Vietnam to meet Malaysia in men’s football final

Singapore took the lead at the 27 th minute, but only to have it taken away when Vietnam scored two goals within the next 15 minutes leading the match 2 to 1. In the second half, the eleven Vietnamese footballers put two more balls into the net raising the score to four.

The Vietnamese squad will face Malaysian rivals– who won 3-1 over the Laos team– for the SEA Games long-awaited cup on Dec. 17.

Vietnam on Dec. 14 won six more gold medals, ranking second in the medal tally after six days of competition at SEA Games 25.

A group of three markswomen including Dang Hong Ha, Cu Thi Thanh tu, Nguyen Thi Le Quyen, bagged a gold in the women’s air rifle and running target event with an accumulated score of 1.043 points. The silver medal went to Laos while Thailand took the bronze.

In the 800 m race both the men and women events, Truong Thanh Hang and Nguyen Dinh Cuong took two more gold medals for Vietnam .

Hang broke her record set at the 24th SEA Games in the event, clocking at 2’02’’39.

Her team mate Nguyen Dinh Cuong finished first in the men’s 800 m event with 1’50’’64, also breaking his record set at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand . 

Martial artist Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai eliminated her Thai rival Konnika Nuanbonriboon, winning a gold at the Muay’ 51kg category for Vietnam .

At the track-and-field, Vu Van Huyen carried off a gold for the decathlon event. 

The last gold of the day for Vietnam was taken by Bui Minh Thuy at the 160.3km female bicycle race. She finished first with 4h 01’ 43’’.

President Triet begins Spain visit

Madrid (VNA) – President Nguyen Minh Triet was given a State welcome ceremony on his arrival at the El Pardo Palace in the capital city Madrid at 10:30hrs local time on Dec. 14. 

At a reception held following the ceremony, Spanish King Juan Carlos warmly welcomed President Triet’s State visit to Spain , describing it as an important landmark in the two countries’ friendship and cooperation. 

The King said he believed with both sides’ wish and determination, the Spain-Vietnam friendship and cooperative relations will develop in various fields in the future. 

President Triet expressed his delight at his first visit to Spain and thanked the King, the Queen and the Royal Family of Spain for their respect and sincere welcome. 

The Vietnamese State leader took the occasion to thank Spanish King Juan Carlos, its Government and people for their assistance to the Vietnamese people to overcome the aftermath of typhoons Ketsana and Mirinae. 

Following the visit to Vietnam by Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in 2006, the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Spain recorded outstanding developments especially in trade exchange, said President Triet. 

He went on to say that both sides have paid attention to promoting bilateral cultural and educational cooperation through teaching Spanish in Vietnam and the exchange of the two countries’ art troupes. 

The Vietnamese President highlighted Spain’s development assistance to Vietnam which helped improve its people’s socio-economic life and thanked the Spanish Government for its continued aid to the nation from 2009-2012. 

On the afternoon of Dec. 14, President Triet met with Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon who presented him a Golden Key to become an honourable citizen of the city. 

On the evening of the same day, King Juan Carlos and his Queen hosted a State banquet in honour of President Nguyen Minh Triet, his wife and his entourage. 

Also on this occasion, on Dec. 14, State Auditor General Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with President of the Spanish Court of Audit Manuel Nunez Perez where both sides shared experiences and achievements in the auditing field to further enhance the relationship between the two agencies.

Vietnam, Laos enhance cooperation in ethnic affairs

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam committed to open more training courses on ethnic affairs for Laos officials in 2010, organise activities to promote cooperation between the two countries’ provinces, facilitate discussions on ethnic issues and coordinate a Vietnam-Laos border provincial meeting.

The commitment was made at talks between the Vietnamese delegation led by Giang Seo Phu, Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs, and the Lao delegation headed by Tong Yeu Tho, Vice Permanent President of the Laos Front for National Construction, was held in Hanoi on Dec. 14.

The Laos Front for National Construction in return, will also draft in 2010 a cooperation programme for ethnic affairs with Vietnam for the 2011-2015 period.

At the talks, both sides introduced their individual concerns regarding ethnic affair policies and main goals in the coming time.

The cooperation in ethnic affairs between Vietnam ’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs and the Lao Front for National Construction made significant contributions to strengthening solidarity and traditional friendship between the two countries’ people, they said.

Vice President Tong Yeu Tho highly valued Vietnam ’s aid, including the opening of training courses, and exchange of experiences in ethnic affairs.

On this occasion, the Committee for Ethnic Affairs presented the Lao Front for National Construction with 20 sets of computers.

VFF leader visits Yen Bai province

Yen Bai (VNA) – President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Huynh Dam emphasised the necessity to pay more attention to social welfare and care for poor people while on a working visit to the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on December 13 and 14. 

He asked the provincial authorities to eradicate dilapidated houses and support the great national unity work in the province. 

Yen Bai is home to 30 ethnic group, accounting for 52 percent of the province’s population. 

VFF President Dam suggested Yen Bai to build a strong political system, care for the fatherland front and allow participation of mass organisations’ cadres at the grassroots level. 

Also on the occasion, the VFF leader presented gifts to families of social beneficiaries in Thinh Hung commune, Yen Binh district. 

He encouraged poor families to overcome their difficulties and develop their economy as well as asked local authorities to care more for poor households in the province.

Party General Secretary to visit Cambodia

Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh will pay an official visit to Cambodia from Dec. 17-19, the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations announced on Dec. 14. 

The visit will be made at the invitation of the Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

Gov’t programme reduces number of poor households

Hanoi (VNA) – Ngo Truong Thi, Deputy Head of the Social Welfare Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalid and Social Affairs, has reported a drop in number of poor households from 47 percent in 2008 to 43 percent as of present day. 

At a meeting with the media in Hanoi on December 14, Thi said the achievement was a result of implementing the Government’s Resolution 30A programme for rapid and sustainable poverty reduction in 62 poor districts in Vietnam . Since the implementation of the programme in late 2008, the Government allocated a total of 10 trillion VND (555 million USD) to those districts. 

The programme targets to push the rate of poor households in those districts below 40 percent by 2010 and equal to the regional average level by 2020.

Apart from the government’s investment, 38 economic groups and state-owned corporations and enterprises have so far this year pledged to give 2.1 trillion VND (116.8 million USD) to 62 targeted districts from 2009-2020. By November of this year, 697 billion VND (38.7 million USD) have already been distributed to the designated districts.

That money was spent on building over 59,700 houses for poor families, 60 infrastructure projects at district level, and 520 other projects at the commune level.

Enterprises also coordinated with localities to send almost 1,000 people to work in Libya, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates with a monthly salary of between 4-6.5 million VND.

At an effort to reduce the poverty rate, local government encouraged young intellectual volunteers to work at poverty-stricken communes as well as sending officials to 13 provinces sent to enforce poverty reduction policies.

Thi further informed that on Dec. 17, the government will hold a conference to review this year’s of implementation of the Resolution 30A in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Party delegation attends Angola’s party congress

Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) attended the sixth congress of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party in Luanda, Angola from Dec. 7-10. 

Vo Duc Huy, member of the CPV Central Committee and Secretary of the Party Committee in charge of Central Enterprises, delivered the welcoming speech at the congress. 

The Vietnamese delegation met with MPLA leaders, during which the latter spoke highly of Vietnam ’s support and effective cooperation with Angola . 

MPLA leaders also said they hoped for a stronger multifaceted cooperation between the two Parties, governments and peoples. 

The Vietnamese delegation met other international representatives attending the event and visited several education and social establishments in Luanda. 

Jose Eduardo Dos Santos was re-elected MPLA President.

Women parliamentarians discuss ways for violence prevention

Thua Thien–Hue (VNA) – Regional women parliamentarians shared ideas and experiences in making and supervising laws to prevent and control domestic violence in a seminar held in the central city of Hue on December 14. 

The seminar entitled “Role of women parliamentarians in making, implementing and supervising laws on domestic violence prevention and control” was jointly held by Vietnam ’s National Assembly Committee of Social Affairs and local and regional women parliamentarians. 

At the seminar, parliamentarians from Cambodia , Laos , Malaysia , East Timor, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea , Venezuela and Vietnam discussed measures to raise their role and awareness in the making of laws as well as in issues relating to women. 

At present, the implementation of laws on family violence prevention and control is still a new issue in ASEAN countries and many other countries in the world. So far, only eight out of ten countries in Southeast Asia have promulgated such laws. In Vietnam , the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control was approved by the National Assembly in 2007 and came into effect as of July 1, 2008. 

The seminar will end on December 15.

Dak Nong to protect environment, preserve cultural values

Dak Nong (VNA) – The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong, during its economic development, needs to attach more importance to environmental protection while preserving the special cultural values of ethnic groups in the Central Highlands. 

Party leader Nong Duc Manh issued the instruction while meeting with provincial leaders during his two-day visit from December 13 to find out how the province is getting on with implementing resolutions passed at the Party’s 10 th Congress. 

Dak Nong province should also focus on building up its infrastructure, including roads, electricity supplies and irrigation works and combine intensive farming areas with processing plants to increase the value and quality of products while generating more jobs for local people, he said. 

He praised the province’s potential for economic development as it has abundant mineral resources, a rich soil and ideal climate, that are favourable for animal breeding industry and tourism. 

Manh stressed that as a mountainous province with many ethnic minority people, Dak Nong must retain the identities of each ethnic group and ensure their equal development. This is important for solidarity amongst ethnic groups, he added. 

During his visit, General Secretary Manh visited and presented gifts to outstanding village elders from Quang Khe commune in Dak Glong district. 

Established in 2004, Dak Nong province is over 650,000 ha in size with a 130km border with Cambodia . The province reported an annual economic growth of 15.4 percent during the 2006-2008 period. This year, the rate is estimated at 14.6 percent and per-capita income is expected to reach 13.8 million VND per year. 

By the end of this year, almost every village in the province will have been connected to the national electricity grid and 89 percent of all households will have access to electricity. The province’s poverty rate now stands at 19.4 percent.

PM Dung arrives in Moscow

Moscow (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in the Russian capital city of Moscow on December 14 for a working visit at the invitation from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Soon after he arrived, PM Dung visited the Kremlin, the Mashinostroenie Machine Engineering Group and the Kurchatov Research Institute.

He is scheduled to meet with a number of Vietnamese and Russian businesses and open a branch of the Vietnamese-Russian Bank in Moscow later the same day.

Overseas Vietnamese pianist plays for charity

Hanoi (VNA) – The young and talented Vietnamese pianist Vu Dang Minh Anh from Poland will play a charity concert in the Hanoi Opera House on December 19 to raise funds for disabled children. 

According to the play list, Minh Anh will perform several masterpieces by world famous composers such as Beethoven, Liszt and Chopin together with a piece entitled “Somewhere over the Clouds” that she composed herself. The piece won first prize in a music competition held by the Karol Szymanowski National Music School in November. 

Minh Anh will be accompanied by a choir from Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for blind children. In addition, The Hope, a group of blind children who play traditional music, along with singer Xuan Thanh, who has won many prizes in singing contests in Russia and the US, will perform a selection of Christmas songs such as Ring Christmas Bells, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World and several Vietnamese folk songs including Beautiful Country and The Rain. 

Vu Dang Minh Anh was born in Poland in 1994. She is currently studying at the Karol Szymanowski National Music School in Warsaw. In the last few years she has picked up numerous awards at international music contests in France, Spain, Poland and Italy.

War film wins Golden Lotus prize

HCM City (VNA) – The spirited diary of war martyr Dang Thuy Tram, which has capture the public’s imagination was once again honoured during the 16 th Vietnam Film Festival, which wrapped up on December 12 in Ho Chi Minh City . 

“Dung Dot” (Don’t Burn), adapted from the diary of a female doctor of the liberation force killed by American troops in the war in Vietnam and directed by veteran director Dang Nhat Minh, won the Golden Lotus Prize for movies and the award for best movie voted for by a jury of correspondents. 

Journalist Trinh Le Van, head of the jury, said ten out of the 11 members of the board voted for the film because it depicted the war through the eyes of a civilian, portrayed harmony of content and art and stirred public emotion. 

Two other movies which have also received much attention from Vietnamese audiences “Trang Noi Day Gieng” (Moon at the bottom of the Well) directed by Nguyen Vinh Son, and director Vuong Duc’s “Rung Den” (Black Forest) were awarded the Silver Lotus. “14 Ngay Phep” (14 Days off in Homeland) directed by Nguyen Trong Khoa was voted the most popular movie by audiences in HCM City . 

“It’s not very surprising to me because the diary and the film have received much attention form the public after being screened domestically and internationally. Audiences have shown a lot of love for the film,” said director Dang Nhat Minh. 

The film, which won the Audience Award at Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan in September, has been chosen to officially represent Vietnamese cinema in the best foreign language film category at the 2010 Oscars in Los Angeles next March. 

“It’s like a dream come true for the film to be honoured at the prize but I don’t think I will win,” Minh said. 

Organisers named Do Nguyen Lan Ha who starred in “Trai Tim Be Bong” (The Little Heart) the best leading actress, and Dustin Nguyen the best leading actor in “Huyen Thoai Bat Tu” (Immortal Legend), which won the Golden Kite Prize in March. 

Director Bui Thac Chuyen was voted the best director for his “Choi Voi” (Adrift) at the film festival.

Time magazine honours Vietnamese scientist for maths discovery

Hanoi (VNA) – A young Vietnamese professor has been honoured by US-based Time Magazine as author of one of the 10 scientific discoveries of 2009. 

Prof. Ngo Bao Chau, 37, who currently works at Universite Paris-Sud and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton , formulated an ingenious proof of a fundamental lemma in Langlands Programme that was proposed by the Canadian-American mathematician Robert Langlands 30 years ago. 

According to the Times, mathematicians around the globe breathed a sigh of relief when the proof was checked this year and confirmed to be correct. 

“It’s as if people were working on the far side of the river waiting for someone to throw this bridge across,” the magazine quoted Peter Sarnak, a number theorist at IAS, as saying. “And now all of sudden everyone’s work on the other side of the river has been proven,” he said. 

With this discovery, Prof. Chau is now a potential candidate for the world’s most prestigious mathematic award – Fields Award. 

Born in an intellectual family in Hanoi , Chau twice won gold at the international mathematics Olympiad when he was a high-school student. 

He is the first Vietnamese mathematician to win the Clay Research Award, one of the most prominent awards in the mathematics society and is the youngest professor in Vietnam after getting the title at the age of 33.

PM Dung visits Russia to strengthen relations

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left Hanoi on December 
14 for a visit that aims at strengthening relations between the two countries at the invitation of his counterpart Vladimir Putin. 

Dung, accompanied by a high-ranking Government delegation, will be in Russia for two days to promote a multifaceted relationship with the country. 

Dung will then go to Copenhagen , Denmark , to attend the ongoing World Climate Change Conference and confirm Vietnam ’s determination to contribute its part to the world’s fight against climate change. 

During his three days at the conference, Dung will attend high-ranking discussion and workshops about the United Nations Framework on Climate Change and with signatories of the Kyoto Protocol. 

The Vietnamese delegation includes ministers and senior officials from relevant ministries and Government agencies.

Climate change hits the delta

Hanoi (VNA) – In the last month of the year, daily life is going on as it has been for hundreds of years in Vietnam ’s largest delta in the Mekong River basin . 

But, day by day, the area’s residents are feeling subtle changes caused by the weather, and they are confused about what is happening or what could be done. 

These small changes towards something potentially more extreme could turn the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta upside down in the next dozen years, if the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen does not take strong action on global warming, as many scientists have warned. 

As world leaders gather in Denmark at the conference later this week, the Mekong Delta has become a magnet for world attention. International delegations have been taking turns to visit its provinces in southern Vietnam to discover what is occurring there. 

The most recent visit was by a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) team who criss-crossed canals during a four-day cruise across the Mekong River’s two main tributaries of Tien (Front) and Hau (Rear) early this month. 

Around the circumference of Thoi Son Islet, which is in the middle of the Tien river facing My Tho City, one of the main centres of the delta, concrete dykes can be seen here and there to protect the vulnerable land against tidal waves which have become more and more aggressive in recent years. 

Thoi Son’s area of 11sq.km is populated by 6,000 residents, most of whom live on rice crops, fruit crops and fish farms. 

Their livelihood is largely dependent on the surrounding river, and for generations they have been as familiar with its behaviour as with the back of their hands. 

But there is something else they have never known, and cannot explain. 

“For the last three years, tidal waves in the flood seasons have grown bigger and bigger,” said farmer Le Thi My Nuong, adding that tidal waves often inundate the islet for an hour twice a day during flood seasons that fall in the ninth and 10 th lunar months. 

Pointing to a new house under construction on a raised foundation half a metre above the earth, Nuong said that her family had no choice but to live with floods. 

“We have been living on this land for generations. We can’t leave sit or afford new land elsewhere,” she said. 

Houses built on raised ground like Nuong’s are becoming, whose population is pooling money to built embankment around their homes, gardens and orchards. 

“These embankments built by households are making up a system that circles 70 percent of the islet,” said Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lang, a long-time resident and owner of a tourist garden. 

“Places without an embankment will have fruit trees wilting and pond fish swept away into the large river,” she added, noting that floodwaters tend to rise so suddenly that an anchored boat can be pushed onto the ground within seconds. 

“Floodwaters this year are about 20cm higher than last year’s,” said Huynh Van Dung, 44, a fish farmer living on a floating farm in the middle of Tien River just offshore the islet. 

Dung said he “knows nothing about climate change” and that his biggest concerns are about the price of his fish and where he can sell this product. 

“What comes will come, and even if we care, we can make no big changes,” he said. 

At Thot Not district’s Dong Hiep commune, which is a two-hour drive from Can Tho, farmers who follow the Vietnamese model that combines an orchard, fish pond and pigsty are also feeling the effects of climate change. 

“The last four years have seen massive rainfall over four on five consecutive days,” said Ho Van Ba, 87, a farmer living on the bank of Dung canal, adding that the downpour has stripped his mango trees of flowers and stimulated growth of harmful insects. 

It’s definitely raining more than dozens of years ago,” he said. 

Ho Van Du, 65, Ba’s eldest son, said hotter temperatures in March and April this year were the main causes of his loss of harvests. 

“The fish cannot endure intense heat, so up to one third of them died,” he said, noting that diseases can easily spread in hot conditions.

Myanmar Minister of Religious Affairs visits Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation of the Myanmar Ministry of Religious Affairs led by Minister Thura Myint Maung paid a working visit to Vietnam from Dec. 6-11. 

The Myanmar delegation had a working session with the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs on Dec. 7. The two sides exchanged notes on their own countries’ religious affairs and experiences in State management on religion. 

Nguyen Thanh Xuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, and the Myanmar Minister signed an agreement on cooperation. 

During their stay in Vietnam , the Myanmar delegation was received by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. 

The PM said the two countries share many similarities in culture, history and religion, and affirmed that the Vietnamese Government and people are doing their best to further promote the bilateral relation in all fields in a spirit of friendship, support and mutual benefit.

He lauded the newly-signed agreement and expressed his belief that the cooperation will continue expanding in future. 

The Myanmar Minister expressed his wish to exchange delegations of experts and scholars in religion with Vietnam in the coming time. 

Earlier, the Myanmar delegation visited the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and the Vietnam Buddhist Academy . 

The delegation also toured religious establishments and places of interest in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau . 

The guests said they got fine impressions of the Vietnamese land and people, in particular the diversity in religions in Vietnam and the country’s policies on religions. 

On Dec. 11, the delegation left Vietnam , concluding their first official visit to the country.

BUSINESS

ADB funds State-owned giant restructuring

Hanoi (VNA)- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 630 million USD multitranche financing facility for Vietnam for further reforms of major State-owned enterprises (SOEs). 

The financial assistance aims to make SOEs more efficient, profitable and transparent in a bid to spur economic growth and open up opportunities for the private sector, said the ADB in a press release available to Vietnam News Agency on Dec. 14. 

The assistance titled Vietnam SOE Reform and Corporate Governance Facilitation Programme demonstrates ADB’s support to the Government’s reform agenda through financial and technical assistance. 

ADB’s new programme will also provide training and other assistance to Governmental institutions engaged in the SOE reform process, such as the Debt and Asset Trading Corporation. 

Under this financial umbrella, ADB will provide 6 million USD from its ordinary capital resources (OCR) to strengthen the balance sheets of selected corporations through debt restructuring. As much as 30 million USD from its Asian Development Fund (ADF) is used to support operational and corporate governance improvement and institutional strengthening. 

ADB’s funds make up almost 36 percent of the estimated 1.77 billion USD cost of SOE reforms until 2015. The remainder is expected to come from the Government’s contributions and internal resources of participating corporations and strategic investors. 

In the first stage, ADB will provide13 million USD to support the transformation of the Song Da group. 

The Ministry of Finance has been assigned to execute the programme that runs from December 2009 to December 2015.

Government wants engineering sector to go internationally

Hanoi (VNA) – A Government leader has asked the mechanical engineering sector to restructure itself in a strong manner to enable it to partake in the international mechanical engineering chain. 

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai described the task as an important one while addressing a symposium discussing the mechanical engineering sector’s capacity of fabricating supporting devices for the energy industry in Hanoi on December 14.

The symposium was co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Alstom group of Switzerland.

The Deputy PM, who is also Chief of the Steering Board for Key Mechanical Engineering Programme, pointed out that a very poor collaboration among mechanical engineering enterprises is a reason behind the underdevelopment of the present sector.

He also underlined the fact that Vietnamese mechanical engineering businesses fall short in researching, manufacturing and designing their own products.

Accordingly, the sector is now capable of meeting only 38 percent of local demands for mechanical equipment and leaves the remaining 62 percent for foreign producers.

The Government leader believed that the symposium is the first step to help bring together the Ministry of Industry and Trade, engineering firms and their associates to re-examine their infrastructure in order to provide optimal service for the Alstom group.

The Deputy PM affirmed that he is willing to speak directly with businesses and their associations to deal with difficulties that may arise to promote the development and international integration of the nation’s mechanical engineering industry.

At the symposium, Alstom Group’s Asian Director Laurent Fortier-Beaulieu said his group is eager to cooperate with Vietnamese mechanical engineering businesses in producing equipment and providing labourers and maintenance services at competitive prices for hydro-electric, wind-generated, and thermo-electric power plants with a capacity of up to 600 MW, a relationship already established in countries including Indonesia, Australia and Malaysia.

Regarding Vietnam as its top priority in the region, Alstom stated his commitment to providing technologies and management experiences for Vietnamese partners that are qualified for establishing a long-term partnership with the group.

Swedish-funded programme helps develop energy sector

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam-Sweden Rural Energy programme (VSRE) has helped raise Vietnam’s capacity in planning, developing and managing renewable energy sources. 

The statement was made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Energy Department Deputy Director Pham Hung in a seminar held in Hanoi on December 14 to sum up what the programme achieved over the period 2003-2009. 

In addition, the programme helped improve socio-economic and cultural life of ethnic minority people in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang and central coastal province of Quang Nam, Hung said. 

VSRE was funded by the Swedish government via the Sweden International Development Agency (SIDA) with an amount of over 50 million SEK (over 7 million USD). 

Ludovic Lacrosse, VSRE chief advisor, confirmed that the programme built up a framework of technical standards which are essential for designing and managing renewable energy projects in Vietnam. 

Based on VSRE studies, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided Vietnam with a soft loan of more than 151 million USD to help the country carry out renewable energy projects for rural areas. 

According to the Ministry, Sweden has granted up to 600 million SEK and provided preferential loans worth 500 million SEK for Vietnam ’s electricity industry since the two countries set up diplomatic ties 40 years ago.

US – stable market for Vietnam’s tra fish

Hanoi (VNA) – So far this year the US has remained a stable export market for Vietnam ’s “tra” fish, in both volume and value, according to the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

In November, the country imported almost 5,000 tonnes of the fish, worth over 15 million USD, a 2.5 fold increase over the same period last year and accounting for 10 percent of Vietnam ’s total “tra” fish exports in the time reviewed.


The Hung Vuong Joint Stock Company (HVG) plans to work with distributors in the US to export “tra” fish during 2009-2013. HVG is also investing in building production lines for animal feed, aquaculture, processing as well as cold storage facilities to ensure quality and control production costs.

The Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company is one of the country’s leading exporters of “tra” and “basa” fish with over one third of the company’s exports sent to the US .

VN-Russia Bank opens subsidiary in Russia

Hanoi (VNA) – On December 14 the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank (VRB) officially opened a subsidiary bank in Moscow to help Vietnamese exporters operating in Russia and Eastern Europe . 

Speaking at a seminar entitled “Supporting Vietnamese exports to Russia ” held in Hanoi the same day, Pham Van Minh, the Deputy General Director of VRB’s Transaction Exchange said that opening a bank in Moscow has made it easier and safer to makes payments between the business communities of both countries 

The VRB’s representative added that his bank also plans to expand its area of operations by opening branches in former Soviet Union countries and others around Europe . 

At the seminar, the Vice President of the Business Systems Development Audit-Consulting Group (RBS) Andrei Maximov pledged to support Vietnamese companies that export to Russia . 

He said that Vietnam is a developing country with great potential and has a real demand for economic development in various fields. This is the reason why RBS, one of Russia ’s leading financial and consulting companies, is present in Vietnam , he added. 

According to Vietnam’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia reached a record 1.5 billion USD in 2008 and is expected to increase to 2 billion USD this year. 

Vietnam mainly exports seafood, garments, rubber and footwear to Russia while it imports coal, steel, fertiliser and petrol. 

After starting its operations in late 2006, VRB has become one of Vietnam ’s leading joint venture banks with its branches in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City , Da Nang , Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Khanh Hoa. The bank is currently planning to open a branch in Hai Phong early next year.

VinaPhone starts 3G int’l service early 2010

Hanoi (VNA) – VinaPhone will officially start to offer a 3G international roaming service by early 2010.

The move is made possible with the company joining Conexus, an alliance of international mobile phone providers. Under its agreement with Conexus, VinaPhone will now be granted permission to provide the 3G international roaming service to customers who are subscribers to one of the alliance’s members and VinaPhone’s users will be permitted to use the services provided by all the other members of the alliance.

VinaPhone subscribers will benefit by the company’s Conexus membership through preferential pricing. 


Customers from all of Conexus’ 11 members will be charged a flat rate of 0.2 USD per SMS when roaming within the network. VinaPhone’s roaming subscribers will receive support services such as handset lending, SIM card replacements overseas, and can make free calls to 18001091 as they can when in Vietnam .

Lam Hoang Vinh, VinaPhone’s Managing Director, said that efforts to join the Conexus Mobile Alliance marked VinaPhone’s and Vietnam ’s standing in the telecommunications sector. This also reflects the development, integration and openness of Vietnam ’s economic door policy.

Established in April, 2006, the Conexus Mobile Alliance is one of Asia ’s largest mobile alliances. The alliance was formed to develop and enhance international roaming and corporate mobile services to provide a more convent service for its customers. 

The Conexus Mobile Alliance now has 11 member networks in growing economies such as the Republic of Korea , Japan , Hong Kong , Taiwan , Macau , India , the Philippines , Indonesia , Singapore and Thailand . 

The alliance boasts a combined customer base of more than 240 million mobile subscribers across the region.

Two Chinese banks licensed to open branches

Hanoi (VNA) - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has granted licences to two banks of China to open branches in Ho Chi Minh City and the capital city of Hanoi . 

Accordingly, the China Construction Bank is permitted to open a branch in HCM City with a chartered capital of 20 million USD, while the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is licensed to open its branch in Hanoi with a chartered capital of 50 million USD. 

Both branches will have operation duration of 99 years and operate under the form of commercial banks, sources from the SBV said. 

China has been Vietnam ’s largest trading partner since 2004. Last year Vietnam and China reached a target of 20 billion USD in bilateral trade, two years ahead of schedule. 

China has to date invested in 655 projects in Vietnam , with a total registered capital of 2.23 billion USD.

Gov’t continues 2 percent interest rate subsidies

Hanoi (VNA) – In an effort to push economic recovery and sustain macro-economic stability, the Government has pledged to continue offering subsidies at a rate of 2 percent per year on medium and long-term loans for production and business activities in 2010. 

Subsidies will be offered to long- and medium-term Vietnamese currency loans taken out of commercial banks for the purpose of funding agriculture and forestry, fisheries, the processing industry, salt, and science and technology. Borrowers wishing to purchase agro-forestry and fishery products will also be eligible. 

State commercial banks, commercial joint-stock banks, financial companies, joint-venture banks, branches of foreign banks operating in Vietnam, wholly foreign-funded banks and central people’s credit funds will be permitted to issue loans at this rate. 

The longest term for the subsidies will be 24 months for loans disbursed in 2010. 

Previously, in the context of the global economic downturn, the Prime Minister decided to provide interest rate subsidies of 4 percent for medium-and long-term loans to encourage new investment for the development of production businesses. 

After one year of implementation, along with flexible policies issued by the Government during difficult economic times, it was found that the 4 percent interest rate subsidies made active contributions to the country’s economic development by curbing economic crisis and turmoil while maintaining the growth rate and ensuring social welfare. 

By late November, the outstanding interest subsidies for short-term loans stood at 380 trillion VND (20.5 billion VND). That number is estimated to reach 400 trillion VND (21.6 billion USD) by the end of December. 

Outstanding loans for middle and long-term loans at the end of November totalled 59 trillion VND (3.1 billion USD). 

It is estimated to reach 70 trillion VND (3.7 billion USD) by the end of December.