Diplomat Pham Sanh Chau received another three votes in the second round of elections for the post of UNESCO General-Director in Paris on October 10.

 National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will attend the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and related meetings in Russia from October 14-15 and pay an official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan from October 16-18.

A Vietnamese representative stressed three measures to reduce disaster risks and cope with climate change based on Vietnam’s practical experience at a plenary meeting of the UN Economic and Financial Committee on October 9.

 Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma called on Vietnam to step up multi-faceted cooperation with his country, focusing on agriculture, fishery and mining. 

 The Standing Committee of the 14th National Assembly will convene its 15th session in Hanoi from October 11-13, with many important issues to be discussed, including preparations for the legislature’s fourth meeting in October. 

Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and Singaporean Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit co-chaired the 8th Vietnam-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue in Hanoi on October 9.

The 12th Party Central Committee (PCC)’s sixth plenary meeting entered its fifth working day in Hanoi on October 9.

 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on October 9 convened a ballot to vote for the new UNESCO General-Director. 

 Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on October 7 signed off Regulation 98-QD/TW on personnel rotation, the Politburo’s first regulation on the issue.

 Nations should look beyond mere economic gains at questions of sovereignty and excessive dependence when considering participation in China’s Belt and Road (BRI) initiative, experts said yesterday.

 Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh emphasised the role of regional mechanisms in promoting trust building and cooperation in peace, stability and development in the region.

 The Party Central Committee (PCC) elected two additional members to the PCC Secretariat on October 6, the third working day of the PCC’s sixth plenary meeting in Hanoi.

 The Political Bureau has issued a warning as a disciplinary measure against the Standing Board of the Da Nang city Party Committee (2015-2020 term) for its serious rule violations and mistakes. 

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has vowed that Vietnam always supports and creates all optimal conditions for foreign investors, including Samsung, to run business in Vietnam. 

More than 250 representatives from 20 member economies of APEC and observer organisations on October 5-6 examined venues for events during the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in central Da Nang and Quang Nam. 

 Member of the Party Central Committee and Transport Minister Truong Quang Nghia will take the position of Secretary of the Da Nang municipal Party Committee for the 2015-2020 tenure. 

A Vietnamese delegation attended the third meeting in 2017 of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines from October 4-5. 

Vietnam will continue its efforts to expand cooperation with other countries and support the international community’s efforts to counter terrorism and extremism on the basis of respecting the UN Charter and international law.  

 Potential for defence engagements remains huge for US and Vietnam to tap, said Amiral Scott Swift, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, during a meeting with Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army Pham Ngoc Minh.

 Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh has recently paid a working visit to Hawaii to meet local leaders for the strengthened Vietnam – US ties.