Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Vietnam’s socio-economic situation has shown steady improvement in the first half of 2025, with performance in most sectors in the following month better than the previous month and the next quarter better than the previous quarter, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 3.

PM Chinh made the remarks while charing the regular June cabinet meeting and the national online conference between the Government and local authorities - the first of its kind held following the establishment of a two-tier local government system and the administrative restructuring that reduced the number of provinces and cities nationwide from 63 to 34. Read full story

- Vietnam’s sweeping administrative reform, which came into effect on July 1 with the merger of its 63 provinces and centrally-run cities into 34 units and the official transition to a two-tier local government model comprising provincial and communal levels, has drawn widespread attention in Chinese public and academic circles.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Beijing, Prof. Dr Cheng Hanping, Executive Director of the Regional and Country Research Institute and Director of the Vietnam Research Centre at Zhejiang University of Technology, described the move as a historic reform. He noted that the change reflects the strong resolve of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the bold vision of its leadership for the country’s future. Read full story

- Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fisheries exports hit 33.84 billion USD in the first half of 2025, marking a 15.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with a trade surplus of 9.83 billion USD, a 16.5% year-on-year rise, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said at the ministry’s press briefing on July 3.

According to the Deputy Minister, these results, coupled with the trend of accelerating exports towards year-end, the total export value for 2025 may reach 67 billion USD. Read full story

- The recent consensus between the negotiating delegations of Vietnam and the US on a joint statement outlining a framework for a fair and balanced reciprocal trade agreement has been welcomed by experts as a positive outcome, stemming from proactive preparation and early policy foresight by the Vietnamese Government and relevant ministries.

Dr Le Quang Minh, a lecturer at the University of Economics – Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said the Southeast Asian nation began preparing for evolving US trade policies as early as the inauguration of President Donald Trump, anticipating potential shifts and developing appropriate response strategies. Read full story

- Phuc Son Group on July 3 made an additional payment of 768 billion VND (approximately 29.3 million USD) to remedy damages in the criminal case involving its Chairman Nguyen Van Hau.

With this latest payment, added to previously seized funds in Hau’s bank accounts (over 247 billion VND) and amounts submitted earlier in the pre-trial phase (over 84 billion VND), the total compensation has reached 1.164 trillion VND, effectively covering the entire financial damage caused in the case. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Government has issued a new decree outlining mechanisms and policies to promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) in science-technology development, innovation, and digital transformation.

Decree No. 180/2025/ND-CP stipulates mechanisms and policies for PPPs in scientific research, technological development, innovation, and digitalisation. It covers partnerships under the Law on PPP Investment, joint ventures involving public assets, and the responsibilities of all parties involved. Read full story

- The Vietnamese women’s football team delivered a commanding performance on July 2, defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 6-0 in their second Group E match of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers.

The match took place at Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho. Read full story

- As of June 30, 2025, approximately 27,900 public employees had received severance benefits under the Government’s Decree No. 178/2024/ND-CP on benefits for those affected by the re-organisation of the political system's apparatus.

Of these, about 7,000 worked at central agencies while 20,900 in local authorities. Read full story

- The controlled sandbox mechanism in the banking sector is expected to significantly enhance access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), experts said at a recent seminar on the implementation of Government Decree No. 94.

Speaking at the July 2 event, Andri Meier, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam, noted that SMEs account for more than 95% of registered businesses in the country. As the backbone of the private sector, SMEs are regarded as a key driver of economic growth, innovation, and digital transformation in Vietnam./. Read full story