Diplomacy & Consuls: Vietnam honoured its Honorary Consul General to Nepal, Rajesh Kaji Shrestha, with an “Outstanding Award” for strengthening Nepal–Vietnam ties in trade, tourism and people-to-people links. Energy Security: Power workers across central Vietnam are pushing grid upgrades and emergency readiness to keep electricity stable through peak summer demand, supporting investment and growth. Trade & Industry: EVFTA’s export boost may fade as the EU signs more deals, so Vietnamese firms are urged to invest in technology, green transition, data governance and traceability. Agriculture Exports: Authorities were urged to clear bottlenecks to help agro-forestry-fishery exports reach the 2026 target of $74 billion. Digital Finance: Kredivo Vietnam and Dien May Xanh expanded their partnership to roll out faster BNPL and cash loans across more retail channels. Banking Results: SHB reported VNĐ9.09 trillion pre-tax profit in H1, while HDBank topped VNĐ1 quadrillion in assets and posted strong profit growth. Sports (Hanoi): Singapore held Vietnam to a 0-0 draw in the ASEAN Cup in Hanoi, while Vietnam beat Alas Pilipinas in SEA V Cup Leg 1. Regional Tensions: China activated combat readiness near Scarborough Shoal after detecting a suspected Philippine surveillance aircraft.