Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a ceremony in Hanoi on January 6 to launch Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship, with about 300 distinguished guests taking part.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the agriculture and rural development sector must grow by 3 percent next year, during a teleconference in Hanoi on December 23.

While the world saw profound global instability in 2019, the Pacific-Asia area proved to be the leading region in terms of economic integration, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh has said.

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General in charge of peace activities, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, applauded Vietnam’s contributions in efforts to preserve security and peace.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has selected the top 10 events that shaped the country in 2019. These include the national public service portal debut, the host of the second US-DPRK Summit, or thenbsp;non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, among others.

Vietnam News Agency talks with Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, about the preparations and challenges the country is facing during its two-year seat on the UN Security Council starting January 1 next year.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed comprehensive progress in the information and communications sector this year during its conference in Hanoi on December 28.

Vietnam will extend visa waivers for citizens of Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belarus until December 31, 2022, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has announced.

Vietnam’s population has exceeded 96.2 million people, making it the third most populous country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines and the 15th most populous country in the world.

Vietnam and Japan have agreed to increase exchanges between parliamentarians, especially young and female ones, to share information and experience in legislative activities.

The National Assembly Standing Committee has made remarkable efforts and successfully implemented programs and plans set in 2019, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said at the closing ceremony of the committee’s 40th session in Hanoi on December 18.

The Presidential Office held a press conference in Hanoi on December 16 to announce the President’s order on the laws adopted at the recent eighth session of the 14th-tenure National Assembly.

Vietnam attaches much importance to its role as the ASEAN Chair 2020, and wishes to build a strong ASEAN Community which is resilient to regional and global challenges, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung has said.

Private businesses have said they were unsure about how to implement the 2018 Law on Anti-Corruption that came into effect on July 1.

A draft document on solar power development will be filed to the Prime Minister for approval on December 15, local media reported.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has affirmed that her visit to Russia from December 8-11 aims to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership and parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

The national public service portal, an electronic platform to connect the Government with people and enterprises, is scheduled to be officially open on Monday after nine months of construction.

Vietnam foreign affairs spokeswoman on December 5 reaffirmed the country’s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands after images showing an airship deployed above the China-occupied Mischief Reef.

Over the last four decades, ASEAN-United Nations relations have become a role model for cooperation between the UN and regional organizations, said Vice Foreign Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Quoc Dung.

In order to promote start-ups, complete policies were necessary to support them, heard the fourth national start-up forum in Hanoi on December 2.