Japan develops multifaceted ties with Vietnam

In a reception given by Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Secretariat in Hanoi on May 4, Minister Sengoku Yoshito affirmed Japan’s close working with Vietnamese relevant agencies to implement the two countries’ agreements, particularly in economies, investment, energy, urban planning and development, human resource training.

The Japanese Minister stressed that Japan in its capacity as APEC President and Vietnam as ASEAN Chair in 2010 will have more opportunities for cooperation in regional and international issues.

He said his current visit to Vietnam is to accelerate the implementation of the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia between the two countries.

Sang affirmed Vietnam ’s persistent policy of attaching importance and unceasingly developing comprehensive cooperation with Japan .

He spoke highly of effective cooperation and assistance of the Japanese government, parliament and people towards Vietnam ’s socio-economic development and international economic integration.

He wished Minsiter Sengoku Yoshito to continue make contributions to developing the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan for interests of both peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

Also on the same day in Hanoi , Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai received Minister Sengoku Yoshito and Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara, affirming Vietnam ’s desire to continue boosting ties with Japan – an ASEAN important partner.

He spoke highly of the effectiveness of infrastructure construction projects in Vietnam using Japan ’s official development assistance (ODA).

Apart from maintaining and increasing ODA investment in Vietnam , the two countries need to expand cooperation model of public-private partnership to attract more diversity of capital resources, he said.

The Deputy PM underlined the development of infrastructure, including the construction of the North-South express highway and railway, which, he said, is of important significance in accelerating the country’s socio-economic development. 

The two Japanese Ministers informed Deputy PM Hai of outcomes during their working sessions with Vietnamese ministries and departments on construction of the North-South express railway, human resource training programme and waste water treatment projects.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan shared Vietnam ’s experiences in developing human resources with his guest, Minister Sengoku Yoshito. 

He said that the joint agreement under which Japan will help train 1,000 Vietnamese doctoral degree holders would help provide a high-quality human resources for Vietnam , serving the country’s development. 

Affirming Japan's wishes to contribute to Vietnam ’s development, Minister Sengoku Yoshito said that his country always creates favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to study in Japan . 

Minister Sengoku Yoshito was also received by Hoang Binh Quan, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and Head of the CPVCC’s Commission for External Relations and Ho Duc Viet, Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Union.

Vietnam, Cuba vow to boost ties

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Cuba will do their utmost to further promote the two countries’ traditional relationship, confirmed their senior Party officials. 

The affirmation was made by Politburo member and Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) To Huy Rua and Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee (CPCCC) Olga Lidia Tapia Iglesias in Hanoi on May 4. 

Olga Lidia Tapia Iglesias, who is also in charge of the Cuban Communist Party’s education, science and sports, said he was impressed by activities marking the 35 th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam and the national reunification and Vietnam’s outstanding renewal developments. 

Vietnam ’s experiences are valuable for Cuba , said the Cuban senior Party official. 

Cuba is preparing for its national conference and the VIth congress of the Cuban Communist Party, he said, adding that economic development is the country’s leading political and ideological task. 

Rua, who is also head of the CPVCC’s Commission for Information and Education, highlighted the achievements recorded by the Cuban Party, State and people in health care, education, science and sports. 

He said he believed that with Resolutions to be adopted at the upcoming VIth congress and under the CPC’s leadership, headed by Fidel Castro and Raul Castro, the Cuban people will overcome difficulties and challenges to gain greater achievements in national construction and defence. 

While in Vietnam , Olga Lidia Tapia Iglesias held talks with Hoang Binh Quan, member of the CPVCC and head of the CPVCC’s Commission for External Relations on the situation of the two Parties and countries and bilateral relations. 

The Cuban delegation paid floral tributes to late President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum, his residence and working place and attended activities marking the 35 th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam and the national reunification.

ASEAN defence ministers to meet in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) – The 4 th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM-4) will be held in Hanoi from May 10-13 under the chairmanship of Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh.

At a press briefing in Hanoi on May 4, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tuan Dung, Deputy Director of the Vietnam People’s Army General Politics Department, informed that the ADMM-4 will be held under the theme “Strengthening ASEAN defence cooperation for a region of stability and development”.

Defence Ministers and senior officials from the ten ASEAN member countries and a delegation of the ASEAN Secretariat will review recent developments of ASEAN cooperation, the results of the 7th ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM-7) held in Hanoi from Mar. 24-27 and the 4th ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM-4) also held in Hanoi from April 27-29. 

They will exchange views on regional security and national defence policies of each country and passed documents on meetings between ASEAN and their partners’ defence ministers (ADMM +).

They will also hear reports on the implementation of ideas and initiatives of ASEAN members.

Vietnam strongly supports Global Fund’s TB fight

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Government will continue to strongly support anti-tuberculosis activities undertaken in Vietnam by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a Government leader affirmed.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria’s Coordinating Board convened its 18 th meeting in Hanoi on May 4, drawing the attendance of the Board Chair Prof. Rifat Atun, Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu, a broad spectrum of representatives of local and international organisations concerned.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan also called on the Global Fund and the international community to provide more support for the fight against TB in Vietnam , which, as according to the World Health Organisation, ranks 12 th among 20 countries heavily burdened by TB in the world.

He hailed the inception of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and its enthusiastic activities as meeting an urgent need of preventing the dangerous disease, helping the people enjoy a fairness in gaining access to healthcare services, and promoting the share of trans-national responsibilities in controlling the disease worldwide.

Nhan highlighted that the anti-TB activities the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have deployed are highly oriented to the community, regardless of social status and eco-political mechanisms of the participants, in the fight.

These activities have created a driving force to promote the adoption of new initiatives, mechanisms and technologies to combat TB, and also spurred sustainable socio-economic development to achieve millennium development goals.

About 150,000 new TB cases are detected annually in Vietnam . Of the figure, 12,000 cases are found to have infected with both TB and HIV virus and nearly 70 percent are tested positive for AFB, mainly in females and in southern provinces.

An epidemiological study showed that the TB prevalence in Vietnam continues to rise, especially among the youngsters, partly due to inadequate monitoring work. 

Besides, the increasing number of multi-drug resistant TB imposes a great challenge to the country’s fight against tuberculosis.

Seminar highlights Lenin and Ho Chi Minh’s heritage

Nghe An (VNA) – A scientific seminar aiming to raise people’s awareness on Lenin’s and Ho Chi Minh’s ideological heritage took place in the central province of Nghe An on May 4. 

The seminar, entitled “From Lenin’s ideological heritage to Ho Chi Minh’s – Theoretical and practical values”, was jointly held by the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association and Nghe An provincial Party Committee to mark the 140 th birthday of Lenin and 120 th birthday of Ho Chi Minh. 

At the seminar, participants presented their research to counter misguided and hostile arguments and affirmed the Party’s ideological foundation. 

The participants further highlighted values of the ideological heritage left by Lenin and Ho Chi Minh and affirmed that the two leaders’ heritage serves as political and ideological foundations for every action the Party, state and people would undertake. 

It is vital to loyally follow and creatively apply Lenin’s scientific and revolutionary ideology in order to raise the Party’s leadership capacity and strength, bring into full play the national strength and boost the country’s renovation cause, agreed the participants.

Vietnamese doctors provide eye care to Cambodian patients

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Forty-six doctors and nurses from the Military Hospital 175 and the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital on May 4 began a two-day mission in Cambodia to provide eye checks-up and surgeries to poor patients.

This is the first charity tour held by the military hospital this year, which was financed by the Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) and the Ho Chi Minh City Development Company.

The Vietnamese doctors brought modern equipment and medicine worth over 200 million VND to Cambodia .

Since 2007, the Military Hospital 175 has provided health checks-up and treatment to 1,500 Cambodian poor patients.

Veteran composer’s new song marks Hanoi birthday

HCM City (VNA) -- At 82, composer Van Ky can still get the adrenalin flowing through his veins. 

"When I begin to write a new song about Hanoi , I write so fast because my love for the city covers my soul," Ky said. 

Ky has just released a new song – Bay Len Vietnam ( Vietnam , Let's Fly) to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of capital Hanoi . 

In the song, he opens a huge sky of freedom and captures the desire of not just Hanoians, but Vietnamese people as a whole, to raise their living standards. 

The veteran composer, who has 400 songs to his credit, has written quite a few famous ones about the capital city. 

He loves Hanoi because it has a hidden beauty that is full of poetry and always contains the country's soul, Ky said. 

Born in the northern province of Nam Dinh , Ky started his career as a song writer when he was chief of Nong Cong District in Thanh Hoa Province . His first work came out of the pain of a broken heart. He'd fallen in love with a girl from Hanoi who'd been evacuated to his district in 1946 during the resistance war against the French. 

After she returned to the city, Ky enshrined his love in his first song – Trang Xua (Old Moon) though he did not know a single note of music then. 

Later, Ky, a soldier in the resistance war, was recognised for his musical talent and sent to music classes within and outside the country. 

In 1955, he began his music career in Hanoi with important and prominent songs including Bai Ca Hy Vong (Song of Hope) and Troi Xanh Hanoi ( Hanoi 's Blue Sky). After more than 50 years, Bai Ca Hy Vong, the composer's complete belief in the country's victory still strikes a chord in listeners, and Troi Xanh Hanoi has been the theme song for Hanoi Television and Radio for a long time. Ky is now thinking of a "summary" event to mark his music career, but at 82, he is still in no hurry, because "I want to travel more and compose more".

Vietnam’s navy forces save nine foreign sailors

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam ’s navy forces on May 3 rescued nine foreign sailors who were in distress off the country’s coast. 

The survivors include a Myanmar captain, two sailors of Malaysia nationality and six other seamen from Indonesia . 

The sailors met with an accident when they were aboard Malaysia flag cargo carrier Atlantic 3 en route from Malaysia to Singapore . 

Navy officers provided medical checks-up and are preparing procedures to send the victims to concerned authorities.