Nation
marks 61 years of diplomatic ties with China

Party,
State, Government and National Assembly leaders of Viet Nam and China yesterday,
Jan 18, exchanged congratulatory messages on the 61st anniversary of the
establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

The
Vietnamese well-wishers included Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh,
President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National
Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

The
Chinese well-wishers included Party General Secretary and President Hu Jintao,
Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Wu Bangguo and
Premier Wen Jiabao.

On the
occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is the
Vietnamese chairman of the Viet Nam-China bilateral co-operation steering
committee, exchanged messages with Chinese chairman of the bilateral
co-operation steering committee and State Council Member Dai Bingguo and Foreign
Minister Yang Jiechi.

The
Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam, Sun Guoxiang, hosted a banquet on the occasion.

Deputy PM sends condolences to Indian state after deadly stampede

Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem yesterday, Jan 18, sent
condolences to the Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala VS
Achuthanandan over the bloody stampede that claimed at least 102 pilgrims last
Friday night.

More
than 60 others were also injured in the incident, which occurred in a forested
area in Pulmedu as the pilgrims returned from one of India’s most popular Hindu
festivals.

Argentina party secretary praises Vietnam’s renewal

Vietnam’s renewal process is a source of
encouragement to the struggle for socialism in Latin America, said Jorge
Kreyness, Secretary in charge of International Affairs of the Communist Party of
Argentina (PCA).

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency
correspondent in Buenos Aires on January 17, the PCA secretary said he admired
the victories that the Vietnamese people have obtained during the struggle for
national independence and reunification in the past as well as in the current
national construction and development.
He noted that socialist construction and changes brought about by the renewal
process have highlighted Vietnam’s role in the international arena.
In recent days, PCA members have a closely followed information on the 11^th
National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) run in PCA
publications, Jorge Kreyness said.
He expressed his belief that the CPV will creatively apply the Congress’s
resolutions aimed at boosting the renewal process.

National Assembly delegation visits Laos

A delegation of Vietnam National Assembly’s Economic
Committee led by the committee’s Vice Chairman Le Quoc Dung is on a working
visit to Laos from January 15-21.

During the meeting with the chairperson of the Lao
National Assembly’s Committee of Economy, Planning and Finance, Khamsin
Saynhacon, both sides compared notes socio-economic development in each country.

They shared their views on issues of mutual concerns, such as trade, investment,
the Boten-Vientiane railway, hydroelectric dams in the Mekong River, and the
performance of Vietnamese businesses in Laos as well as on the stock market.
The delegation also paid a courtesy visit to Lao National Assembly’s Chairperson
Pani Yathotu, Minister of Planning and Investment Sinlavong Khutphaythun and
engaged in fact-finding tours of economic and cultural facilities in Vientiane
and Luang Prabang province.

VNN/VOV/VNS