Vietnam congratulates Japan’s new Prime Minister; Reception marks VN’s National Day in US; Vietnam attends 2009 Asia Women Entrepreneurs Conference; Denmark bolsters cooperation with Vietnam

“We hope that under the leadership of Prime Minister Yuki Hatoyama, Japan will continue developing prosperously,” spokeswoman Nga said at a press conference in Hanoi on September 16.

“We believe the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia between Vietnam and Japan will further consolidate and develop in all fields, meeting the aspirations and interest of the two peoples, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world,” she added.

On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Yuki Hatoyama.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong sent his congratulation to the newly-elected Japanese House of Representatives speaker Yokomichi Takahiro.

Reception marks VN’s National Day in US

Ambassador of Vietnam Le Cong Phung hosted a National Day (Sept. 2) reception in the capital city of the United States on Sept. 15.

Among their guests at the reception were officials from the US Department of State and the ambassadors of several countries in the US.

Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador Phung recalled 64 years of development in Vietnam since the country was founded in 1945. He laid stress on the achievements Vietnam has recorded, especially high economic growth rates in the process of national process of national construction over recent years.

The diplomat said the Vietnam-US relations have constantly grown in many fields, including security and national defence.

Joseph Donovan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said two-way trade surpassed US$15 billion in 2008, a more than ten-fold increase since the bilateral trade agreement went into effect in 2001. He also noted Vietnam ’s growth has lifted millions out of poverty, at a rate that the World Bank described as among the fastest in history, and American companies continue to find new opportunities in an increasingly more open Vietnam.

Donovan added that the opening of the Vietnamese General Consultate in Houston of Texas in several weeks marked a new step forward in the relations between the US and Vietnam.

Vietnam attends 2009 Asia Women Entrepreneurs Conference

The 2009 Asia Women Entrepreneurs Conference opened in Seoul, the Republic of Korea on September 17.

Addressing the conference, Vietnam’s State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan applauded this year’s theme of Asian Women and Green Growth because it highlights important contributions made by women to maintaining sustainable development.

Ms. Doan expressed her hope that Asian women will make positive contributions to research new technology, renewable energy sources, reduction of greenhouse gases and making the earth greener and cleaner.

To achieve these goals, Ms. Doan urged women in all countries to cooperate more closely with each other.

She expressed her belief that initiatives raised in the conference will help Vietnamese women make a greater contribution to the sustainable development of Vietnam and other countries in the region and the rest of the world.

Attending the conference are 500 representatives from 30 countries.

The conference will provide a forum for discussing the role of women in society, particularly the role of women-led businesses in creating sustainable agricultural development, renewable energy and low-pollution industry.

On the sidelines of the conference, Vice President Doan led the Vietnamese delegation on a visit to SK Group, a large Korean enterprise that has many investment projects in Vietnam.

Denmark bolsters cooperation with Vietnam

Demark is keen to cooperate with Vietnam, especially in the fields of climate change, environment and education and training, said Danish Queen Magrethe II.

At a reception for visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Copenhagen on September 16, the Queen highly valued developments in their bilateral ties and suggested the two sides continue to cooperate, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

For his part, PM Dung affirmed that the Vietnamese Government and people always attach importance to and wish to strengthen the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Denmark.

Vietnam pledged to support Denmark ’s hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) and the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP5) in Copenhagen in December.

At a reception for the Speaker of the Danish Folketinget (Parliament), Thor Pederson, the Vietnamese government leader affirmed that the effective use of Danish ODA capital in Vietnam has made a remarkable contribution to the country’s poverty reduction and socio-economic development.

He thanked Denmark for its new US$40 million aid to Vietnam to cope with climate change and suggested the Danish Parliament continue to support ODA provisions to Vietnam.

In reply, the Danish Speaker agreed to actively support bilateral ties, especially in ODA provision.

Also on the same day, PM Dung witnessed the signing of a Euro18.7 million joint financial agreement on the Judicial Partnership Programme between the governments of Vietnam, Denmark and Sweden and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnam ese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PV