As part of General Secretary and State President To Lam’s state visit to the Kingdom of Denmark from October 19 to 21, 2026, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai met with Lars Frelle-Petersen, Permanent Secretary at Denmark’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (MCEU), in Copenhagen on October 20 to discuss bilateral energy cooperation and the implementation of the Vietnam-Denmark Energy Partnership Program for 2026-2030.

Deputy Minister Luong Hoang Thai met French Minister Delegate Eleonore Caroit on October 19 to discuss ways to strengthen Viet Nam - France cooperation.

Minister Le Manh Hung clarified proposals to repeal Commercial Law provisions and introduce new electricity pricing mechanisms, including for LNG-fired power.

On October 20, during the second session of the 16th National Assembly, Group 3, comprising National Assembly delegations from Hai Phong city and Ha Tinh and Lang Son provinces, discussed several draft laws, including the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Electricity Law.

Trade between Viet Nam and Singapore rose 46.8% to SGD 42.8 billion in the first nine months of 2026, surpassing the full-year figure for 2025.

Digital skills, AI adoption and online exports are expected to help young entrepreneurs transform their businesses and expand into international markets.

On October 18, 2026, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister Luong Hoang Thai met with Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who was leading an Icelandic delegation on a working visit to Viet Nam. The two sides discussed measures to bring the Viet Nam - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Free Trade Agreement into force as soon as possible and promote cooperation in geothermal energy and fisheries.

On the morning of October 18, 2026, in Hanoi, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung met with Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, during the latter's official visit to Viet Nam from October 17 to 18.

The value of the Viet Nam-EFTA FTA must be demonstrated through cooperation opportunities translated into tangible business results, the MoIT Minister said.

On October 18 in Hanoi, in the presence of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung and representatives of the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) officially signed the Viet Nam - EFTA Free Trade Agreement (VEFTA).

On the morning of October 16, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Viet Nam held a nationwide conference to study, disseminate, and implement the Resolution of the Fourth Plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee.

On the morning of October 16, 2026, in Baku, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang met with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy, Parviz Shahbazov, as part of the delegation accompanying Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan to the 7th CICA Summit and bilateral activities in Azerbaijan.