Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang commended the launch of negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Vietnam and MERCOSUR, while expressing a desire to further expand investment and trade cooperation.

On April 23 in Hanoi, Vietnam and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on export control cooperation, enhancing coordination in trade management in line with international standards.

On the morning of April 21, 2026, the 18th Meeting of the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement Negotiating Committee (ACAFTA TNC 18) took place in Jakarta, Indonesia. Alongside this meeting, working groups responsible for negotiating various chapters of the ACAFTA Agreement also meet, some since April 16th till 24th, 2026.

On the morning of April 22, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a working session with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the implementation of assigned tasks for 2026.

On April 21, 2026, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang held a meeting with Gerd Müller, Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The meeting set out orientations for expanded cooperation in the 2025 - 2030 period, with a focus on green transition and enhancing global competitiveness.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a “key driver” helping the industrial sector transform toward greater modernity and efficiency.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is stepping up its review and proposing cuts to administrative procedures and business conditions in a bid to reduce costs, shorten processing times, and facilitate business operations.

With a series of timely, practical adjustments, Decree No. 235/2025/ND-CP is expected to remove longstanding bottlenecks in industrial promotion activities, while opening new development space for rural industrial enterprises amid green transition and digital transformation.

In the first quarter of 2026, the Vietnam Trade Office in India implemented a wide range of flexible, multi-channel trade promotion activities, placing enterprises at the centre of its support efforts.

On April 17, in Hai Phong, the Vietnam Industry and Trade Trade Union held a ceremony to launch Workers’ Month and the Month of Action on Occupational Safety and Health 2026.

On April 9, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung signed Decision No. 666/QD-TTg assigning responsibilities to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers. Accordingly, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Secretary of the Government Party Committee, serves as head of the State Steering Committee for key national programs, works and projects.

At noon on May 15, 2026, under the witness of the two Party General Secretaries and Presidents of Vietnam and China, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung and Minister of Commerce of China Wang Wentao jointly signed the “Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a working group to negotiate and promote the building of a Vietnam - China cross-border economic cooperation zone” and the “Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a working group on Vietnam - China production and supply chain cooperation.”