☀ Morning digest on May 18 hinh anh 1
Hanoi, (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by Vietnam News Agency.

-President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received outgoing Bruneian Ambassador Pengiran Haji Sahari bin Pengiran Haji Salleh in Hanoi on May 17, congratulating the diplomat on fulfilling his duties during eight years in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese leader appreciated the diplomat’s considerable contributions to the two countries’ ties, which were lifted to a comprehensive partnership in 2019. Read full text

- National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the NA delegation arrived in Hanoi late May 17, concluding an official visit to Laos at the invitation of Lao NA Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane from May 15.  

Earlier before leaving Laos, NA Chairman Hue and the high-ranking NA delegation called at the Vietnam Consulate General in Pakse, Champasak province, and met with representatives from the Vietnamese community in four southern Lao provinces (Champasak, Attapeu, Sekong and Salavan). Read full text

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 17 (local time) had meetings with overseas Vietnamese (OV) and US businessmen and scientists on May 17 morning (US time) within the framework of his working trip to the US to attend the ASEAN-US Special Summit. Read full text

He attended a Vietnam-US trade, investment and tourism promotion conference themed ‘Rediscovering Vietnam’ in San Francisco. Read full text

The PM also hosted a reception for Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco London Breed the same day. He told the guest that Vietnam wants to promote the relationship between San Francisco and Vietnamese localities in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in areas that the US city has strengths such as economics, trade, science, technology, digital transformation, and climate change response. Read full text

-Vietnam commits to cooperating with the UN and countries in the fight against terrorism, Minister of Public Security To Lam affirmed during a working session with  Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism in New York on May 16 (US time). Read full text

-Vietnam will host an annual meeting of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centres Network (APCN) this September.

The announcement was made by Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien who is leading a Vietnamese delegation to the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM) and the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM ) in Phnom Penh from May 17-18. Read full text

On the sidelines of the ADSOM, Chien met with his Japanese counterpart Tsuchimichi Akihiro on May 17. Read full text

-Visiting Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and a high-ranking delegation from Greece visited Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh on May 17 as part of their official visit to Vietnam. Read full text

- Representatives of the European Union (EU) and partners in Vietnam made a fact-finding tour of central Thanh Hoa province on May 17 to learn more about the work of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and local women’s needs.

They visited two preeminent women-run livelihood models in Hoang Hoa district and an exhibition of 30 outstanding products made by women-owned cooperatives. Read full text

-The Vietnamese swimming team set a new record at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), with a time of 7 minutes and 16.31 seconds, winning a gold medal in the men's freestyle 4x200m relay event on May 17, the 4th day of competition. Read full text/.
VNA