pace, carrying heavy sacks of rice to collection points.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached 6.9 billion USD in the first two months of 2025, marking a 35.5% year-on-year surge, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance.

Kazakhstan's national flag carrier, Air Astana and SCAT Airlines, have scheduled flights from Almaty and Astana to Da Nang starting this June, after the two airlines worked with the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to launch the new air routes.

On March 12, 2025, during Party General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to Singapore from March 11–13, Vietnam and Singapore issued a joint statement on upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

On March 12, 2025, during Party General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the Republic of Singapore (March 11-13), Vietnam and Singapore upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, bringing the total number of countries with such partnerships with Vietnam to 12.

Party General Secretary To Lam, and Singaporean Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the ruling People's Action Party, Lawrence Wong, officially announced the upgrade of the Vietnam-Singapore relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, at a press briefing in Singapore on March 12 following their talks the same day.