I. Announcement

1. DPM Vuong Dinh Hue visits Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand July 19 - 28
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue is paying working visits to Indonesia (July 19 -  21), Australia (July 22 – 25) and New Zealand (July 26-28) at the invitation of the government leaders of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand and ASEAN Secretary General. 
The visits aim at strengthening the Vietnam’s Strategic Partnership with Indonesia and Vietnam’s bilateral relations with Australia and New Zealand, promoting the substantiality and efficiency of these relations as well as asserting Vietnam’s active and positive participation in ASEAN, especially in the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community with the vision to 2025. The DPM’s visits will also contribute to affirming Vietnam’s role in the establishment and development of the ASEAN Community in political, economic and socio-cultural areas. 
In Indonesia, DPM Vuong Dinh Hue will meet with Indonesian senior leaders. The DPM will work with the Secretary General and the leaders of the ASEAN Secretariat. He will also have dialogue with Indonesian high-level experts and entrepreneurs and visit the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy to Indonesia and the Vietnamese Diplomatic Corps in ASEAN.
During the second leg in Australia, the DPM is expected to hold talks with his Australian counterpart DPM Barbany Joyce and work with Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and Minister for Trade and Investment Steven Ciobo. He will also meet New South Wales State Governor and Leaders and the Australian business community in Sydney as well as call on the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra…
In New Zealand, the DPM is expected to hold talks with his New Zealand counterpart DPM Paula Bennett and meet PM Bill English, work with Minister of Finance Steven Joyce, Minister of Trade Todd McClay, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gerry Brownlee; and visit the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand…
In addition to bilateral cooperation matters, Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue will also discuss with the leaders of these countries and the ASEAN Secretary General the regional and international issues of mutual concerns, especially the coordination with Vietnam to successfully organize the APEC Vietnam 2017.

2. The 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Vietnam - Malaysia Joint Commissions of Economic, Scientific and technological cooperation July 26 - 27
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh and his Malaysian counterpart Foreign Minister Anifah Amn will co-chair the 5th meeting of the Vietnam - Malaysia Joint Commissions of Economic, Scientific and Technological cooperation (JCM) on July 26 and 27 in Hanoi. 
The meeting will review the bilateral cooperation on areas of politics, trade and investment, national defense and security, agriculture and fishery, etc. Both sides will also discuss the remaining issues and solutions as well as measures to promote multi-faceted cooperation in the coming time.
Both sides will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual concerns.

3. The 3rd APEC Senior Officials Meeting and Related Meetings August 18-30
The 3rd APEC Senior Officials Meeting and related meetings (SOM 3) will take place from August 18-30, in Ho Chi Minh City.
Within the framework of SOM 3, there will be 75 meetings of 4 Committees, 38 working groups and sub-groups. SOM 3 will continue to promote the implementation of APEC cooperation agenda and priorities adopted earlier at SOM 1 and SOM 2 and at the same time establish the agenda of the APEC 2017 Summit.
Further information on the SOM3 will be updated.
Members of the Vietnamese and foreign media wishing to cover SOM 3 are advised to register online at www.apec2017.vn

II. Q&A:
Q&A: Recently several Vietnamese citizens were murdered by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group or killed in the offensives by the Philippine armed forces against the group. Do you have any update the repatriation of their remains to Viet Nam?

According to the Embassy of Viet Nam in the Philippines, the funeral services for the two crew members of the Royal 16 ship have been completed. The Embassy of Viet Nam continues to work closely with the Philippine authorities to complete necessary procedures to soon bring the remains of the Vietnamese citizen killed in the Philippine offensives against Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Once again, we would like to send our deepest condolences to families of the victims. We wish they will soon get over this tragic loss.

Last week British media reported that two Vietnamese women were missing and a suspect was arrested in connection to their missing. Do you have any information on this case?

Immediately after the news came out, MOFA instructed the Embassy of Viet Nam in the UK to contact with the local authorities to verify information of the case, and to prepare protection measures for them.
Further information will be provided to the media when it is available.