President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan, received Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx in Hanoi on January 11.
Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx (L) and VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan
Hanoi (VNA)𓄧 – President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan, received Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx in Hanoi on January 11.
President Nhan, informed his guest of VFF’s recent activities, including those related to uniting Catholics in Vietnam and relevant affairs, saying that Vietnam has recognised 14 religions, of which Catholicism has nearly 6 million followers.
There are 44 bishop churches, 5,000 priests and seven major seminaries. Three Catholics are National Assembly deputies for the 13 th tenure, 38 are deputies to the provincial People’s Councils, while 38 others are deputies to the district People’s Councils, and more than 5,200 joined the communal People’s Councils.
Nhan assured that relations between Vietnam and the Vatican Holy See are progressing positively, evidenced by visits by the Party, State and VFF leaders and their meetings with the Pope.
Religions in Vietnam have actively joined popular campaigns to protect the environment, develop health care, promote education and new life styles.
The VFF, recently in coordination with 40 religious organisations, signed an agreement to call for public involvement in environment protection, and a response to climate change.
As many as 185 private medical facilities initiated by religious followers, have treated more than 1.4 million people.
Nhan, hoped that the Cardinal would help further promote ties between Vietnam and Germany, as well as between Vietnam and the Vatican.
The guest expressed his hope that the VFF, will continue working for the development of Catholicism in Vietnam, and facilitating humanitarian activities among the Catholic community.
He believed that the visit would contribute to fostering Vietnam-Germany and Vietnam-Vatican ties.-VNA
Vatican Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, visited the Da Nang Diocese on January 23 and extended greetings on the 400th anniversary of the evangelization and the 50th founding anniversary of the diocese.
Vietnam and the Vatican need to continue holding regular meetings between their leaders and actively prepare necessary conditions towards establishing diplomatic relations, concurred Politburo member and Vietnam Fatherland Front President (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan and the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx (L) and VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan
