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

- Attending the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris on May 2 and 3, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son delivered a speech at its inaugural plenary session, whose theme highlighted an inclusive and sustainable economy and society.

In his remarks, he stressed that Vietnam does not pursue growth at all costs and always places human beings at the centre as the subject and objective of development. Read full story

- A rehearsal of a grand military parade in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - 2024) was held at the stadium of the northwestern province of Dien Bien on May 3.

Held by the Central Steering Committee for the commemoration of major holidays and important historical events of the country in the 2023 – 2025 period, the parade will see the participation of more than 12,000 people, including those from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, and Dien Bien province. Read full story

- A thematic exhibition entitled “Historic Dien Bien Phu Victory – An epic of Ho Chi Minh era” opened on May 3 in the President Ho Chi Minh relic site at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.

With about 130 file photos, the exhibition that will run until the end of September 2024 aims to honour and pay tribute to the contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign 70 years ago. Read full story

- The Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC) and Samsung Vietnam officially kick started a technology talent development programme called ‘Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC)’ for the academic year 2023-2024 in Hanoi on May 3.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc emphasised the programme marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between Samsung and NIC, aiming to concretise the vision of both organisations. The project aims to help Vietnam integrate deeper into the global production value chain, and gradually becoming a destination for innovation in the region and the world. Read full story

- Retail sales and services revenue in the first four months of this year totaled 2.06 quadrillion VND (81.06 billion VND), up 8.5% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said.

In April alone, the value was 522.1 trillion VND, a rise of 9% from the same period last year, with food and foodstuff sales up 10.3%, household utensils 12.9%, garment 12.7%, lodging and catering services 19.1%, and tourism 57.6%. Read full story

- Vietnam is witnessing an increasing number of hotel bookings from Korean travelers for this year's peak summer tourist season, according to data from the Booking platform Yeogi Eottae of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Accordingly, the number of hotel bookings by RoK visitors in the Philippines and Vietnam for the June - August period increased by 3.1 times and 3 times, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023. Read full story

- The contract signing ceremony and announcement of the new head coach of the national football team and U23 team will take place on May 6, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has announced.

According to the contract, Kim Sang-sik, a former coach of the Republic of Korea’s multi-time champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, will take on the head-coach position of those teams from May 2024 to March 2026. Read full story

- The 2024 Teqball World Series are scheduled to take place in the central province of Binh Dinh from June 6 to 9, drawing teams from over 50 countries.

Teqball is a ball sport that combines football and table tennis and is played on a curved table. Back and forth, players hit the ball with any part of their bodies except arms and hands. Teqball can be played between two players as a singles game or between four players as a doubles game. Read full story./.