Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng and Secretary of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Preeti Saran co-chaired the two-day 20th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) which ended yesterday in Hà Nội.

The Vietnamese Government seeks to create favourable conditions for Singaporean businesses to invest in Việt Nam, particularly in building a hi-tech zone in the central city of Đà Nẵng, said Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc yesterday.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc lauded outgoing Thai Ambassador Manopchai Vongphakdi for fulfilling his assigned tasks during a reception in Hà Nội yesterday.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press conference on April 5, spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng maintained that there are no "prisoners of conscience" in Việt Nam and that no one here is arrested for expressing their beliefs and opinions, but “all illegal activities will be punished by law, just like in every other country.”.

Vice President and Secretary General of the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Đôn Tuấn Phong presented the Medal for Peace and Friendship among Nations to outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Việt Nam Lee Hyuk in recognition of his remarkable contributions to promoting the two countries’ friendship and co-operation.

The Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) has been an important forum contributing to maintaining and promoting peace, stability and security in Asia-Pacific and the world, said Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngô Xuân Lịch.

The National Assembly’s Judicial Committee held a plenary session on April 5 to examine the draft revision to the Law on Amnesty.

The Hà Nội People’s Court on April 5 handed down a jail sentence of 15 years to Nguyễn Văn Đài for “trying to overthrow the people’s administration” under Clause 1, Article 79 of the 1999 Penal Code.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has suggested the Mekong River Commission (MRC) give priority to fully and effectively implementing the 1995 Mekong Agreement and promoting its monitoring and coordinating role in performing the commitments of the MRC member countries.