Vietnam sets example in ensuring cooking security

Vietnam was a good example of how food security had been secured in a developing country, said delegates at a discussion as part of the ongoing 41 st annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 28.

The discussion, titled “promoting public-private coordination in a new vision for agriculture”, was attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and agricultural ministers from many countries.

Speaking at the discussion, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan told the delegates about Vietnam’s human resource and infrastructure development policies for the agricultural sector.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat briefed about the agricultural renewal process in Vietnam over the past 25 years and emphasised new challenges the country is facing.

He also introduced Vietnam ’s initiatives in pubic-private cooperation which have been actively implemented in the last six months.

The minister stressed that the State’s reasonable policy system is the most important factor encouraging farmers, businesses and every economic sector to actively involve in agricultural production.

This is the key to investment attraction and the application of science and technology, he added.

On the same day, Deputy PM Nhan met with Managing Director of the Hanwha Group Kim Dong Kwan and Tesco Group CEO Terry Leahy and attended several discussions with world economic leaders.

US, Vietnam vow to build strategic partnership

Vietnam and the US pledged to step up cooperation in order to elevate bilateral relations to strategic partnership in the near future, said a senior diplomat.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Le Cong Phung delivered this statement at a ceremony organised in Washington on January 28 to celebrate Vietnam’s traditional Lunar New Year Festival, which will begin on February 3 this year.

Phung told participants that the US government highly evaluated Vietnam’s role in the Pacific region and Southeast Asia. The US government is encouraging US businesses to boost trade and investment ties with Vietnam, and supporting cooperation with the Southeast Asian country in education, training, science and technology, he added.

Bilateral relations are developing rapidly in all key spheres such as politics, security and national defence, he said, adding that the two nations will continue dialogues to deal with the outstanding differences.

Earlier, Phung also informed overseas Vietnamese about the country’s new developments over the past year as well as its successes in organising the celebrations for the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, assuming the ASEAN Chair and holding the 11th National Party Congress.

The ambassador took this occasion to thank overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese students studying in the US for the assistance they had extended to people affected by natural disasters in the home country.

The Vietnamese Consulates General in San Francisco and Houston hosted receptions on January 22 and 26, respectively, to mark the upcoming Tet festival with the participation of a large number of overseas Vietnamese and foreign friends.

Tuyen Quang urged to promote revolutionary tradition

Revolutionary tradition is a valuable resource which has been maintained and upheld by the northern province of Tuyen Quang, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong on January 28 offered New Year wishes to people in Kim Binh commune in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.

The historic location, known for the courage and loyalty of its people, was where President Ho Chi Minh lived and successfully led the August 1945 Revolution against the French colonialists. Kim Binh was also the place where the second Party Congress was held in 1951.

“After the war, the Tuyen Quang people have made big contributions to the country’s economic development,” Mr Trong said. The province’s economic growth was 13.5 percent from 2006-2010 while its per capita GDP last year was US$700.

During his talk with the local party members and people, Mr Trong highlighted the province’s contributions and achievements in the past struggles for national defense and in the Doi Moi (Renewal) process. Last year, the province’s GDP growth increased by more than 15 percent while people’s living conditions have been improved.

Mr Trong expressed his belief that Tuyen Quang will continue to obtain new achievements and make further contribution to the country’s development in future.

He said that the whole Party, and people successfully organised the 11th National Party Congress and put forth strategic orientations for the cause of the national development. The success of the 11th National Party Congress has been highlighted by international friends across the world.

During his visit to Tuyen Quang, Mr Trong also offered an incense ceremony to commemorate fallen combatants in the province and visited late President Ho Chi Minh’s workplace. He also handed presents to veteran revolutionaries in the province.

HCMC leaders pay New Year visit to clerics

An umbrella delegation of Ho Chi Minh City led by its Party Committee’s Secretary Le Thanh Hai visited the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s southern office and the city chapter on January 28 as Lunar New Year approaches.

The delegation consisted of representatives from the municipal Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front.

Hai hailed contributions made by Buddhists to municipal construction and expressed thanks for the municipal Buddhist dignitaries to encourage monks, nuns and followers to work hard for municipal socio-economic development.

He wished the clerics the best of health and the entire Buddhist community a Happy New Year for the Year of the Cat.

On the same day, the municipal People’s Committee Chairman Le Hoang Quan led another delegation to pay a New Year visit to clerics at the HCMC Episcopal Council of the Catholic Church, the municipal Committee for Solidarity with Catholics and the Southern Protestant General Council.

Diplomat underlines Vietnam-China relations

Vietnam always places top priority on developing friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China while implementing its foreign policy, said a senior diplomat.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho delivered the remark at a reception hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing on January 28 to celebrate the 61st anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Tho emphasised that the bilateral friendship, which was founded and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Mao Zedong and many leaders of both countries, is a common asset o their peoples that needs accumulative.

Vietnam always remembers the valuable support and great assistance China extended to the Vietnamese people during their past struggle for national independence and their present process of national construction, he added.

The ambassador also highlighted outstanding activities organised throughout 2010 when Vietnam and China celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations, the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and the success of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Zhijun said the bilateral relationship has grown intensively and extensively since China and Vietnam established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The settlement of border issues has made remarkable progress as seen in the official enforcement of legal documents on land border demarcation and marker planting, creatin a foundation for building the common borderline into a bridge of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, Zhang said.

The deputy minister also affirmed that China attaches great importance to developing its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Vietnam.

Also present at the event were a large number of representatives of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, the General Political Department of the Chinese Liberation People’s Army, the China-Vietnam Friendship Association, the China Centre for International Economic Exchange and other agencies.

Ceremony marks late President Ho Chi Minh’s return to Vietnam

An incense offering ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh’s return to Vietnam was held in the northern province of Cao Bang on January 28.

After his long journey seeking the path to national salvation, uncle Ho came back to Vietnam through Chieng Ha commune, Ha Quang district to directly lead the Vietnamese revolution.

Under his direction, the 8th National Party Congress decided to establish the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam) and the Vietnam Propaganda and Liberation Army Team, which was a turning point for the country’s revolution and prepared it to cease the power to the people.

From Bac Po, the fire of revolution spread bringing the glorious victory of the August Revolution in 1945 and independence for Vietnam.

On behalf of the Ha Quang District, Trieu Dinh Le, Secretary of Ha Quang District’s Party Committee, pledged to strengthen its unity and trust in the Party’s leadership, while following the course of national independence to reach socialism and build a prosperous country.

Ha Quang district will continue to learn and follow the late President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example, promote the national patriotic emulation movement and implement the resolutions of the 11th National Party Congress and the 17th Provincial Party Congress to boost the country’s industrialisation and modernisation, strive to surpass the national socio-economic targets for 2011.

Vietnam praises diplomatic corps’, int’l organisations’ help

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem met with ambassadors and representatives of international organisations in Hanoi on January 27.

The meeting was jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.

Addressing the meeting, Khiem thanked the ambassadors, heads of diplomatic agencies and staff of international organisations who have actively supported Vietnam during its development cause, and expressed his hope to bolster friendship with the international community.

Mr Khiem spoke highly of the country’s achievements, which have been assisted by solid support from worldwide governments and organisations in various fields including politics, economy, culture and education.

He also said the assistance has contributed to the success of the country’s major festive event, the 1000 th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, as well UNESCO’s recognition of Vietnam’s outstanding cultural heritages.

Mr Khiem affirmed Vietnam’s constant policy of establishing comprehensive foreign policies to step up international integration and bilateral and multifaceted cooperation, as well as contributing to regional and world peace, stability and development.

At the meeting, Morocco Ambassador El Housine Fardani hailed Vietnam for being one of the economies with the highest growth rate in 2010, despite global financial crisis. He also congratulated Vietnam on its accomplishment of the ASEAN Chairmanship as well as its successful 11 th National Party Congress.

The same day, Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities hosted a reception for consuls general, honourable consuls and leaders of foreign representative agencies, trade associations, international organisations and non-governmental organisations on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Festival.

The Consul General of Germany – head of the diplomatic corps in the city and the consuls general of Canada, the UK, Kuwait and Indonesia took the floor, praising the city’s achievements in 2010 despite facing tough challenges.

The diplomats pointed out the city’s weaknesses and shortcomings, especially its inner city traffic systems, crime, fraud and occasional bad behaviour of taxi drivers to foreigners.

They also showed their interest in HCM City’s human resources development programmes, education, job placement and public-private partnerships.

the Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, said in 2011, the city will focus efforts on dealing with six major issues – traffic congestion, floods, environmental pollution, high-quality human resources development, building a modern administration apparatus and speeding up economic restructuring.

HCM City will strive to post a GDP growth rate of 11.5 percent, reach total social investment of over 200 trillion VND and create stable jobs for more than 120,000 workers, Tai added.

On behalf the city’s leaders, the Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Le Hoang Quan, extended season’s greetings to leaders and staff of foreign representative agencies.

The mayor thanked the diplomatic corps and international organisations for their support and expressed his hope that the city would receive more assistance and cooperation.

Bringing 11th National Party Congress’s resolution to life

The 11th National Party Congress ended successfully not only because it was well prepared according to plan but it adopted a number of important documents concerning the long-term strategy for national construction and development in the new period.

The statement was made by Party leader and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong at the January 27 meeting with an editorial group of the 11th National Party Congress to mark the 81st anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the lunar Traditional New Year Festival (Tet).

Mr Trong praised their assistance in preparing Party documents which positively contributed to the success of the Party Congress.

Over the past three years, the editorial group had worked hard to gather opinions from scientists and researchers on the draft political platform for the transitional period to socialism in Vietnam (supplemented and revised in 2011) and the socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-2020 period, political orientations and tasks for the 2011-2015 period, and amendments and supplements to the Party statute.

In regard to future tasks, Party leader Trong underlined the need to disseminate and devise specific plans to bring the 11th National Party congress’ resolution to life soon.

On the Traditional Tet Festival, Party leader Trong wished the editorial group good health, happiness and success in the new year.

Vietnam rejects Human Rights Watch’s allegation

The Human Rights Watch’s remarks on the situation in Vietnam in 2010 are totally wrong, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry has said.

Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement in reply to a reporter’s query relating to the Human Rights Watch’s annual report released on January 24 that Vietnam increased repressions of and the people’s rights to freedom of speech.

She stated that in Vietnam, the citizens’ rights to freedom and democracy, including the right to freedom of information, the right to freedom of expression and speech, and the right to freedom of religion and belief and non-religion and non-belief, have been stated clearly in the Constitution and laws, and the exercise of these rights is ensured in reality.

Like any other country around the world, to ensure the rules and laws of a law-governed state, any legal violation in Vietnam are handled in line with the law, Nga underlined.

VFF Chairman visits Party, State leaders

The Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Huynh Dam on January 28 visited some Party and State leaders on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3) and the coming Lunar New Year Festival.

He met with the former Party General Secretaries Do Muoi, Le Kha Phieu and Nong Duc Manh, former State Presidents Le Duc Anh and Tran Duc Luong, General Vo Nguyen Giap and former VFF Chairman Pham The Duyet.

He also attended the incense offering ceremony of late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, late Chairman of the VFF Presidium Hoang Quoc Viet, late first General Secretary of the Vietnam Social Party Phan Tu Nghia and Colonel General Dang Vu Hiep.

The VFF Chairman expressed his gratitude for the great contributions made by the Party, State and VFF leaders to the revolutionary cause, the development of the VFF and the country’s industrialisation and modernisation process.

On January 29, Mr Dam was scheduled to visit former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An and offer incense to late Party General Secretaries Truong Chinh and Le Duan, late State President and Chairman of the VFF Presidium Ton Duc Thang and late National Assembly Chairman and Chairman of the VFF Presidium Le Quang Dao.

PM approves VN-Egypt visa exemption agreement

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a Vietnam-Egypt visa exemption agreement applied to diplomatic, special and official passport holders.

The agreement was signed in Hanoi on August 18, 2010 by Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung and Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Elleissy.

PV