Top legislator's working trip ushers in stage of comprehensive cooperation with Armenia, Uzbekistan
The working trip, marking NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s first multilateral diplomatic activity in 2025, reflected Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification of external ties.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the IPU-150 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)𒊎 - National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man, accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of the NA, has successfully concluded a working trip to attend the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-150) and pay official visits to Uzbekistan and Armenia.
The working trip, marking Man’s first multilateral diplomatic activity in 2025, reflected Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification of external ties.
Bilaterally, the visits to Armenia and Uzbekistan held profound political significance, demonstrating Vietnam’s appreciation for its traditional friendship with these countries and its desire to enhance political trust, laying a foundation for expanding cooperation across various fields, elevating Vietnam’s relations with both nations to new heights.
Social justice, progress - ultimate metric of development
Held in Tashkent for the first time in its 136-year history, IPU-150 was a milestone for Uzbekistan. Under Man’s leadership, the Vietnamese delegation enhanced the country’s image as a proactive and responsible nation promoting parliamentary cooperation for global goals of peace, stability, sustainable development, and social justice.
Man’s keynote speech at the plenary session left a profound impact, garnering enthusiastic support from international delegates. He underlined Vietnam’s commitment to sustainable development and social justice, asserting that “people must be placed at the centre,” “sustainable development must go hand in hand with social progress and fairness,” and that “social justice and progress should be the ultimate metric of development”.
He called on all parliamentarians and nations to take stronger actions and work together to build a just, prosperous, and sustainable world.
IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong was impressed by Man’s speech, particularly the concrete examples regarding Vietnam’s policies to improve people's livelihoods.
Further strengthening traditional friendship
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man (L) and Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan at their meeting in Yerevan on April 3 (Photo: VNA)
The official visits to Armenia and Uzbekistan marked the first by a top Vietnamese legislator and the highest by a Vietnamese leader since the countries established diplomatic ties in 1992.
Leaders agreed on the need to enhance all-level exchanges across Party, State, Government, parliamentary and people-to-people exchange channels. They discussed measures to boost economic, trade, and investment cooperation, including increasing transport connectivity, developing multimodal logistics to facilitate market access in each country and the broader region. They also look forward to fine-tuning the legal framework to offer maximum support to businesses in such key sectors as healthcare, apparel, energy - oil & gas, agricultural processing, and aquaculture.
On parliamentary ties, they vowed to enhance high-level exchanges among leaders, parliamentary bodies, friendship parliamentary groups, including young, women and individual parliamentarians. They also stressed the importance of fostering information and experience exchange between specialised committees and lawmakers, particularly in lawmaking and supervision.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese NA announced the establishment of friendship parliamentary groups with Armenia and Uzbekistan. The visits also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the Vietnamese NA and its Armenian and Uzbek counterparts, plus additional cooperation documents across various fields.
Uzbez Deputy PM Khodjayev Jamshid Abdukhakimovich bids farewell to NA Chairman Tran Thanh man and his entourage at the airport (Photo: VNA)
Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi, who is also in charge of Armenia and Uzbekistan, hailed the visits’ success. The Vietnam-Armenia and Vietnam-Uzbekistan business dialogues, attended by numerous businesses and leaders, are set to turn potential into concrete projects.
NA Secretary-General and Chairman of the NA Office Le Quang Trung noted that Man had completed a productive and substantive working agenda, which injected a "new breath" into these already strong friendships, paving the way for a more comprehensive and effective phase of cooperation aligned with their current development goals./.
Ismoilov highlighted the significance of Man’s trip and his attendance at the IPU-150, saying that this helps open up prospects for bilateral cooperation across all sectors, importantly contributing to each country's national development and construction process.
The IPU Secretary-General expressed admiration for the achievements made by Vietnam and its legislative body while highly valuing the country’s proposals regarding IPU activities and multilateral parliamentary cooperation in general.
NA Chairman Man stated that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people always highly appreciate the valuable support from the Armenian people during the Southeast Asian country’s past struggle for national independence as well as the current cause of national construction and development.
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.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
