ASEAN Digital Trade Push: Vietnam-based PILA and Singapore’s TOTM Technologies agreed to build a digital verification platform for cross-border transactions, starting with adding Verifiable Credentials to the Letter of Credit process to speed up, cut costs, and make checks tamper-proof under ASEAN’s DEFA. Hanoi Accountability Case: After police cleared a Gen Z “Justice Tree” memorial tied to a fatal Hanoi crash, the internet kept the pressure on, highlighting limits of official silence in high-profile public cases. Party-State Governance Reform: A new phase of Vietnam’s administrative overhaul was set out after the 14th Party Central Committee’s third plenum, shifting from “streamlining” to building capacity to govern, with four strategic shifts aimed at stronger leadership, better execution, and prevention-focused resilience. Diaspora as a Development Resource: A new Politburo resolution reframes overseas Vietnamese policy from maintaining ties to mobilizing expertise, innovation, investment, and integration as a strategic national resource. Martyrs’ Remains Drive: Deputy PM Pham Thi Thanh Tra ordered completion of a comprehensive database on fallen soldiers and their graves by year-end, alongside continued recovery and mine clearance work. Culture and Information Controls: Vietnam’s culture ministry proposed a three-tier pre-release oversight model for sensitive books, while also blocking Threads posts accusing former National Assembly deputy Nguyễn Sỹ Cương of escaping justice. Vietnam–New Zealand Research Link: During To Lam’s New Zealand visit, Vietnam and New Zealand discussed deeper research cooperation, including a proposal for a Vietnam Centre at the New Zealand Asia Institute.