Vietnam has actively taken part in developing initiatives for enhanced cooperation within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to boost economic growth, strengthen economic connectivity and aid poverty reduction effort in the region.
![]() |
| The 22nd Ministerial Conference on "Greater GMS achievements through stronger and pragmatic cooperation" hosted by Vietnam in September, 2017. (Photo: VNA) |
The GMS comprises of Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guangxi provinces), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. In 1992, the six countries entered into a programme of sub-regional economic cooperation, designed to enhance economic relations among the countries, as an initiative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Priority fields include infrastructure development, energy, telecommunications, tourism, trade-investment, human resources, and the environment.
As of December 2017, about US$6 billion has been poured into GMS cooperation projects in Vietnam, representing 30% of the total value of GMS loans and financial aids. Of the amount, transport accounted for 87%, followed by urban development (7.9%), agriculture and natural resources (3.7%), healthcare and social welfare (2.7%), industry and trade (0.4%), trade facilitation and transport (0.2%).
Substantial progress has been made in terms of transport infrastructure development since 1992 with the formation of vital economic corridors to promote trans-border economic and social activities.
Vietnam holds key nodes in three GMS economic corridors – the Southern Coastal Corridor (GMS-SCC) which links Thailand to southern Vietnam via Cambodia, the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) that links Myanmar to Vietnam via central Thailand and Laos, and the North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC) with sub-veins linking China and Vietnam.
The corridors will help Vietnam reap most benefits from improved transport connectivity and growing trade and investment in areas along them.
Many ABD-funded road projects have been completed and put into use, including HCM City-Moc Bai and Dong Ha-Lao Bao routes operational in 2005; and 244km Hanoi-Lao Cai Expressway, the longest of its kind in Vietnam, in 2014.
Vietnam signed the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) in 1999 and has ratified all CBTA’s annexes, enabling the reduction of amount of time spent in crossing border for vehicles, goods and passengers and facilitating trade.
Since 2012, Vietnam and China have facilitated each other’s vehicles crossing shared borders on the Kunming – Hanoi – Hai Phong and Hanoi – Nanning – Shenzhen routes.
The same year, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand roads connecting capital cities of the three countries with two large sea ports – Laem Chabang (Thailand) and Hai Phong (Vietnam) on the EWEC.
In terms of energy, Vietnam has taken part in the Regional Indicative Master Plan on Power Interconnection in the GMS, paving the way for the country to bolster electricity trading and push for the establishment of institutions to ensure power security within the region.
By attending meetings of the GMS Regional Power Trade Coordination, Vietnam has got updates on the GMS countries’ markets and energy-related plans and greatly benefited from ADB’s technical support.
The country has played an active role in the GMS’s trade and investment promotion events and enhancing regional partnership in agriculture, tourism, and telecommunications. It has also contributed to the GMS’s effort in controlling cross-border infectious diseases, such as SARS, bird flu, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis which are priorities of the regional cooperation in healthcare.
This year, Vietnam will host the sixth GMS Summit (GMS-6) in Hanoi from March 29-31. Themed “Leveraging 25 years of cooperation, Building an integrated, sustainable and prosperous GMS”, the GMS-6 is expected to draw about 2,000 delegates and 150 reporters.
It aims to celebrate the 25th founding anniversary of the GMS Programme and define cooperation orientations to build a region of prosperity, integration and sustainable development.
For the first time, a business forum will be held within the framework of the GMS-6 as an initiative of host Vietnam, with a view to increasing dialogues between States and businesses and forging links between regional and global enterprises.
Top leader To Lam stressed that while the 14th National Party Congress’s Resolution serves as the strategic blueprint for the country's next growth stage, Resolution 57 is one of the key engines for turning that blueprint into reality.
After 18 months of implementing Resolution No. 57, ministries, sectors and localities have adopted innovative and effective approaches that have generated positive momentum, while winning broad support from businesses, the scientific community and the public for policies on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam underscored that Vietnam’s development goals for 2030, with a vision to 2045, require foreign affairs and international integration to become more proactive, with stronger forecasting capacity, timely and accurate policy advice, and swift action.
The event was held in a hybrid format, with the main venue at the Dien Hong Hall of the National Assembly building and online connection to 3,651 venues across ministries, central agencies, socio-political organisations, and headquarters of provincial, municipal, commune, ward and special-zone administrations nationwide.
Top leader To Lam called on the entire political system, the business community and both domestic and foreign investors to work together to effectively implement Resolution 10, translating its policies into high-quality projects, stronger enterprises, new value chains, quality jobs and enhanced national capabilities.
He urged the Artillery-Missile Command to develop a force that is strong in political, ideological and organisational foundations, with absolute loyalty to the Party, the nation and the people, thorough understanding of the Party's military and defence guidelines and directives on safeguarding the Fatherland and building a revolutionary, regular, elite and modern army.
Chairman Man described the publication of the master plan as more than the unveiling of a development blueprint. It sends a strong message of action and demonstrates the city's determination to translate the resolutions of the 14th National Party Congress and the 18th Hanoi Party Congress into reality, in line with Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s directive that “Hanoi must do what it commits to do, do it quickly, correctly, effectively and thoroughly.”
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has ordered ministries and agencies to ensure that technical standards and regulations do not create new administrative procedures, as part of the Government's drive to streamline regulations and improve the business environment.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau highly valued Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Takebe's more than three decades of contributions to promoting Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation, particularly in people-to-people exchanges, local-level cooperation, education and human resource development, with the Vietnam-Japan University (VJU) project standing out as a flagship initiative.
PSNews - During the press briefing of Viet Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs held on June 25, spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang provided updates on measures to protect Vietnamese citizens affected by the earthquake in Venezuela and a fire at Moscow’s Sadovod market, while reiterating support for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin.
The top leader requested ministries and sectors to complete the establishment and standardisation of specialised databases and urgently connect them with the National Data Centre.
The signing of the coordination regulations represents a concrete step in implementing the Party’s major policies and orientations on building a socialist rule-of-law state, improving the legal system, and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the legislature’s operations.
The General Secretary and President affirmed that the two countries have become reliable partners, cooperating closely at the strategic level and being close friends who understand each other.
Vietnam is ready to share training expertise, dispatch delegations to Cambodia for exchanges, and welcome Cambodian delegations to Vietnam for study visits and experience sharing.
Addressing the opening session of the 13th Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union National Congress for the 2026–2031 term in Hanoi on June 25, the Party and State leader told 788 delegates representing more than 5.1 million HCYU members and nearly 22 million young people nationwide that the country is entering a new stage of development in which young people are not only inheritors of the revolutionary cause but also direct architects of the future.
For the second half, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam directed the force to safeguard national security under the Party's renewed thinking, broaden the scope of security protection, build up operational muscle, and keep national security intact.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a thematic meeting, on the afternoon of June 23, to review the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW following its third session in 2026. Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung and Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang moderated the discussions on solutions to accelerate the development of science, technology and innovation.
In the first six months of 2026, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence have provided sound strategic advice to the Party and State on military and defence matters, maintained the strategic initiative, and prevented any passive or unexpected situations. Efforts to build a politically strong army have continued alongside comprehensive Party and political work and strict implementation of the Party's resolutions and regulations.
The congress, which will last until June 25, is not only an occasion to review the achievements of the past term but also a significant milestone in defining the vision, objectives, and tasks of the youth union in the next phase, reinforcing the pioneering role of the younger generation as Vietnam approaches two major historic milestones: the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1930–2030) and the 100th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (1931–2031).
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent support for the Palestinian people's legitimate struggle and the Vietnamese legislature always backs efforts to expand cooperation with Palestine across various fields.