National Security Mobilisation: Party General Secretary and State President To Lam urged stronger public participation in safeguarding national security and social order, citing Long Luong village in Son La as a model transformation from a drug-crime hotspot to a safer community. Online Piracy Crackdown: The National Assembly Standing Committee reviewed a draft law amending the Law on Publication, with tougher measures targeting copyright infringement in the digital space and calls to tighten drafting quality and compliance with Party directives. Care for Revolutionary Contributors: To Lam visited an invalids nursing centre in Bac Ninh ahead of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, stressing timely, comprehensive policies to honour those who sacrificed for the nation. Digital Identity & Execution: Vietnam is accelerating VNeID expansion beyond borders to boost ASEAN interoperability, but leaders flagged slow implementation, weak data sharing, and uneven agency execution as key bottlenecks. Culture Policy Push: Lam’s recent guidance on culture development confronts “four major gaps” and calls for major transformations to better digitise and spread Vietnamese cultural values. Prison Reform Direction: Lam called for a professional, elite, modern and humane prison management police force, shifting focus from detention control to rehabilitation and reintegration. Hanoi Master Plan: Hanoi’s 100-year plan sets long-term growth targets and puts science, technology, innovation and knowledge-based development at the core of urban governance and spatial development. External Affairs & Party-to-Party Ties: Vietnam and China discussed stronger Party-to-Party ties and strategic cooperation, while Vietnam also moves to deepen regional and bilateral partnerships, including upgraded ties with the Philippines. Regional Security Lens (OP-ED): A commentary revisits the decade after the 2016 South China Sea arbitration, arguing legal outcomes have not changed China’s behaviour and highlighting how regional states adapt.