Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association, or EFTA, at a ceremony in Ha Noi. EFTA has four member states: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway. Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung represented Vietnam at the signing. The EFTA side was represented by Swiss President Guy Parmelin, Liechtenstein's Prime Minister Brigitte Haas, Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir and Norwegian State Secretary Astrid Bergmal. General Secretary and President To Lam witnessed the signing. The agreement covers trade in goods and tariffs, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade remedies, services, investment, intellectual property and government procurement. Switzerland's economic affairs secretariat records that negotiations were concluded on 2 July 2026 and the agreement signed on 18 October 2026.
Signed at:Ha NoiEFTA members:Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, NorwayNegotiations concluded:2 July 2026
Why it matters for exams: EFTA's full form and its four member states are a standing question, and this is Vietnam's own FTA with that bloc.
General Secretary and President To Lam paid an official visit to Japan on November 8-11.
He held summit talks with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, and the two leaders adopted the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Vision Statement.
The statement seeks to lift the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World', formed in 2023, to a higher level.
Economic ties are to rest on four pillars: science, technology and innovation; skills and training; supply-chain links; and finance, investment and development aid.
Japan will keep supporting the Viet Nam Coast Guard with ODA loans.
The second Viet Nam-Japan Foreign and Defense Vice-Ministerial Consultation, the '2+2' dialogue, is to be held in Viet Nam in December 2026.
To Lam also addressed the Japanese Diet and visited Kanagawa Prefecture; nearly 700,000 Vietnamese live in Japan.
Visit:November 8-11Partnership upgraded:2023Vietnamese in Japan:nearly 700,000
Why it matters for exams: Vietnam's partnership network (Japan has been a Comprehensive Strategic Partner since 2023), Japan's Prime Minister and the National Diet are standard International Relations questions.
Viet Nam and Denmark raised their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on October 20.
The decision came at talks in Copenhagen between General Secretary and President To Lam and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, during To Lam's State visit of October 19-21.
Denmark is the 16th partner at this top tier, a list that began with China and also includes India, Russia, the U.S., Japan and the European Union.
Denmark is the second EU member with this status, and the upgrade came as the two countries marked 55 years of diplomatic ties, set up in 1971.
The leaders named economy, trade and investment as a main pillar and agreed to make better use of the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
They will build on the Green Strategic Partnership of 2023, with energy transition and climate action as long-term priorities.
Ports, logistics, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and biotechnology are other areas of planned cooperation.
Why it matters for exams: Vietnam's list of Comprehensive Strategic Partners (Denmark the 16th, China the first) and the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) are recurring International Relations facts.
Two Vietnamese collections were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register on November 5.
MOWCAP, UNESCO's Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific, took the decision at its 11th General Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The first is the Inscriptions on the Stelae of Pho Hien in Hung Yen province: 41 stelae in Chinese and Nom scripts recording a once-busy trading port.
The second is the Ma Nhai inscriptions on Non Nuoc Mountain in Ninh Binh province: 43 cliff stelae carved straight into the rock between the 14th and 20th centuries.
They carry poems, royal writings and historical records, including a work by Truong Han Sieu carved in 1343.
Viet Nam now has 13 entries under the Memory of the World Program: four on the International Register and nine on the Asia-Pacific Regional Register.
Pho Hien stelae:41Non Nuoc cliff stelae:43Viet Nam's total entries:13
Why it matters for exams: UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme, which lists documentary heritage, and its Asia-Pacific committee MOWCAP are asked in Art & Culture papers alongside World Heritage Sites.
MOWCAPMemory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific — UNESCO's regional committee that keeps the Asia-Pacific register of documentary heritage.
NomChu Nom, Vietnamese demotic script — A script based on Chinese characters used to write the Vietnamese language before the modern Latin-based script.
Viet Nam's Government has issued Decree No. 399/2026/ND-CP, raising regional minimum wages by 7.8 percent from January 1, 2027.
Depending on the area, the rise works out to VND310,000-390,000 a month.
Monthly floors become VND5.7 million (Region I), VND5.08 million (Region II), VND4.45 million (Region III) and VND4.04 million (Region IV).
Hourly minimums are also fixed, from VND27,400 in Region I down to VND19,400 in Region IV.
The country is split into four wage regions according to development level, living costs and the labour market.
Region I covers the biggest urban centres and has the highest floor; Region IV covers less-developed areas.
Employers must pay the minimum that applies to the area where they operate.
Increase:7.8 percentRegion I monthly minimum:VND5.7 millionDecree:No. 399/2026/ND-CP
Why it matters for exams: Viet Nam's four-region minimum wage system and its currency, the dong (VND), are standard economy and country-profile facts.
In the 2026 World Digital and AI Competitiveness Ranking (WDAIR), Viet Nam stands 37th among 70 economies.
The ranking is published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) of Switzerland and was released on November 11.
This is the first year Viet Nam has been formally assessed, and it entered the top 50.
Of the six Southeast Asian economies assessed, it placed third: Singapore and Malaysia were ahead of it, while Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines trailed.
Its strongest showings: AI Application (13th), Digital and AI Governance (15th) and Efficiency (21st).
Officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology said the result reflects progress under the Politburo's Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on science, innovation and digital transformation.
Viet Nam's rank:37th of 70Rank in Southeast Asia:third of sixAI Application:13th
Why it matters for exams: Global indices and their publishers are a staple: IMD, based in Switzerland, publishes competitiveness rankings, now including the World Digital and AI Competitiveness Ranking.
IMDInternational Institute for Management Development — A business school in Switzerland whose World Competitiveness Center publishes global competitiveness rankings.
WDAIRWorld Digital and AI Competitiveness Ranking — IMD's ranking of economies on digital and artificial-intelligence readiness.
The People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City has elected Le Quoc Phong as Chairman of the city's People's Committee for the 2026-2031 term.
Phong, 48, takes over from Nguyen Van Duoc as head of the city administration.
From April 2016 he headed the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Central Committee as its First Secretary.
In October 2020 the Politburo sent him to Dong Thap province as Party Secretary, making him the youngest provincial Party chief at the time.
Since October 14, 2025 he had been Standing Vice Secretary of the city's Party Committee for the 2025-2030 term.
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam's largest economic engine, has a population of 14 million and an economy of US$120 billion, about 23 percent of national GDP.
New Chairman:Le Quoc PhongPredecessor:Nguyen Van DuocCity's share of GDP:23 percent
Why it matters for exams: Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is Viet Nam's largest city and economic hub; its new People's Committee chairman and the elected People's Council are frequent country-profile questions.
People's CommitteeExecutive body of a Vietnamese province or city — The local government administration in Viet Nam, elected by and answerable to the People's Council.
Viet Nam, now coordinating with partners at the United Nations on climate and multilateral questions, is a member of long standing. The United Nations member states list records Viet Nam's date of admission as 20-09-1977. The UN in Viet Nam also states that Viet Nam joined the United Nations on 20 September 1977. UN support to Viet Nam began with postwar reconstruction and humanitarian aid, and later expanded to institutions, social protection, health, education and agriculture. The UN country team's office in Ha Noi is called Green One UN House.
Date of admission to the UN:20-09-1977UN country team office:Green One UN House, Ha Noi
Why it matters for exams: UN admission dates are a recurring one-mark question, and Viet Nam's 1977 date follows its reunification.
This is the India side of the Viet Nam whose leader is now touring Europe and whose trade is heading past a trillion dollars. The Embassy of India in Ha Noi records that full diplomatic relations between India and Viet Nam were established on 7 January 1972, after earlier consulate-level ties. Bilateral trade has exceeded USD 16 billion, up more than 10 per cent year-on-year, with Indian exports at about USD 6.11 billion and Vietnamese exports at about USD 10.35 billion. Nearly 8,000 Indian nationals live in Viet Nam. About 90 direct flights a week operate between Indian cities and Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. India's development projects in Viet Nam include the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute in Can Tho, a Nuclear Science Centre in Da Lat, an ICT Advanced Resource Centre in Ha Noi and a Hi-Tech Cyber Forensic Laboratory in Ha Noi.
Full diplomatic relations:7 January 1972Bilateral trade:over USD 16 billionIndian exports:about USD 6.11 billionVietnamese exports:about USD 10.35 billionIndian community:nearly 8,000 nationalsDirect flights:about 90 a week
Why it matters for exams: The date diplomatic relations were established, bilateral trade size and the diaspora figure are the standard India-Viet Nam facts.
Viet Nam has just drilled disaster response with its neighbours; its defence partnership with India runs on a different track. The Embassy of India in Ha Noi records that India handed over 12 high-speed guard boats built by Larsen and Toubro in June 2022, under a USD 100 million line of credit. Two further credit lines, of USD 120 million and USD 180 million, were signed in July 2024 between EXIM Bank of India and Viet Nam's Finance Ministry. India gifted the missile corvette INS Kirpan in July 2023. The two sides signed a defence industry Letter of Intent in November 2025. India also set up an Army Software Park at the Telecommunications University in Nha Trang and a Centre for Excellence in Software Development and Training at the Post and Telegraph Institute of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City.
High-speed guard boats:12, built by Larsen and ToubroFirst line of credit:USD 100 millionLater lines of credit:USD 120 million and USD 180 millionWarship gifted:INS Kirpan, a missile corvette
Why it matters for exams: Lines of credit, the gifted warship and the Indian shipbuilder involved are all asked in defence and India's neighbourhood questions.
This is the framework behind every India-Viet Nam item, including the defence credit lines and the trade numbers. A joint statement issued during To Lam's State Visit to India elevated ties from the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The two sides set a new two-way trade goal of USD 25 billion by 2030 and agreed to conclude the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement at the earliest. They commended the effective implementation of the Joint Vision Statement on India-Viet Nam Defence Partnership towards 2030 and looked forward to the establishment of a Strategic Diplomacy-Defence Dialogue in the 2+2 format. India and Viet Nam will co-chair the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Cyber Security for 2027 to 2030. The statement records 66 Quick Impact Projects across 32 of Viet Nam's 34 provinces, an MoU between the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of Viet Nam on financial innovation and digital payments, and an MoU between IREL of India and VINATOM on rare earths. India supports Viet Nam's role as a BRICS Partner Country, and Viet Nam supports UN Security Council reform including India's permanent membership.
Partnership level:Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic PartnershipTwo-way trade goal:USD 25 billion by 2030Dialogue format looked forward to:Strategic Diplomacy-Defence Dialogue (2+2)Quick Impact Projects:66, across 32 of Viet Nam's 34 provincesADMM-Plus co-chair term:Cyber Security working group, 2027 to 2030
Why it matters for exams: Partnership levels, bilateral trade targets and 2+2 dialogue formats are among the most asked India-and-the-world facts.
This is the map on which Viet Nam's new railways, provincial mergers and India's Quick Impact Projects are set out. Viet Nam has 34 provincial-level administrative units after a reorganisation that cut the number from 63. They are 28 provinces and six centrally governed cities: Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang and Can Tho. Fifty-two existing provincial-level units were merged into 23 new provinces and cities, while 11 were left unchanged: Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Ha Tinh, Lai Chau, Lang Son, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Son La, Ha Noi and Hue. The National Assembly passed the resolution on the reorganisation of provincial-level administrative units with 461 of 465 participating deputies in favour. Local governments in the new provinces and cities were to operate officially from 1 July 2025.
Provincial-level units:34Provinces:28Centrally governed cities:6: Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang, Can ThoUnits merged:52 merged into 23Vote in the National Assembly:461 of 465 in favour
Why it matters for exams: The number of provincial-level units and the list of centrally governed cities are the basic administrative geography facts for Viet Nam.
Kerala PSCUPSC
19 October 2026Source:
Tuoi Tre Updated 13 November 2026
In plain words
Centrally governed cityMunicipality under central administration — A city that reports directly to the national government rather than to a province.