VIETNAM: NEW ERA

With a score of 91.00, Hoi An has been ranked sixth among the world’s best destinations for 2025, as voted by readers of the prestigious Travel + Leisure magazine.

With revolutionary spirit and determination for continued renewal, the Party Central Committee decided to integrate the contents of three documents, including the political report, the socio-economic report, and the report on Party building, into a single consistent, unified, and synchronous political report to submit to the 14th National Party Congress.

In the first half of 2025, Vietnam’s tourism sector recorded impressive growth, welcoming nearly 10.7 million international arrivals, an increase of over 20.7% compared to the same period last year.

The iconic Vietnamese dish bun bo Hue has been officially inscribed on the list of national intangible cultural heritage under the category of folk knowledge. A symbol of Hue’s culinary tradition, the dish embodies centuries of folk wisdom and reflects the soul, lifestyle, and gastronomy of the Hue people. This recognition not only affirms the cultural value of Hue cuisine but also marks an important step towards the city’s ambition of becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Vietnam is aiming to export cashews worth 4.5 billion USD in 2025, up 2.7% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. To hit this target, the sector must generate around 2.2 billion USD in the second half.

With the newly-adopted decisions at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, Vietnam now has a total of nine World Heritage sites. Among them are two inter-provincial World Heritage sites: Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago (Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city) and the Complex of Monuments and Landscapes of Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac (Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh provinces and Hai Phong city). Additionally, Vietnam now has its first transboundary World Heritage site: Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri province) – Hin Nam No National Park (Khammouane province, Laos).

Fifty years after the end of the war and national reunification, Vietnam is embarking on a new great revolution — a sweeping reform involving the merger of provinces and streamlining of the administrative apparatus, aimed at advancing the nation firmly forward.

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO on July 13, approved the expansion of the world natural heritage site of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province, to include Hin Nam No National Park in Laos' Khammouane province.

Vietnam’s Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Scenic Landscape Complex has been officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held recently in France. This marks Vietnam’s 9th World Heritage site recognised by UNESCO and the second trans-provincial heritage site, following Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago (which spans Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City).

In the afternoon of July 12 (Paris time), at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Professor Nikolay Nenov, Chairman of the Session, officially knocked the hammer to recognise the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac Relics and Landscape Complex as a World Cultural Heritage site.

With its cool climate and poetic highland landscapes, Da Lat remains an ideal getaway for travel enthusiasts. The city has recently been ranked among the top five most affordable summer destinations in Asia, highlighting its growing appeal as a budget-friendly yet experience-rich destination.

This is the first time Vietnam’s National Assembly has participated in the event, which brought together over 550 delegates from 59 countries and territories, at vice-presidential level.

The introduction of AI robots marks a key step in Hanoi’s efforts to streamline administrative processes, modernise public services, and build a more citizen-friendly government.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Vietnam–US diplomatic relations, the National Archives Centre III held an exhibition in Hanoi on July 10 titled “30 Years of Vietnam–US Diplomatic Relations.”

In the first six months of 2025, over 91,200 new businesses were registered nationwide (up 11.8%), while more than 61,500 businesses resumed operations (up 57.2%). This brought the total number of newly established and reactivated businesses to over 152,700, a 26.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The country’s three major network providers – Viettel, VNPT and MobiFone – have so far deployed around 11,000 5G base stations, equivalent to 7.7% of existing 4G stations. These stations now cover all provinces and cities, reaching approximately 26% of the population.

As of 30 June 2025, total foreign investment - including newly registered capital, adjusted capital, and capital contributions/share purchases - reached 21.52 billion USD, up 32.6% year-on-year. Out of 72 countries and territories with newly licensed projects, Singapore led the way with 2.41 billion USD, accounting for 25.9% of newly registered capital.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a speech at the high-level discussion on “Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic–Financial Issues, and Artificial Intelligence” at the expanded BRICS summit 2025 held in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 (local time).

At the invitation of Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse led a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the expanded BRICS Summit 2025 and conduct bilateral activities in Brazil from July 4-8. This marks Vietnam’s first participation in a BRICS Summit as a Partner Country — a multilateral cooperation mechanism among emerging economies with growing economic and political influence.

The Vietnamese Government will create all favourable conditions for Brazilian investors to cooperate and invest successfully and sustainably in the Southeast Asian country, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.