Vietnam Morning Monitor: Belgium proposes Ho Chi Minh City-Antwerp ties, Vietnam U23 coach praises players after 3-0 win over Thailand

| POLITICS

-- Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Organization Commission Nguyen Duy Ngoc met Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Tanaka Akihiko in Tokyo on Tuesday during Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's official visit to Japan to discuss strengthening cooperation in leadership training and human resources development.

Ngoc proposed holding two to three leadership training courses annually, with around 20 participants each, and expanding cooperation in AI, semiconductors and digital transformation. Tanaka affirmed JICA's commitment to working with Vietnamese agencies to implement the proposed programs, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

| SOCIETY

-- Quang Tri Province's steering committee for the search, recovery and identification of martyrs' remains received four ground-penetrating radar systems on Tuesday, donated by the Thien Tam Foundation of Vingroup, Vietnam's largest private conglomerate. The equipment, worth nearly VND5.4 billion (US$205,000), will support the search for fallen soldiers' remains under a national 500-day campaign.

The systems can detect underground anomalies and help identify suspected burial sites, while experts from the foundation will train local personnel to operate them and analyze the data.

-- The An Giang Border Guard Command in southern Vietnam announced on Tuesday that it had arrested Mai Van Dong, 37, from Nhon Hoi Commune, for allegedly transporting VND2 billion (around $78,000) illegally from Vietnam into Cambodia. Officers seized 4,000 banknotes worth VND500,000 ($19.5) each from his motorbike in Phu Huu Commune.

The command said the banknotes had yet to be verified as genuine or counterfeit and that further investigations were underway.

-- A 46-year-old woman from Nghe An Province was stopped from leaving Vietnam at Noi Bai International Airport on October 18 after being found listed as the legal representative of a company in Nghia Tru Commune, Hung Yen Province, which owed around VND12 billion ($456,000) in taxes, despite her claim that she knew nothing about the business.

Hung Yen police said on Tuesday that they were investigating the suspected misuse of her personal information to fraudulently register the company and warned the public against sharing personal documents and banking OTP codes with strangers.

| BUSINESS

-- Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration Nguyen Van Duoc met Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Pieter Leenknegt on Tuesday, when the diplomat proposed establishing ties between the southern Vietnamese metropolis and Antwerp, home to Europe's second-largest seaport, to promote cooperation in port operations, logistics and technology.

Leenknegt said he had led business delegations from Belgium's Flanders and Wallonia regions to explore investment opportunities in Ho Chi Minh City, adding that cooperation could also extend to semiconductor research and high-quality workforce training.

-- Viettel Post Joint Stock Corporation officially launched its 8.6-hectare Viettel Da Nang Logistics Center at Lien Chieu Industrial Park in Hai Van Ward, Da Nang City, central Vietnam, on Tuesday. The facility features automated guided vehicles and automated sorting systems that enable orders to be processed 33 percent faster.

The center is designed as a logistics hub connecting goods flows from central Vietnam and the Central Highlands with domestic and international markets, while shortening North-South cargo transit times by up to six hours, Viettel Post said.

| SPORTS

-- Vietnam U23 head coach Dinh Hong Vinh praised his players' fighting spirit and performance after their 3-0 victory over Thailand in their opening match of the U23 International Friendly Tournament – Gia Lai VTV Cup 2026 at Pleiku Stadium on Tuesday, with Minh Tam scoring twice and Williams Minh Hoang converting a penalty. 

Vinh dedicated the win to the large home crowd and said it would provide a foundation for the players' further development. He added that the team would focus on recovery and prepare for their next match against Singapore on Thursday.

Pedestrian street to take shape along Dong Ba River in Hue