NA
Committee starts 39th session

The 39th
meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) began today, April
25, in Ha Noi.

During
the meeting, the NASC will hear reports on the ninth session of the 12th NA and
preparations for the election of the 13th NA and People’s Councils for the
2011-16 period.

The
committee will discuss regulations in a draft ordinance on management and use of
weapons, explosives and support tools; and a draft decree on registering and
managing activities of foreign non-governmental organisations in Viet Nam.

NASC
deputies will also discuss a plan to establish departments for the State Audit
Office of Viet Nam and its personnel plan for this and next year. They will also
discuss the allocation of the State budget.

The
session will conclude on Wednesday.

VN and
Laos sign agreement on educational co-operation up to 2020

Viet Nam
and Laos have reached agreements on educational co-operation aimed at improving
learning and teaching until 2020.

The
agreements were struck during a five-day visit to Laos by a high-ranking
delegation from the Ministry of Education and Training, led by Minister Pham Vu
Luan, which concluded today, April 25.

Prime
Minister Thongsinh Thammavonghe last Friday thanked the Party, State and people
of Viet Nam for helping his country in all aspects, especially education.

Over the
past five decades, tens of thousands of Lao students had studied in Viet Nam,
providing valuable human resources and strengthening friendship between the two
nations, he said.

Thammavonghe said he hoped the Viet Nam Ministry and Lao Ministry of Education
would strengthen their co-operation, particularly in human resources training,
contributing to the two countries’ relations.

Minister
Luan congratulated Laos on its successful 9th National Congress of the People’s
Revolutionary Party.

VN officials seek management training opportunities in S Korea

A
delegation seeking management training for government officials visited South
Korea for three days last week.

The
delegation was headed by deputy chairman of the Party Central Committee’s
Commission for Organisation Nguyen Van Quynh.

The
group held talks with several universities of international standard, including
Korea University and Kangwon National University, which also offered wider
support for officials, such as foreign language training and accommodation.

Restraint urged between Thais and Cambodians

Viet Nam
wants Thailand and Cambodia to exercise maximum restraint to avoid armed clashes
while continuing to resolve disputes through peaceful negotiations.

Foreign
Ministry Spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement on Friday, April 22,
while answering reporters’ question on Viet Nam’s reaction to conflicts
occurring the same day between Thailand and Cambodia in the areas of Ta Mon Thom
and Ta Krabey temples on the countries’ border.

“As
ASEAN members and as a neighbour of both Thailand and Cambodia, Viet Nam once
again wants the two sides to exercise maximum restraint, avoid armed conflicts
and continue resolving disputes through peaceful negotiations on the basis of
basic principles of international law, the United Nations Charter and on the
spirit of friendship, ASEAN solidarity and for the two peoples’ interest and for
peace, stability and co-operation in the region and the world”, Nga said.

“We call
on Cambodia and Thailand to strictly abide by pledges made at the informal ASEAN
Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Jakarta on February 22 and not let the situation
become more complicated,” she said.

RoK willing to help train Vietnamese governmental
staff

A delegation of the Steering Board of Programme 165
on sending managerial officials overseas for training paid a working visit to
the Republic of Korea from April 21-23 in a bid to seek partners for training
courses under the Programme.

The delegation, headed by Party Central Committee (PCC) member, Deputy Chairman
of the PCC Commission for Organisation, Permanent Deputy Head of the Programme
165 Steering Board, Nguyen Van Quynh, held working sessions with several
prestigious universities, including the Korea University and Kangwon National
University.

At the meetings, heads of the universities said they were willing to receive
Vietnamese officials, saying that the RoK is an ideal destination for its
convenient location and an advanced education meeting international standards.
They also pledged to provide support for Vietnamese officials, such as foreign
language training and accommodation.
Earlier, the delegation met with the President of the Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Park Dae-won to discuss possibilities of cooperation
in training Vietnamese officials in the RoK.

Ha Giang boosts cooperation with Chinese locality

The northern border province of Ha Giang and Baise
city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China will cooperate in border
trade and management, helping build a Vietnam-China border line of peace,
stability and mutual development.

The
agreement was reached during talks between Vice Secretary of the Party Committee
and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ha Giang province Dam Van Bong and
visiting Vice Secretary of Baise city’s Party Committee Huang Zhiwei in Ha Giang
city on April 23.
Under the agreement, in 2011, the two sides will focus on cooperation in
infrastructure building, especially the upgrading of a road running to marker
No. 504 on the Vietnam-China border with the aim of facilitating people’s
movement, thus boosting border trading activities and improving the living
standards of residents living along the border.
Baise city promised to provide high-yield and high-quality plant varieties,
cultivation methods and insect prevention techniques for Ha Giang and cooperate
with the Vietnamese province in building models of small- and medium-sized
husbandry farms and cattle-feed processing factories as well as in aquaculture.
Ha Giang asked Baise city to encourage China ’s businesses to survey and boost
investment cooperation in the province. The Ha Giang leader said the provincial
People’s Committee will create the best conditions for Chinese businesses to
operate effectively in the locality.
For his part, Huang Zhiwei vowed to try his best to help strengthen and boost
relations between Baise city and Ha Giang province in many fields.

Vietnam, Laos boost educational cooperation

Vietnam and Laos have signed a plan
on educational cooperation for the year 2011 and a cooperation project for the
2011-2020 period, aiming to elevating the two countries’ learning and teaching
quality.
These agreements were reached during the visit to Laos by a high-ranking
delegation from Vietnam ’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) led by
Minister Pham Vu Luan from April 21-25.
The delegation was received by Lao Prime Minister Thongsinh Thammavong on April
22, during which the Lao PM expressed his thanks for the Party, State and people
of Vietnam who have assisted his country in all aspects, especially in
education.
From the war time until now, tens of thousands of Lao students have studied in
Vietnam , he said, stressing that the country considers such students valuable
human resources and a bridge tightening the Laos-Vietnam friendship.
He expressed his hope that the MoET and Lao Ministry of Education will
strengthen their cooperation, particularly in human resources training,
contributing to deepening the two countries’ relations.
For his part, Minister Luan extended his congratulations on the success of the 9
th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and committed to
bolster the educational cooperation to meet the two sides’ expectations.
On the occasion, the two ministries agreed to step up the friendship between Chu
Van An Senior High School in Hanoi and Laos-Viet Friendship School in Vientiane.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA