The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have made progress in their talks on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, Philippine Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo said on April 4.

 General Surapong Suwana-Adth, commander of the Royal Thai Army’s defence forces, visited Vietnam from April 4-5.

 Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed Rudolf Huygelen, Director of the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs’ cabinet in Hanoi on April 4.

 Adjustments to the draft Law on Management and Use of Public Assets were high on the agenda at the National Assembly full-time deputies’ meeting in Hanoi on April 4.

 National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will visit the European countries of Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic from April 6-14, aiming to foster ties with the partners, especially in legislation.

 News broke on Tuesday that a party committee had voted, asking to sack Vo Kim Cu for his responsibility in the Formosa environmental disaster last year.

 Representatives of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) embassies in Chile hailed Vietnam’s contributions to enhancing relations between the bloc and the host country.

 Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Phong hosted a reception for newly-appointed Cambodian Consul General Im Hen in the city on April 4.

 Vietnam wants to reinforce traditional ties with Mongolia – an important partner in its external policy, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh Orgil during a reception in Hanoi on April 4. 

 The Presidential Office of Vietnam wants to cement solidarity with its Lao partner and make them a model of comprehensive cooperation.

Vietnam Fatherland Front and National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodian Motherland have expressed resolve to successfully organise the third Front Presidium Conference of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia in Hanoi.

 Tien Hai commune of Ha Tien township, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, is famous for not only the Hai Tac (Pirate) archipelago but also a sovereignty marker which is the pride of local residents.

 Public service delivery in Vietnam has seen improvement in 2016 with a jump in the proportion of citizens with health insurance from 62 percent in 2015 to 73 percent last year.

 The Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarian Alliance in Aichi prefecture hopes to boost cooperation with HCM City, particularly in the potential fields of tourism, high technology, and people-to-people exchange.

 Vietnamese Ambassador to China Dang Minh Khoi made a working trip to Hebei province on March 28-29 to promote economic, trade, investment, and tourism partnerships between Vietnamese localities and Hebei.

 The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum is expected to gain new progress towards ensuring food security, especially when Vietnam as host country proposed three initiatives regarding this issue for the APEC Year 2017.

 Vietnam strongly condemns the terror attack on the St. Petersburg subway on April 3, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

Vietnam’s NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong held bilateral talks with top legislators from Bangladesh, Fiji, and Georgia on the margins of the plenary session of the 136th IPU Assembly in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 3.

 Citizens can now voice opinions on mechanisms, policies and administrative procedures to the Government on website nguoidan.chinhphu.vn, Minister and head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said on Monday.

 The presence of the Sultan of Brunei at APEC Summit in November in Vietnam is expected to help tighten bilateral relations and bolster two-way trade towards the target of US$500 million by 2025.