Hanoi: The following is a brief review of the day's events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should have a strategic and comprehensive vision, and improve its resilience capacity to grasp opportunities and handle global headwinds for stable and sustainable development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on April 23. In his opening remarks at the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 in Hanoi, PM Chinh called on the bloc to be consistent with its global, all-people and comprehensive approach to stay strong in any circumstances, and realise its goal of developing a dynamic, connected and resilient community by 2045. - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on April 23 for Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who is now on an official visit to Vietnam and to co-chair the fifth meeting of the Vietnam-Indonesia Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation. The leader conveyed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's regard to Indonesian Pres ident Joko Widodo, congratulated Indonesia on the successful holding of its general elections in February, and expressed his belief that the country will develop further, gain a higher position in the international arena, and achieve its goal of becoming a developed country by 2045. - Nearly 300 soldiers and youth volunteers directly engaging in the Dien Bien Phu campaign 70 years ago looked back on the 56-day battle, the victory of which led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina, at a meeting in Hanoi on April 23. The event was organised by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in coordination with the Ministry of National Defence, the Central Committee of the Association of Former Vietnamese Youth Volunteers, and the Hanoi Party Committee. - Vietnam's economy is showing mixed signs of recovery in early 2024, with growth forecast to reach 5.5% in 2024 and gradually rise to 6.0% by 2025, according to the latest World Bank Taking Stock bi-annual economic update released on April 23. Addressing a press conference held by the WB on the same day, World Bank Lead Economist for Vietnam Andrea Coppola said the country's exports are recovering, and consumption and private domestic investment growing more gradually. - Vietnam is an attractive destination for foreign investors thanks to its high, stable growth, large domestic market and young, well-educated human resources, said Paulo Medas, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team to Vietnam at the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group (WB) held recently in the US. According to Medas, despite rising geopolitical instability on the globe, Vietnam's economy experienced a growth rate of 5.66% in the first quarter of this year. Exports continue to see an upward trend, facilitating overall growth until the end of this year. - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) released the outcome of the gold bullion auction on April 23, with two winning bidders securing 34 lots, equivalent to 3,400 taels of SJC-branded gold bars. The two winners were Saigon Jewelry Company Limited (SJC) and Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB). - The volume of corporate bonds maturing in 2024, though lower than that in 2023, is till at a high level, mostly in industries with payment risks such as real estate and renewable energy, according to a report by the Ministry of Finance (MoF). The ministry said as of the end of 2023, the outstanding corporate bond debt stood at about 1 million billion VND, issued by 432 businesses. Among them, the total value of bonds maturing in 2024 is 240.1 trillion VND (9.43 billion USD), lower than the 261.6 trillion VND recorded last year. - The two whale skeletons aged over 200 years preserved at the Lang Tan relic site in Dong An Vinh village, Ly Son island in the central province of Quang Ngai, which were completely restored in 2020, have been attracting tourists. According to researchers, these are the two largest intact whale skeletons preserved in Vietnam. ./. Source: Vietnam News Agency