ASEAN Diplomacy: Party General Secretary and State President To Lam met ASEAN ambassadors and chargés d’affaires in Hanoi to mark ASEAN’s 59th founding anniversary, TAC’s 50th and Vietnam’s 31st year in the bloc, urging solidarity, ASEAN centrality and a resilient, independent foreign policy. Parliamentary Ties: Vietnam–Thailand legislative cooperation was flagged as a key pillar of their comprehensive strategic partnership ahead of a Thai National Assembly speaker visit to Vietnam (Aug 5–7), aimed at strengthening exchanges on legislation, oversight and major national issues. Security Lawmaking: The 16th National Assembly’s first extraordinary session advanced drafts on WMD prevention and amendments to military and defence laws, with To Lam stressing “stay ahead” legislation and commune-level military command professionalisation. Diplomatic Conference Momentum: At the 33rd Diplomatic Conference, foreign ambassadors praised Vietnam’s diplomacy as resilient and increasingly influential, while To Lam pushed diplomacy to turn early opportunities into tangible resources for national development. Public Health Gap: Vietnam’s free annual health checkup has reached 32.28 million people, but a stark province-by-province gap persists, blamed on grassroots doctor shortages. Party Governance Shift: Commentaries on To Lam’s “four strategic shifts” and the new national security direction highlight a move toward earlier risk prevention and stronger governance capacity. Writers Under Pressure: A renewed crackdown on writers over historical narratives continues, after denunciation campaigns led to distribution stoppages and suspensions tied to a book on Hồ Chí Minh’s early life.