The 12th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) for the 2018-2023 tenure closed in Hanoi on September 26 after the three days of sitting.
The closing session saw the presence of Politburo member, Chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh and Politburo member, Chairwoman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai..
VGCL Vice President Tran Van Thuat said the congress elected an Executive Committee for the 2018-2023 with 161 members.
The first meeting of the Executive Committee elected 22 members of the Presidium, the VCCL President and four Vice Presidents, 16 members of the Examination Board of the VGCL, the head and two vice heads of the Examination Board in the 2018-2023 tenure.
President of the VGCL of the 11th tenure Bui Van Cuong was re-elected to President of the VGCL of the 12th term.
In his speech at the event, Cuong, who is also Vice President of the World Federation of Trade Unions, promised to do his utmost to perform well the tasks entrusted by the congress, and concretize the Party’s Resolutions and those of the 12th VGCL Congress.
He expressed his hope to receive support from the Politburo, the CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat , Party and State leaders and the VGCL members, thus helping him do well his duties in the tenure.
At the closing session, participants noted opinions gave by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, and suggestions by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the congress’s Resolution and documents, thus approving basic contents on the assessment of the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th VGCL Congress, and orientations for the next five years.
Tasks and targets for the next tenure will focus on improving the efficiency of representation for labourers of trade union organizations, and protecting interests of and bettering living standards for their members and labourers.
More efforts will be made to make the Vietnamese working class stronger, while fine-tuning organisation models and renovating operation methods, towards promoting profession in trade union organizations.
The Congress set a target of admitting additional two million trade union members by 2023, and establishing trade-union organisations in enterprises with at least 25 employees.
The Resolution also set an objective to have 100 percent of trade unions in administrative and State-owned enterprises, at least 70% of enterprises with trade unions signing the collective labour agreements.
It also aimed to carry out three breakthroughs, including renovating organizational structure and operation of trade union organisations, protecting interests of trade union members and labourers; improve the capacity and quality of trade union staff.
The Resolution called for joint efforts from trade union organisations nationwide in coordination with the Government in a programme to improve national competitiveness and promote sustainable development.
The International Day of Older Persons 2026, themed “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” highlights the need to develop healthcare, social security, labour-market and social-service systems in response to increasing life expectancy. For Vietnam, rapid population ageing is not only a demographic issue but also a development challenge.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on September 29 safely brought ashore an unconscious sailor from the Liberian-flagged MSC HERMES III, who was suspected of inhaling toxic gas, for further medical treatment.
This year, lessons will weave Vietnamese culture, history and everyday life into the curriculum, tailored to each age group.
Among the key transport and conference projects, the runway expansion at Phu Quoc International Airport has been completed, while the VIP terminal is 96% complete and Terminal 2 is 72% complete.
Both sides agreed to keep educating officials, Party members, youth union groups and the broader public, especially young people in both provinces, on the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on September 27 inspected Huu Nghi – Chi Lang and Dong Dang – Tra Linh expressway projects, urging local authorities, investors and contractors to speed up construction to connect the two routes before the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2027.
General Secretary and President Lam stressed that bilateral friendship and cooperation have been nurtured by people living and working in both countries, with the Vietnamese community in Canada playing an important bridging role.
Of the total, 631 were individual sets of remains, while 33 were recovered from eight mass graves. Personal artifacts were found with 298 sets of remains.
Vietnam plans to connect its national digital identification application VNeID with the electronic identification systems of Singapore and Laos, with a view to expanding the connection to other ASEAN countries.
Such assessments, however, need to be viewed in the context of Vietnam’s starting point in 1986 and the broader trajectory of its development. A country emerging from prolonged wars, facing severe socio-economic difficulties and economic embargo has undergone profound changes over the past four decades.
The floods have left three people dead, destroyed eight houses and damaged 111 others, while nearly 20,000 houses have been inundated, with more than 5,000 in riverside and low-lying areas of Hanoi and Ninh Binh currently remaining flooded.
The captain discovered water entering ballast tanks No. 4, 5 and 6 on the port side, causing the vessel to list slightly. Initial assessments indicated that the vessel may have struck an underwater rock formation while underway.
Publishing copyright is entering an entirely new phase. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating text, summarising books, mimicking writing styles and producing content at enormous speed, ensuring copyright protection is becoming more difficult.
Authorities urged residents in the eight provinces and cities - Son La, Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An - to remain alert for a high risk of flash floods and landslides on September 17.
Prolonged heavy rains from September 13–17 have caused flooding and landslides, damaging homes, crops, roads and infrastructure in Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa provinces, with local authorities mobilising forces for emergency response.
Quang Ninh city's Public Security Department warned individuals, agencies and businesses not to publicly disclose or provide personal information or bank account details on social media, and urged organisations and businesses to strictly comply with regulations on protecting customers’ personal data.
From a weekend support activity, the “Zero-dong stall” has grown into a widely recognised community initiative, helping ease living costs while fostering solidarity and compassion among local residents.
The continued recovery of martyrs’ remains provides valuable information and further evidence of those who fought and sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom. It also encourages search teams to persist in locating fallen soldiers still lying on former battlefields, contributing to the effective implementation of the 500-day campaign and reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of gratitude.
Vietnam will launch nationwide screening for five groups of school-related diseases and health conditions among students from preschool through high school from 2028, including overweight and obesity, refractive errors, spinal curvature, oral diseases and mental health disorders.
Vietnam always regards the Republic of Korea (RoK) as a country with a highly developed press sector and hopes to learn more from its Korean colleagues, said Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper and President of the VJA.