Highlights of the week from May 18-23

Commemorating the 136th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth.

Photo caption — A delegation of current and former Party and State leaders, led by General Secretary and President To Lam, laid wreaths and paid respects at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Tuan Anh/TTXVN.

On the occasion of the 136th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2026), on the morning of May 19, a delegation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the President, the National Assembly, and the Government laid wreaths and paid respects at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and offered incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs (Bac Son Street, Hanoi ). On the same day, tens of thousands of people and tourists from all over the country flocked to Ba Dinh Square to visit the Mausoleum. Not only at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but also throughout May, the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area at the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, and the house at 48 Hang Ngang Street welcomed large crowds of visitors. Many meaningful cultural and artistic activities took place in Hanoi and many other localities nationwide to remember and express gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh.

Ceremony to announce the National Assembly's Resolution on the establishment of Dong Nai City

On the evening of May 18th, General Secretary and President To Lam attended and delivered a speech at the ceremony announcing the National Assembly's Resolution on the establishment of Dong Nai City. On behalf of the Party and State leadership, General Secretary and President To Lam presented the National Assembly's Resolution on the establishment of Dong Nai City and awarded the First Class Labor Medal to the Party Committee, government, and people of the city. General Secretary and President To Lam stated that the establishment of Dong Nai City as a centrally-governed city is a major milestone, opening a new chapter. A new status demands a new development vision; a larger space requires higher governance capacity; and a greater sense of pride must be transformed into greater responsibility to the people and the nation. Dong Nai today possesses many rare strategic advantages, such as its economic scale, population, infrastructure, natural resources, and unique history and culture. These advantages position the city as a multi-functional growth pole, a dynamic urban center, and a national hub for industry, aviation, and innovation...

According to Resolution No. 30/2026/QH16 of the National Assembly, Dong Nai City was officially established on April 30, 2026. Dong Nai City borders Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong Province, Tay Ninh Province, and the Kingdom of Cambodia. Dong Nai City has a natural area of over 12,700 square kilometers, a population of nearly 5 million people, and 95 administrative units at the commune level, including 33 wards and 62 communes...

In response to Vietnam Science, Technology and Innovation Day

From May 12-18, ministries, sectors, and localities organized numerous activities to celebrate Vietnam Science, Technology and Innovation Day 2026 with the theme "Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation - The main driving force of the new growth model."

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attended and delivered a speech at the ceremony celebrating Vietnam's Science, Technology and Innovation Day on May 18th and the Conference on the Implementation of Strategic Technologies, held on the morning of May 18th in Hanoi. The Prime Minister stated that in an era where science, technology, and innovation are developing and changing daily, and global competition is increasing, nations with high competitiveness will seize opportunities to rise, develop rapidly and sustainably. With the goal of becoming a modern industrialized nation by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation are identified as key drivers, the "golden key," and vital factors in realizing the country's development aspirations. The Prime Minister requested that, in the coming period, the Ministry of Science and Technology must play a pivotal role, working alongside other ministries, agencies, and localities, in implementing the national development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. Strategic technology development must produce concrete products. These strategic technology products must have added value, practical applicability, high commercialization potential, and a high localization rate, and must make a real contribution to increased labor productivity.

Local authorities are holding ceremonies to collect the remains of fallen soldiers.

Implementing the "500-day campaign to intensify the search, collection, and identification of the remains of martyrs," in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2027), many localities have organized ceremonies to collect the remains of martyrs; they have also initiated preliminary sampling and handover of remains from graves where information has not yet been identified.

On the morning of May 23rd, at the National Martyrs' Cemetery on Highway 9 (Quang Tri), Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attended the memorial service and burial ceremony for 28 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos during the war.

On May 22nd, at the Hue City Martyrs' Cemetery, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh attended the memorial service and burial of eight remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died on the battlefield in Laos.

At many Martyrs' Cemeteries in provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, etc., preliminary work has been carried out, including the handover of samples and digitization of information on the remains of unidentified martyrs, in order to gain experience for wider implementation in the future. The work of searching for and collecting the remains of martyrs, taking samples, and handing over the remains of those whose information has not yet been verified for identification is a major policy of the Party and State of Vietnam aimed at showing gratitude, demonstrating a noble responsibility, helping to bring the remains of martyrs back to their families and hometowns, and building a national database.

The official entrance exam for 10th grade in public schools has begun in many localities.

The entrance exam for 10th grade in Da Nang for the 2026-2027 school year took place from May 23-25 with 43,500 candidates participating. This is considered the largest-scale 10th grade entrance exam ever held in Da Nang after the expansion of its administrative boundaries. To facilitate the exam, Da Nang mobilized more than 10,000 personnel to participate in organization, invigilation, security, medical services, electricity and water supply, fire prevention and control, and candidate support. In addition to the 110 official exam locations, the Education Department also arranged 6 backup exam locations and 7 locations specifically for candidates applying to specialized schools.

The entrance exam for 10th grade in non-specialized public high schools in Hanoi for the 2026-2027 school year will take place on May 30-31 with three independent exams: Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language. The specialized subject exam will be held on June 1st. With a large number of registered candidates (nearly 125,000), the city of Hanoi is paying special attention to the preparation and organization of the exam.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, a total of 142,899 candidates registered to take the exam; of which 134,771 are 12th-grade students and 8,128 are independent candidates. The city has arranged 248 examination centers with 5,955 examination rooms spread across the city; each center is equipped with backup rooms to handle any unforeseen situations. It is expected that more than 23,000 officials and civil servants will be mobilized to organize the exam.

The Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak province is directing educational institutions to strengthen review sessions, classify students, and prepare the necessary conditions to organize the exam safely, seriously, and effectively. The entire Dak Lak province has one examination council, with 64 official examination centers and 55 backup examination centers. The total number of registered candidates is approximately 35,500, including 33,857 12th-grade students and 1,643 independent candidates.

Trials of cases occurring within the Ministry of Health and related units.

On the morning of May 20th, the Hanoi People's Court opened the first-instance trial of former Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and nine other defendants in the case of "Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets causing losses and waste; Fraudulent appropriation of property; and Bribery" occurring at the Ministry of Health and related units. This case identifies the defendants' violations that caused losses and waste of over 803 billion VND of state funds in the project to build new facilities for Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital.

According to the indictment of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, during the implementation of the second phase of the Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital projects, several individuals at the Ministry of Health, the Key Health Projects Board, and related units committed violations of the law, leading to the project's stagnation, delays, and failure to achieve its objectives. This resulted in the suspension of construction on both projects from January 2021 to December 2024, causing exceptionally large losses and waste of state budget funds, totaling over 803 billion VND.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/su-kien-noi-bat-tuan-tu-ngay-18-235-20260524140643804.htm