Vietnam scoops five more golds at SEA Games 25

The first gold medal of the day was snagged by a group of three Wushu athletes including Nguyen Huy Thanh, Tran Duc Trong and Tran Xuan Hiep in the men’s team Taolu (performance) event with the accumulated score of 9.50 points. Silver medal went to Singapore while Thailand took bronze.

In the women’s team weapon demonstration event, two athletes Vu Tra My and Vu Thuy Linh won a silver medal with a total score of 9.45 points. Gold medal for the same event went to Singapore .

The national shooting team also scooped two more gold medals for Vietnam in the air rifle event. 

The first gold medal went for the men’s 10 metre air rifle team including Ngo Huu Vuong, Nguyen Van Tung and Do Duc Hung. Vuong snagged the second gold medal in the individual event with 560 points, while Tung and Hung won silver and bronze medals with 559 and 555 points respectively.

The two gold medals won at the third competition day are expected to relieve the pressure for the shooting team and encourage the athletes to strive their best over the next days to fulfil the target of six gold medals.

In the women’s single shuttlecock final, Trinh Thi Nga vanquished her Thai rival, Jindamon, to win a gold medal.

The last gold medal for Vietnam on Dec. 13 belongs to athlete Vu Thi Huong who spectacularly surpassed her Thai opponent to hit the finish line of the women’s 100 metre track and field competition after 11.34 second, breaking her national record of 11.43 second.

In total, Vietnam has taken 25 gold, 23 silver and 27 bronze medals after five days of competition at SEA Games 25.

Simultaneously on Dec. 13, after beating Laos’ team 3-0, the national women’s football team of Vietnam won the ticket to march for the final match against Thailand for the gold medal.

ASEAN, India open new stage in sci-tech

New Delhi (VNA) – The ASEAN-India Working Group on Science and Technology (AIWGST) has convened its 7 th session in Gugaon city, the Indian state of Haryana, opening up a new stage in science and technology cooperation. 

The two sides agreed to prepare a joint action plan for the coming time, launch a fund for science and technology development, build a technology cooperation programme for natural disaster control and exchange more experts and students. 

The working group applauded joint projects which include the opening of training courses on open-source and free software, analyses of factors causing chemical and biological contamination in semi-processed foodstuffs and building digital libraries. 

In addition, AIWGST decided to organise soon symposiums on marine bio- technology, conduct research into monsoon in the Indian ocean and draw ecological tourism maps.

PM visits Russia to boost multifaceted ties

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will pay a working visit to Russia from Dec. 14-15 with the aim of boosting multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam and Russia have developed fine traditional relations in many fields. The two sides have exchanged visits by high-ranking delegations, as well as delegations at ministerial, sectoral and local levels. The two countries established the strategic partnership during President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to Vietnam in 2001.

The official visit to Russia by State President Nguyen Minh Triet in October 2008 created a new momentum for the development of relations between the two countries.

Vietnam and Russia have shared numerous views on regional and international issues and supported each other at international forums, including the UN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

Economic, trade and investment relations between the two sides have developed steadily over recent years.

Two-way trade was between 350-400 million USD in the mid 1990s and increased to over 1 billion USD in 2007.

Vietnam exports seafood, garment, rubber and footwear to Russia and imports coal, steel, fertilizer and petroleum from the latter. 

In 2008, two-way trade between the two countries reached 1.6 billion USD, including 671 million USD in Vietnam ’s export turnover.

In investment, Russia now has 55 projects valued at 302.9 million USD, ranking 23 rd among 81 foreign investors in Vietnam . 

Oil and gas, and energy are traditional cooperation fields, which have brought in huge revenues for state budgets of the two countries. The two sides have signed a protocol to turn the Vietnam-Russia Oil and Gas Joint Venture (Vietsovpetro) into two-member limited liability company after 2010. They will expand their in oil and gas cooperation to third countries in the future.

Additionally, Russian has continued cooperate with Vietnam in upgrading and building energy projects.

Russian gas group GAZPROM is expanding its cooperative ties with the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam).

During the visit by Prime Minister Dung, the two sides plan to sign several important cooperation documents, including an agreement to set up a joint venture between GAZPROM and PetroVietnam in Russia and a cooperation agreement between the Electricity of Vietnam and the Russia Electricity Group and the launching of the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank.

Cooperation in science and technology, education and training and tourism has been strengthened, while that in culture has been resumed.

Activities of cultural exchanges between the two countries took place effervescently.

Russian has made great contributions to human resource training for Vietnam . It provides over 250 scholarships annually to Vietnamese students to study in Russia . Moreover, Vietnamese students, who pay themselves for studying in Russia number more than 5,000.

Vietnam reviews history of army in Germany

Berlin (VNA) – A solemn ceremony to celebrate the 65 th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (Dec. 22) has been held in Germany . 

The event, organised by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnam Defence Attach é Office in Germany , drew the participation of ambassadors and representatives of ASEAN countries, officials from the Germany ’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence and nearly 50 defence attaché s from countries around the world. 

Vietnamese Defence A ttaché Colonel Pham Duy Phe reviewed the glorious history of the Vietnam People’s Army during the resistance wars for independence and the current process of national defence and construction. 

Over the past 65 years, the Vietnam People’s Army has fulfilled well tasks assigned by the Party and the Government, ensuring territorial integrity and helping raise the status and position of Vietnam in the region and in the world, the A ttaché said. 

He highlighted that the Vietnam-Germany relations have ceaselessly developed over the past years. Germany has granted many scholarships to Vietnamese officers and cadets to study in Germany , said the A ttaché referring to the defence ties between the two countries. 

A number of political and cultural events are going to be organised in both countries next year to welcome the 35 th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Vietnam, Italy ink tourism, development agreements

Rome (VNA) – Vietnam and Italy have signed cooperation agreements on tourism and development during the visit to Italy by State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Also on the occasion, the Vietnamese and Italian education ministries inked a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in research, science and education.

Meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi in Milan on December 12, President Triet stressed that Italy is an important partner of Vietnam and that the two countries have high potential for expanding and boosting their relations in a wide range of fields.

For his part, the Italian PM said he believed that President Triet’s first State visit to Italy will open a new chapter in the two countries’ ties and that high-level agreements signed during this visit will be significant to the Italian business circle.

PM Belusconi confirmed that his country has attached importance to stepping up multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam , especially that between small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Italian leader also pledged that he himself will pay attention to increasing the two countries’ cooperation in the cultural, television and sports domains to enable the promotion of each country’s image in another and boost mutual understanding between the two peoples.

He told President Triet that he will suggest the AC Milan football team visit Vietnam during the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi along with sending a business delegation to Vietnam to prepare for the formulation of specific cooperation projects between the two countries.

PM Belusconi said he will arrange things to soon visit Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Late on the day, President Triet met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Italy and Italian friends.

On December 13, President Triet and his entourage left Milan to head for Spain , the second leg of his European tour from Dec. 9-18.