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

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam had a meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov in Astana on May 6 afternoon (local time) as part of his state visit to the Central Asian country.

Bektenov stressed Vietnam is Kazakhstan's most important and reliable partner in Southeast Asia and expressed his confidence that the Party chief's ongoing visit with the upgrade of the bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership is a historic milestone would inject fresh momentum into the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam met with Yerlan Koshanov, Speaker of the Mazhilis - the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, who is also Chairman of the ruling Amanat Party, in Astana on May 6 afternoon (local time).

At the meeting, which took place within the framework of the Party chief’s ongoing state visit to Kazakhstan, Koshanov expressed his deep affection for Vietnam and its people, and his admiration for the remarkable socio-economic achievements Vietnam has made over nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (Renewal) under the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Read full story

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam visited and delivered a policy speech at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan in the evening of May 6 (local time), as part of his state visit to the Central Asian nation.

In his speech, the Party leader stressed that the fresh establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the two countries has ushered in a new chapter in the bilateral relations. Read full story

- Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the Vietnam–Kazakhstan Friendship Concert in Astana on May 6, as part of the Vietnamese leader’s ongoing state visit.

The event was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information. Read full story

- The state visits by Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are expected to further strengthen relations between Vietnam and the Central Asian countries, according to international media.

Kazakhstan's Kazinform News Agency’s qazinform.com quoted President Tokayev as saying that Lam’s historic trip to Kazakhstan will create more momentum to expand cooperation between the two nations, which has great potential but has not been fully tapped. Read full story

- President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has highlighted the traditional friendship with Vietnam that has lasted for more than half a century, as the two nations are preparing for a state visit to Azerbaijan by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam on May 7-8.

Talking with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s reporter in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), President Aliyev reflected on key milestones in the bilateral ties, including his official visit to Vietnam in 2014 and a reciprocal visit by Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang in 2015. These visits, he said, opened up a new chapter for the bilateral relations and provided fresh impetus for further development. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of strictly respecting and complying with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and peacefully settling all differences and disputes, including those related to maritime issues.

PM Chinh made the statement at a reception in Hanoi on May 6 for Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), who is in Vietnam to attend the regional workshop on the ITLOS’s role in resolving disputes related to the Law of the Sea, co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ITLOS on May 5–6 in the capital city from May 5-6. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 6 chaired a meeting between permanent cabinet members and leaders of ministries and sectors to assess the current trade situation in the new context and negotiations for balanced and sustainable trade ties with the US.

This marks the 7th time the Government leader has chaired an exclusive meeting to seek solutions to the US's new tariff policy, following key directives from the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and Party General Secretary To Lam. Read full story

- Vietnam recorded more than 7.67 million international tourist arrivals between January and April, marking a 23.8% increase compared to the same period last year, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism said on May 6.

China remained the leading source of visitors, with 1.95 million arrivals, accounting for 25.4% of the total. The Republic of Korea followed closely with 1.58 million (20.6%), while other key markets included Taiwan (China) with 440,000, and the US with 323,000. Japan, Cambodia, Australia, India, Malaysia, and Thailand were also among the top ten source markets./. Read full story