PM requests purchasing COVID-19 vaccine in February
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the health sector to conduct all necessary measures to make COVID-19 vaccines available in Vietnam this month either through purchasing or from UN organisations.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs the meeting (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuchas ordered the health sector to conduct all necessary measures to makeCOVID-19 vaccines available in Vietnam this month either through purchasing or from UN organisations.
He made the request while chairing a meeting of permanent Government members on pandemic prevention and control work held in Hanoi on February 15, inresponse to complicated developments recorded in several localities nationwide.
The PM also required accelerating the research and productionof domestic vaccine.
He assigned the Health Ministry to decide options, partnersand types of imported vaccines; identify priority subjects for vaccination; andcoordinate with the Finance Ministry in arranging needed financial sources.
Lauding prompt and drastic efforts made by the health sectorand many localities since January 27 to date, he underscored the fact thatnecessary social distancing measures have been implemented while thousands ofmedical personnel have been sent to COVID-19 hotspots.
However, the situation remains complicated with a number ofpandemic-hit areas like Hai Duong and Hanoi yet to curb their local outbreaks,Phuc noted.
At the event (Photo: VNA)
The Government leader highlighted the need of more drasticimplementation of his Directive 05 on urgent COVID-19 prevention and controlmeasures, particularly in quickly zoning off outbreaks, larger scale testing,and speedy contact tracing.
He agreed to proposals to halt the organization of festivalsand activities of mass gatherings, and told the education ministry tocoordinate with localities to carry out online teaching in some localities.
He ordered restriction to Lunar New Year visits and travelin the first lunar month and strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures,particularly wearing masks in public areas, with stricter sanction ofviolations.
The PM ordered localities to re-conduct COVID-19 testing forforeign experts and tightly manage quarantine sites to avoid cross infections,with the army tasked with managing these sites.
He approved the enforcement of social distancing underDirective 16 in the entire Hai Duong province, adding that Hanoi and Ho ChiMinh City can implement the measure in high-risk areas.
Ensuring food security, promoting local farm produceconsumption, and tight monitoring of entry-exit activities are also necessary,according to PM Phuc.
Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)
In the past 12 hours to 6pm on February 15, 40 cases ofCOVID-19 were recorded, raising the national count to 2,269, according to theNational Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Among the new cases, 38 are in Hai Duong province and two inHanoi./.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has ordered the northern province of Hai Duong – Vietnam’s recent hotspot of COVID-19 outbreaks – considering implementing the Prime Minister’s Decree 16/CT-TTg on a wider scale to avoid getting behind developments of the pandemic.
Competent agencies in Hanoi are working urgently and drastically to screen F1 and F2 cases of a COVID-19-infected Japanese man who was found dead from unknown causes at a local hotel on February 13.
In the past 12 hours to 6pm on February 15, 40 cases of COVID-19 were recorded, raising the national count to 2,269, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
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.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs the meeting (Photo: VNA) 
At the event (Photo: VNA) 
Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA) 
