Nhan Dan Online

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam on October 15 called on the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology (HUST) to become an outstanding research university capable of undertaking major national missions, as Viet Nam seeks to strengthen its technological capabilities and drive scientific and industrial development.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, head of the Central Steering Committee for the 2026–2035 national target programme on cultural and socio-economic development, rural development, and development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, chaired a conference in Ha Noi on October 15 to launch the programme.

The Ministry of Finance has issued a plan to implementing Directive No. 52-CT/TW of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, aimed at achieving universal health insurance coverage by 2030. The plan focuses on refining policies, expanding enrolment, and broadening health insurance benefits.

Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva in Baku on October 14, on the occasion of her attendance at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Vietnamese scientist Associate Professor Ha Thi Thanh Huong has won the first prize in the mid-career category of the 2026 ASEAN–US Science Prize for Women.

As localisation in FDI production chains currently stands at just 20-25%, Viet Nam is moving to link investment incentives to foreign firms’ commitments to develop domestic suppliers, a shift expected to tighten business linkages, lift added value and sharpen competitiveness.

Viet Nam supports an open, rules-based multilateral trading system, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang has affirmed, highlighting the challenges facing developing economies with high levels of economic openness amid growing global uncertainty.

A delegation from the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee visited School No. 488 in the Vyborg District of Saint Petersburg, which houses a museum space dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh, on October 14 as part of a working visit to Russia to attend the second Russia-Viet Nam people-to-people diplomacy forum.

The Italian Embassy in Viet Nam, in collaboration with the Asian Film Festival in Rome, is organising Italy Film Week in Viet Nam 2026 at the National Cinema Centre in Ha Noi from October 27 to November 1, showcasing six outstanding works of contemporary Italian cinema.

Viet Nam’s Engineering Team No. 5 actively participated in a peace walk organised by the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in the Abyei area, in Africa, on October 14.

The second Russia–Viet Nam people-to-people diplomacy forum officially opened in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 14. The event was jointly organised by the Saint Petersburg Committee for External Relations, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Tradition and Friendship Foundation.

Viet Nam’s benchmark VN-Index fell by 0.38% to 1,698.35 points on October 15.