Singapore’s Prime Minister to visit Vietnam; PM promotes strategies for development tasks in 2010; ‘Keep environment clean’: President; Women’s union urged to renew emulation campaigns

Singapore’s Prime Minister to visit Vietnam

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will pay an official visit to Viet Nam from January12-15.

The visit will take place at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Women’s union urged to renew emulation campaigns

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has asked the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and its chapters across the country to increase their operational efficiency to make their exemplary role model campaigns more practical.

At the 5th conference of the VWU Central Committee in Hanoi on January 9, Mr Manh said over the past years the Union has embraced Party guidelines and State policies and carried out diverse activities to improve the material and spiritual lives of women.

He noted that many role models have been discovered and replicated from patriotic emulation campaigns and charity movements such as “Women helping each other in economic development”, “Practicing thrift to follow late President Ho Chi Minh’s example”, and “Fundraising to build houses for the poor.” Grassroots-level VWU chapters have helped women reduce poverty, develop household economies and build happy families.

The Party and State acknowledge the significant contributions to national development made by the VWU and its chapters across the country, said Mr Manh.

However, he pointed to several weaknesses of their movements, saying the number of poor women remains high and many women are still illiterate in ethnic and disadvantaged areas.

The primary task of the VWU and its chapters is to overcome these weaknesses and promote women’s movements at grassroots level, said Mr Manh.

He asked the union to work out its action plan for 2010 – the last year of Vietnam’s 2006-2010 development plan. This year will also mark the organisation of local Party Congresses, major national celebrations and international events.

He also asked local Party Committees and administrations to work closely with women chapters to promote gender equality for women’s advancement.

He suggested that VWU chapters make fact-finding tours of localities to help women develop household economies, generate jobs and increase their incomes.

Military Strategy Institute bestowed with National Protection Order

A meeting was held in Hanoi on January 8 by the Military Strategy Institute under the Ministry of National Defense to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its establishment and receive the State’s National Protection Order, first class.

The Military Strategy Institute is a research agency, which helps the Central Military Party Committee and the Ministry of National Defense deal with strategic issues to safeguard the nation.

In his speech, Lieutenant General and Head of the Institute Tran Thai Binh highlighted the Institute’s outstanding achievements over the past 20 years including building military and national defense strategies, and resolving issues related to the sea, islands, borders, socio-economic development, high-tech weapons of war and the impact after Vietnam’s entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on national defense and security.

Apart from scientific research on military strategies, the Institute has covered 22 various topics at State and national defense ministry-levels, created documents for the Party National congresses and authored resolutions on national defense and the military.

Addressing the meeting, State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan asked the institute to summarise the practical application of Ho Chi Minh thoughts on military issues and army building in the new situation.

She also underlined the need to study foreign affairs in the military leading up to the 11th National Party Congress to boost Vietnam’s status in the international arena.

On the occasion, State Vice President Doan presented the National Protection Order, first class, to the institute.

Vietnam, Mongolia boost cooperative ties

Vietnam attaches great importance to developing relations with traditional friends, including Mongolia, said Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh while receiving his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Hanoi on January 7.

Vietnam is willing to share its experience and promote the multifaceted cooperation with Mongolia in their potential areas, Mr Manh told Khurelsukh, Secretary General of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party.

He congratulated the Mongolian ruling party on its achievements made in national construction and thanked the Mongolian people for their support to Vietnam’s national liberation in the past and its present renewal process.

Mr Khurelsukh said that Mongolia considers Vietnam an important and trusted partner in Southeast Asia and that it is interested in studying Vietnam’s development experiences.

Mongolia will do its utmost to further develop relations and cooperation with Vietnam, he said.

Both host and guest agreed that the two parties should continue to promote the traditional friendship and cooperation in the interests of their nations and for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress in the region and the rest of the world.

The same day, Truong Tan Sang, a Party Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Secretariat, had a meeting with the Mongolian delegation.

They briefed each other on the two parties’ foreign affairs policies and international relations and discussed measures to increase their friendly ties.

PM promotes strategies for development tasks in 2010

In 2010 the government will continue to introduce solutions to maintain macro-economic stability and achieve a higher GDP growth rate than in 2008, says Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The PM showed the government’s strong resolve at a national conference in Hanoi on January 6-7 to implement socio-economic development and budgetary tasks for 2010.

He said despite the global economic recession in 2009, Vietnam reversed its economic downturn, secured a relatively high growth rate, and ensured balance throughout the economy.

These positive results will help Vietnam a achieve higher growth in 2010, said Mr Dung.

To this end, he asked ministries, sectors and localities to mobilise all resources for investment in development and increase production capacity oriented towards developing high technology so as to support economic restructuring efforts.

He recommended that ministries, provinces and cities accelerate decentralisation while ironing out snags in administrative procedures to speed up the disbursement of capital for development projects. He also urged them to work hard on land acquisition for the country’s key transport projects.

He assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology, along with relevant ministries and agencies, to pay special attention to conducting scientific and technological research projects and applying them to reality in the next 5-10 years to increase the quality and competitiveness of the national economy.

The PM requested the designated agencies improve the quality of education-training and healthcare services, solve pressing issues of public concern, strengthen environmental protection, and minimise the effects of natural disasters and climate change.

At the same time, he said, they should expand external relations, strengthen national defence and security, and maintain social order and safety.

Another important task is to increase the efficiency of State management, accelerate administrative reform, combat corruption, practise thrift and prevent waste, said Mr Dung.

He asked these agencies to introduce appropriate solutions, work closely together and better carry out the dissemination of information to create a high consensus in society in order to meet national socio-economic targets for 2010.

He also reminded provinces and cities to ensure an adequate supply of essential commodities, maintain social security and take care of needy people during the upcoming lunar New Year festival.

The conference, which was attended by leaders from 63 provinces and cities, examined ways to overcome shortcomings in local and State management.

Several municipal and provincial leaders proposed that in 2010 the government give priority to upgrading public transport in big cities, strictly deal with environmental law breakers, and pour more investment into rural areas.

‘Keep environment clean’: President

President Nguyen Minh Triet has told the Central Highland province of Dak Nong to take more advantage of its potential for socio-economic development.

While working with Dak Nong provincial leaders yesterday, Triet said Dak Nong should work more closely with central agencies when planning, exploiting and processing

natural resources for export, particularly bauxite so that the environment could be better protected.

He told the province to use its land resources more effectively by developing large-scale crops with high economic value.

Triet said it should target its capital at the rural transport system and invest further in education, health care and culture.

Dak Nong must also reform its administrative operations and investment procedures and create policies to encourage foreign and domestic investors, the President added.

He praised Dak Nong for stepping up socio-ecomomic development and improving the living standards of ethnic minorities.

The State leader also applauded improvements in education, health care and efforts to preserve traditional cultures.

Regarding a Politburo resolution on judicial reform, Triet asked local judicial agencies to avoid unfair punishment and enhance the judicial sector’s infrastructure, especially district courts.

He also asked provincial authorities to enhance legal education for ethnic minority people.

On Thursday, the President visited the DakR’Tih hydro-electric project which cost more than VND4.2 trillion(US$2.3billion) and presented gifts to heroic mothers and ethnic revolutionaries.

President Triet emphasised the need for bauxite miners to protect the environment.

While at the Nhan Co Alumina Joint Stock Company in Dak R’Lap District of the province, he said bauxite exploitation and processing was a Party and State priority for the Central Highlands.

The State leader also asked investors to select the best plan for tapping and processing bauxite and to consider exporting processed aluminium products instead of raw materials.

However, he said investors should develop ways of dealing with the red bauxite residue to prevent environmental pollution.

Located in the Nhan Co Alumina industrial zone in Nhan Co Commune, the Nhan Co alumina refinery and bauxite mine complex has an investment capital of nearly VND12 trillion ($6.6billion) through the Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin).

The refinery has, in its first phase, an annual capacity of 650,000 tonnes of alumina, a white powder for producing aluminium. It is expected to be able to produce 1.2 million tonnes in the second phase.

Vinacomin said it expected to attain an annual turnover of VND4 trillion ($2.2billion) and an annual profit of VND446 billion($248million).

PV