Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam closes the year 2018 with many political,diplomatic and socio-economic events and hallmarks which have drawn specialinternational attention. The following are 10 prominent external relationsevents selected by the Vietnam News Agency.

1. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong elected President

On October 23, at the sixth session, the 14th NationalAssembly elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam CentralCommittee Nguyen Phu Trong President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam inthe 2016-2021 tenure with 99.79 percent of votes. Earlier, at the eighthsession of the 12th Party Central Committee, all committee members had agreedto nominate the Party leader for the presidency, demonstrating an absoluteconsensus among the Party and the people. Many world leaders sentcongratulatory messages to the new President and the international media gavewide coverage about the event.

2. Vietnam ratifies Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

On November 12, the 14th National Assemblyapproved a resolution ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement forTrans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which will take effect on January 1, 2019. TheCPTPP is a high-quality and comprehensive new-generation trade agreement withthe highest level of commitments. It is expected to form a market of nearly 500million consumers, with a combined GDP of more than 13 trillion USD, accountingfor 13 percent of the global GDP, and about 14 percent of total world trade.

3. World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF-ASEAN) 2018

Many leaders of ASEAN countries and partner nations,together with 1,000 delegates representing multi-national groups, and ASEAN andinternational enterprises attended the WEF-ASEAN 2018 which took place in Hanoiin September under the theme of “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the FourthIndustrial Revolution”.

Statistics showed that there were nearly 8,000 articlesabout the event, around 7 million people engaged in interactions about theevent on social networks and 90,000 viewers watched the event live on the WEF’spage. WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Prof. Klaus Schwab said that WEF ASEAN2018 in Vietnam is the most successful regional meeting of the WEF.

4. The26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26)

The APPF-26 took place in January in Hanoi with theparticipation of 22 parliamentarian delegations and 300 guests. It was ahighlight of external relations of the 14th National Assembly.

Theforum defined the new APPF vision after one quarter of a century of foundationand development, with persistent efforts to realise common goals, contributingto promoting cooperation and dialogue for peace, stability and prosperity in aregion with a population of more than 4.5 billion. The APPF-26 delivered astrong message and spread the image of Vietnam as a reformed, dynamic, activeand responsible country to international friends.

5. Vietnam elected to UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for first time

Vietnam was elected to the UNCITRAL for the2019-2025 tenure, with 157 out of 193 votes at an election during the 73rdsession of the UN General Assembly in New York, the US. The election demonstratesthe rising prestige of Vietnam in the international arena, as well asinternational recognition of the country’s achievements during the “Doi Moi”(reform) cause, especially in economy and trade. As a member of the UNCITRAL,Vietnam will have chances to access consultations and international experienceto complete its legal framework, creating a more favourable investment andbusiness environment for sustainable development.

6.The sixth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS-6) Summit and the 10thCambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV-10) Development Triangle Summit

Hanoi hosted the GMS-6 and CLV-10 in late March, which drewmore than 2,000 delegates and 200 businesses. The GMS-6 adopted three importantdocuments - the Joint Declaration, the Hanoi ActionPlan for 2018-2022 and a regional investment framework till 2022 with more than220 programmes and projects on investment and technical support worth a total 66billion USD.

Meanwhile, at the CLV-10, the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Laosand Vietnam reviewed the implementation of the Master Plan for Socio-EconomicDevelopment of the CLV Development Triangle Area till 2020 and issued a JointDeclaration.

7 –Vietnam continues to be an attractive destination for foreign investors

Foreign direct investment (FDI) to Vietnam hit over 30billion USD in 2018, with disbursement reaching about 18 billion USD. The US’sForbes magazine named Vietnam as the hottest investment destination in Asia,while a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) conducted ahead of the APEC CEO Summit 2018 showedthat Vietnam for the second consecutive years topped the list of destinationsexpecting largest FDI amount among APEC members.

After 30 years of attracting FDI, the foreign-investedsector has become an important part of the Vietnamese economy with considerablecontributions to the country’s social-economic development. As of November2018, Vietnam hosted about 27,000 FDI projects invested by 28 countries andterritories with total capital of nearly 340 billion USD and total disbursementof about 188.8 billion USD.

8. Record number of international arrivals

Vietnam welcomes an estimated 15.6million international tourists in 2018, the highest number so far and threetimes against that of 2010. This is a big milestone of the tourism sector,which is attributable to strong investment in infrastructure improvement andeffective promotion activities both at home and abroad.

Vietnam’s tourism also won a number of prestigious international prizes,including the World Travel Award for Asia leading destination and the WorldGolf Award for Asia best golf destination. Many travel companies, resorts andairlines were internationally honoured.

9. Vietnam’s first field hospital joinsthe UN peacekeeping mission

On October 1, 63 members of theVietnamese field hospital set out to implement a mission in South Sudan. Thisis the first time Vietnam has deployed an independent unit to join the UNpeacekeeping activities.

Earlier, Vietnam sent 29 officers to implementmissions in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, illustrating the country’sproactive and responsible engagement in international activities.

10. Vietnam improves rankings on theworld map of beauty

2018 is a year of success for many Vietnamese beauties: H’Hen Nie entered theTop 5 of the Miss Universe pageant and Nguyen Phuong Khanh was crowned at MissEarth. According to the number-one pageant community forum Missosology, Vietnamhas jumped to 56th from 65th place this year thanks to the accomplishments ofH’Hen Nie and Nguyen Phuong Khanh as well as Tieu Vy at Miss World (Top 30) andMinh Tu at Miss Supranational (Top 10).

Particularly, at Miss Universe, H’Hen Nie won public admiration with her story aboutan Ede ethnic minority woman overcame difficulties to seek success.

On social media, stories about theVietnamese representative received active responses.-VNA