Key Events 

• Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoàng Xuân Chiến accused of sexual harassment in South Korea;
• Tô Lâm’s UK Visit Seeks Top-Level Strategic Upgrade;
• The final session of the 15th National Assembly officially opens;
• For the first time, the Communist Party seeks public input on its congressional documents;
• China’s Coastguard Patrols Vietnamese-Controlled Reefs, Escalating South China Sea Tensions.

Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Accused of Sexual Harassment in South Korea; Hà Nội Silent as Scandal Unfolds

On the night of Oct. 20, several major South Korean news outlets — including Yonhap, KBS, and The Korea Times — simultaneously reported that Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, Việt Nam’s deputy minister of national defense, has been accused of sexual harassment during his official trip to Seoul.

According to these reports, the incident allegedly occurred on Sept. 11, during Chiến’s participation in the 14th Seoul Defense Dialogue. At a reception for senior military officials held at the Lotte World Hotel in Seoul, Chiến was accused of inappropriately touching a female civil servant. He left South Korea the following day, Sept. 12.