The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49) took place in Laos’s capital city of Vientiane on July 24 with the participation of 10 Foreign Ministers from ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretary General.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Singapore and Indonesia on July 24 on the sidelines of the 49 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane.

The ruling on July 12 makes the arbitration case can brought by the Philippines against China a "case of history". For the first time in its history, China - "the world’s center" – was unilaterally sued by a small country in a marine dispute.

In a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City proposed to recruit 4,920 employees for public agencies, bringing the total number of personnel in these agencies to more than 131,000 people in 2017.

 Senior officials from ASEAN member countries met in Vientiane, Laos on July 22 to discuss the preparation of the agenda and documents for the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-49) which is slated for July 23-26.

 More than 200 delegates are expected to discuss legal issues relating to the rulings of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at an international workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on July 23.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Vu Xuan Hong has presented the insignia “For peace and friendship among nations” to outgoing Cambodian Ambassador Hul Phany in recognition of his contribution to the Vietnam-Cambodia ties.

 Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Vice President Phankham Viphavan hailed the fruitful relations between the two Parties, States, Governments and peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

 The 14th National Assembly (NA) elected heads of the legislature’s key agencies on July 22 afternoon in the form of secret ballots.

 A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung attended the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held in Vientiane, Laos on July 22.

 Chairwoman of the 13th National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan was re-elected as the head of the 14th legislature during its first session on July 22.

 Officers from the Vietnamese Defence Ministry and Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) have agreed to further step up the bond between the two agencies in a more practical and effective manner.

Voters nationwide are concerned about China’s wrongful actions in the East Sea and want effective and consistent measures to be taken to protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over islands in the sea.

The United Kingdom stands ready to back Ho Chi Minh City in developing infrastructure, said new British Consul-General Ian Gibbons on July 21.

 Leading positions of the 14th National Assembly were named on July 22 during the legislative body’s first session following the secret ballot conducted one day earlier.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion has called on countries involved in East Sea disputes to abide by the recent ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands.

 National Assembly (NA) deputies must insist on voting against overspending the government’s planned budget, said Deputy Tran Hoang Ngan from Ho Chi Minh City on July 21.

  Chairwoman of the 13th National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan was re-elected as the head of the 14th legislature during the body’s first session on July 22.

 The India - Vietnam Solidarity Committee on July 20 issued a statement supporting the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, on the case the Philippines brought against China’s claims in the East Sea.

 Special Advisor to the Japan- Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Tsutomo Takebe stressed that exchanges between people, legislators and localities lay a firm foundation for the bilateral ties to advance strongly.