Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, Ambassador Le Luong Minh, delivered the call at a special session of the UN General Assembly held in New York on May 6 to mark the 65 th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

While celebrating this great victory, it is necessary for us to recall that since that victory and since the United Nations was founded in 1945 with the mandate to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” many peoples of the world have suffered and are continuing to suffer from war and want and injustice and many even have never had a day of peace, Minh stressed.

“As a nation who through the sacrifice of the lives of millions of its people, 2 million in 1945 alone, Vietnam had bravely taken part on their homeland and shoulder to shoulder with their comrades in the armies of the anti-fascist coalition in the struggle of the world’s peoples for liberation and who benefitted from the victory of this struggle to rise up to win independence and freedom after nearly a century under foreign domination.

“ Vietnam join other peoples in paying deepest tribute to the many millions of people in the world who gave their lives to the fight to bring the disastrous war to an end and to all those who fell victims of this man-made scourge.

“We would like to pay special tribute to the peoples and the brave soldiers of the former Soviet Union who bore the main brunt of the battles and with their final decisive one contributed to the elimination of fascism,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "The war’s cost was beyond calculation, beyond comprehension -- 40 million civilians dead, 20 million soldiers, nearly half of those in the Soviet Union alone.”

"Those years saw extraordinary bravery, as well. World War II was one of the most epic struggles for freedom and liberation in history,” he said.

He said that the end of the war coincided with the San Francisco conference that established the UN "an organisation founded on that most human of hopes, an end to the 'scourge of war."

The secretary general stressed this year’s commemorative meeting takes place at a moment when nations are gathered to advance the cause of peace, citing the five-yearly review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) currently under way.

"The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is also a document of hope, a vision for a nuclear-weapon-free world," he said, and called upon the international community to “remember the past, so that we may better shape our future."-Enditem

 

German Law Centre opens to promote int'l standards

Hanoi (VNA) - The German Law Centre at the Hanoi University of Law formally opened on May 6to help boost the professional skills of Vietnamese lawyers, officials and scholars to international standards.

The new centre was created as part of the cooperative programme in law and justice undertaken by Vietnam's Ministry of Justice and the German government during the 2009-11 period and will be supported by Germany's Friedrich Ebert Institute for the first three years of its operations.

Deputy Minister of Justice Hoang The Lien told the opening ceremony that the establishment of the centre, which marked the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany , will create opportunities for legal experts and academics to engage in exchanges of research and information.

Lien, who is also rector of the Hanoi University of Law, said the centre will hold professional training courses in both Vietnamese and German with lectures given by from German professors and set up a legal library with thousands of volumes and documents in the near future.

The head of the Friedrich Ebert Institute, Anke Fuchs, said she hoped the centre's activities will contribute to the perfection of Vietnam 's legal system through introducing experiences from Germany and other countries. - Enditem

Off-road tours offer rocky path

Hanoi (VNA) - The northern mountainous region is one of the country's most beloved destinations for local and international travellers, but if you want real adventure, you should visit the area on an off-road motorbike tour.

The Off-roadVietnam travel company, the only of its kind in the north of Vietnam, has been operating since last year, offering its services to experienced riders from mainly Australia, England, the US and Canada.

Over 500 bikers have taken in 130 rocky road voyages in the mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Bac Can, Tuyen Quang and Lang Son – covering some of the most challenging roads in the country.

"Northern mountainous provinces are well-known destinations on the travel map of Vietnam , which can be accessed by bus or train in just a few hours. But we want to provide another angle on landscapes in the rocky region by using offroad vehicles with more stop-offs," said offroadvietnam manager, Anh Wu.

"We are the only travel agency in the north supplying advanced motorbike tours," the 37-year-old manager says.

"We don't experience many problems on our tours, flat tyres are probably the main one. We prefer Hondas because they are the most commonly used and travellers can find garages everywhere or repair the bikes themselves," said tour guide Hoang Ngoc Minh.

Minh, who has 10 years experience in two-wheel travel, says tourists prefer home-stays, which help them learn more about the lives of ethnic groups such as Mong, Tay , Dao and Nung in the typical northwestern provinces.

After a 220km, seven hour ride from Hanoi , travellers arrive in Vu Linh village, Yen Binh district where they spend their first night with the Dao people.

The village, which has welcomed 400 foreign tourists since the start of this year, offers breathtaking views from a footpath that snakes around a 200sq.km lake.

"I'm sure that you are invited to drink at any house. Hosts in the rustic village warmly welcome all guests," said the guide.

"Travellers love to stay in stilted houses with palm roofs and fresh air off the lake. Visitors find a quiet country life where they are offered traditional Dao food including grilled fish, beef, chicken and the most favourite – tofu."

Ha Giang is best seen by motorcycle, featuring roads that zigzag up and down hills 1,000m above sea level but the company has more than 150 itineraries to offer riders in Vietnam .

As Minh suggests, the 10-day and 9 night route from Hanoi that winds through the gemstone of Luc Yen district, Yen Bai and Ha Giang provinces before crossing the forest road into Hoang Su Phi district and on to Bac Ha town in Lao Cai province.

"It's the most interesting journey in the north because you have many stops with ethnic groups along the way. The route requires different vehicles such as motorbikes, boats and rafts," Minh says.

"You will cover the most beautiful sites in the northwestern area including the rocky plateau of Dong Van district in Ha Giang."

Motorcyclists will ride 150km on the second day along roads dotted with green palm trees, from Luc Yen to Ha Giang.

A night stay in Ha Giang town will refresh weary riders before they wind from the town of Quan Ba to Cong Troi (Heaven's Gate).

The next three days are the most tiring as adventurers ride for 270km from Quan Ba, through Yen Minh, Meo Vac valley and Dong Van town and back to Quan Ba again, due to a lack of connecting roads.

There are plans for the karst landscape of over 2,350sq.km ranging across the districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van expected to be recognised as a UNESCO Geopark soon.

The seventh and eighth days see trippers back to Ha Giang and through the forests of Hoang Su Phi and Xin Man districts to Bac Ha, which is home to 50,000 Mong people.

Bac Ha is also well known as the land of Tam Hoa plums harvested every April, with thang co (horse meat soup) and maize wine.

Day nine and ten – the last days of the tour – are easier as riders take the main road for the final 360km journey from Bac Ha back to Hanoi .

To offer even more flexibility and extensions to your tour, off-roadVietnam connects tours with Sinhbalo Adventures who offer biking and cycling trips, Motorbike Thailand for touring on modern road bikes, Dancing Roads for motocross adventures and James Barbush in Laos .

Off-roadVietnam travel manager Anh Wu reminds trippers who want to experience this adventure that they should be proficient riders and reserve at least US$300-500 to pay for the tour.

"We will provide trans-Vietnam or other specified options on motorbikes such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail and mountainous area. You can discover anywhere you want in Vietnam ," said Anh Wu.

More details are available at http://www.offroadvietnam.com or www.motorbikevietnam.com.-Enditem

Japan helps ASEAN countries build crude oil reserve depot

Tokyo (VNA)- Japan is to discuss with China and the Republic of Korea (RoK) the construction of a crude oil reserve depot for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

These countries will support the ASEAN in the human resources training and financial aid for the depot’s construction and management in the form of loans by Japanese government or state credit organisations, reported the Japanese daily Nikkei.

This project aims to ensure the energy security and maintain stable economic growth rate in the region

At present, the ASEAN member countries have not joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) and except for Singapore, none of them has made real effort to stock on this strategic product.
According to the IEA, the crude oil demand in Asia-the Pacific is expected to increase by about 13 percent in 2015 and 59 percent in 2030 against 2008. Many IEA member countries like Japan or the Rok have their own crude oil depot,-Enditem

BUSINESS

Vinaconex tourism affiliate to list in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) - Vinaconex Investment and Tourism Development Company (Vinaconex ITC) will list 30 million shares on the Hanoi Stock Exchange on May 10, providing investors with more options to invest in the ‘Vinaconex' stream.

The shares will be listed under the code of VCR. Once listed, members of the company's management board will be prohibited from making any transactions for the first six months.

Vinaconex ITC, a subsidiary of civil constructor giant Vinaconex with a core business of property trading, now has a charter capital of 300 billion VND (15.8 million USD). The company has three domestic strategic partners, including Vinaconex with a 53.33 percent stake, Agribank Securities with 10.67 percent and Eximbank with 10 percent.

After the listing, the company plans to offer 6 million shares to existing shareholders in an effort to raise its charter capital to 360 billion VND (18.9 million USD).

Vinaconex ITC is a major investor in the 1-billion USD Cat Ba Amatina project, a giant resort, spa and tourism complex in the north. Once operational, the project will cover a total area of 29.68ha in Hai Phong Port City .

Vinaconex ITC expects to generate a revenue of 144.51 billion VND (7.6 million USD) this year, twice that of last year and a profit of 52.63 billion VND (2.77 million USD), three times last year.-Enditem

Penny stocks sustain indices

Hanoi (VNA) - Penny stocks continued to attract investor interest on the HCM Stock Exchangeon May 6, helping lift the VN-Index by 0.27 percent to a close of 549.51 points. However, overall trading value fell by about 12 percent to around 2.8 trillion VND (147.4 million USD) on a volume of 80 million shares.

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the HCM City bourse by 129-65, with a full 79 codes rising to their ceiling prices.

Feeling optimistic despite the slump on global markets this week, investors rushed to buy for fear of missing an opportunity to take advantage of low share prices, wrote FPT Securities Co analysts in their daily report.

"This has been the longest wave of speculation in small caps to date," added Au Viet Securities Co deputy director Le Anh Thi, noting that investors remained hesitant to invest in blue chips while their confidence in the economic recovery remained weak.

The poor performance of blue chips held the market from greater gains on May 6, with major shares like Bao Viet Holdings (BVH), FPT (FPT), Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAG), Vietcombank (VCB), Saigon Securities Co (SSI), Phu MyFertilisers (DPM) and Vincom (VIC) all losing value.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index also rose to 187.22, a gain of 2.19 percent. The value of the day's trades rose slightly to 2.1 trillion VND (110.5 million USD) but on a slightly decreased volume of 57.3 million shares.

Gainers outnumbered losers by 239-30, with 143 codes closing at their ceiling prices. Shares of companies under the auspices of Song Da and PetroVietnam continued to perform well, with PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) achieving the position as the most-active share on the northern bourse, with 3.8 million shares changing hands.

Foreign investors were net buyers on the HCM City market by a tiny margin of just 2.6 billion VND (138,421 USD) but were net sellers on the Hanoi market of shares worth a net of 27 billion VND (1.4 million USD). -Enditem

Competition launched on energy efficiency

HCM City (VNA) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade opened two national contests for effective energy management in buildings in HCM City on May 6.

The Energy Management in Buildings and Industries Competition will be judged based on impact, sustainability, replicability and originality of the systems, and presentation of documents as well as the impression they create.

To enter the contest, buildings and industrial facilities must be at least two years old and consume at least 1 million kWh in case of buildings and 3 million KWh in case of industrial facilities.


There will also be three prizes in each category for innovative and original energy management.

The other contest, the Competition for Energy Efficient Buildings, is divided into three categories: new and existing buildings, tropical buildings, and retrofitted buildings.

New and existing buildings should not be more than five years old while tropical buildings are those with less than 50 percent of total gross floor area having air-conditioning, gross floor area of more than 500sq.m, and that are five years old or less, and exclude religious buildings.

Retrofitted buildings refer to buildings where major changes and improvements were made to improve energy efficiency and are more than five years old.

The scores are based on overall on-site design, passive design, active design, maintenance and management, and environmental impact.

Entries will be received until the end of August and the awards given away in the fourth quarter.

Winning entries will be chosen to represent the country at the Asean Energy Awards Competition which will be hosted by Viet Nam this year. Thirty-three buildings won prizes in the last three years, with four going on to win at the annual Asean Best Practices for Energy Efficient Building Competition, Nguyen Dinh Hiep, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Office, said. The competitions, which are held by the ministry, help promote and disseminate best practices in energy management, he added. -Enditem

Nation's rubber industry faces shortage of latex

Hanoi (VNA) -- The country's rubber industry is suffering from a shortage of latex, which has driven up the export price, experts have said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that rubber exports in the first four months of the year reached 173,000 tonnes, worth 445 million USD – 23.8 percent higher than the same period last year in terms of quantity.

Export prices jumped 2,650 USD per tonne, an increase of 92 percent over the same period last year.

Tran Thuy Hoa, general secretary of the Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA), said rubber prices have increased markedly against last year, bringing higher profits to producers.

"However, the level is well below the highest price of 3,000 USD per tonne in 2008," Hoa said.

She added that price rises are due to the recovery of the global economy, especially in industrial production.

"In addition, increasing domestic rubber consumption has also contributed to higher prices," she said.

She added demand is driven by new tyre-making factories, including the Republic of Korea ’s Kumho Tyre Plant in southern Binh Duong province, which produces 3 million light lorry tyres a year. Other factories typically required about 80,000 tonnes of rubber to make 4.45 million tyres.

"Domestic rubber consumption last year was 120,000 tonnes, accounting for 16.6 percent of the country's total natural rubber production. This year, it is expected to be 25 to 30 percent," she said, adding that demand would increase continuously up to 2019.

Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Agro-Forestry Product Processing and Salt Industry Department Le Xuan said rubber exports this year would be good but that productivity would just marginally exceed that of last year due to the dry weather.

"The industry, therefore, will barely be able to reach its export target of 780,000 tonnes of rubber this year," Xuan said.

The ministry plans to plant an additional 40,000ha of rubber trees – capable of producing 770,000 tonnes – this year, increasing the country's rubber plantation area to 715,000ha.

The failure to meet demand has pushed up the price of products made of rubber such as tyres and mattresses by 5 percent to 15 percent.-Enditem

Pulp costs drive up paper prices

HCM City (VNA) -- Domestic paper manufacturers have increased prices by 15 percent because the price of pulp, the main raw material for making paper, has increased by a third this year.

Nguyen Minh Trung, marketing director of Vinh Tien Paper Joint Stock Co, said the first consignment of notebooks sent to distributors in May had seen an increase in price by at least 15 percent.

Trung said the price increase was unavoidable since the cost of writing paper jumped from 16.8 million VND (913 USD) per tonne to 19 million VND (1,032 USD).

"We considered carefully before increasing the price," he said.

A business manager of a notebook making firm in HCM City's District 6, said the prices of other kinds of papers – like Bristol and couche, which are used for making notebook and magazine covers – too went up by 1 million VND (54.3 USD) per tonne in the last month to 23.5 million VND (1,277 USD).

Used paper prices rose from 2.8 million VND (152 USD) – 3 million VND (163 USD) to 3.7 million VND (201 USD) – 4 million VND (217 USD).

Han Vinh Quang, general director of southern Binh Duong province-based An Binh Paper Ltd Co, said his company increased the price of corrugated medium paper from 5.4 million VND (293 USD) to 7.4 million VND (402 USD) and of duplex paper, from 10.8 million VND (586 USD) to 12.4 million VND (674 USD).

"We have to hike prices because imported pulp prices have risen to 850-900 USD per tonne, an increase of 200 USD compared to early this year."

As a result, many small paper mills have stopped or suspended operations, hitting supply in the market.

Quang said power, water, and transport costs also went up, forcing paper manufacturers to increase prices.

Since Vietnamese paper companies depend heavily on imported raw materials – up to 50 percent – any rise in global prices has a strong impact on them.-Enditem

VSD grants more codes to foreign securities investors

Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam Securities Depository (VSD) said it granted securities trading codes to 141 foreign investors, including 26 organisations and 115 individuals, in April.

The figure brought the total number of accounts opened by foreign investors in the first four months of 2010 to 437.

VSD has to date permitted 1,276 foreign organisations and 12,750 foreign individuals to open accounts for securities trading in Vietnam.-Enditem

Knight Frank opens office in HCM City

HCM City (VNA) - Knight Frank, the leading independent global property consultancy company, opened its office in Ho Chi Minh City on May 6 to enhance its presence within the Asia-Pacific region.

Four months earlier, the UK-based company officially made its debut in the Vietnamese market by inaugurating its first office in the capital of Hanoi . It has opened a total of 209 offices in 44 countries and territories worldwide.

The HCM City office will provides a full range of both commercial and residential property services, including sales, leasing, property management, valuation, consultancy and market research.

The newly-established office represents an important addition to Knight Frank’s regional growth strategy, which will continue to lay the foundation for the sustainable growth of its business and the integrated global delivery service for its clients. It also shows the company’s commitment to long-term operations in Vietnam ’s real estate market.

Knight Frank’s Asia-Pacific Managing Director Clive Betts said the opening of the HCM City office is a reflection of the economic growth sweeping the region. Asia - the Pacific is the fastest growing market in the world and offers Knight Frank opportunities to expand its business, he added.

John Gallander, Country Managing Director of Knight Frank Vietnam, said he hoped the global brand strength and network would bring more chances to Knight Frank to serve its clients in Vietnam .

Knight Frank looks forward to providing its full range of dominant services to and building long-term partnerships with both domestic and international clients, the director stressed.-Enditem

Enterprises help improve accounting education in Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – Leading enterprises in Vietnam have said they are willing to cooperate with universities nationwide to improve training human resources in finance and accounting.

At a forum hosted by the UK-based Association of Chartered Certificated Accountants (ACCA) on May 6 in Hanoi, a number of major businesses like Comin Group, a leading provider of engineering solutions in the Mekong subregion, and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT) pledged to provide financial aid for and partner with universities in accounting training.

Leaders from nearly 20 universities and major enterprises across the country attended the event, which is aimed at improving human resources in finance and accounting to meet social demands.

According to Trinh Quang Anh, director of the Vietnam Maritime Bank training centre said the country’s human resources working in financial and accounting areas lack skills as well as knowledge in merged finance, administration accounting and international practices.

The number of accountants with international certificates represents only a small rate in the country, he said.

Most businesses said only 40 percent of newly graduates are able to meet their requirements due to schools’ poor curriculum.
ACCA’s Chairman Brendan Murtagh said universities in developed countries often work closely with businesses in training probationary students.

Officials from universities said businesses can assist in the training by specifying their requirements and occupational standards and participating in appraising educational quality along with helping students apply their knowledge to practice as well as by providing financial aid.-Endtem

Dak Lak to export 9,000 tonnes of honey

Dak Lak (VNA) – The Central Highland province of Dak Lak , home to the country’s largest number of bee hives (200,000), is expected to produce nearly 10,000 tonnes of honey and export 9,000 tonnes of honey this year.

In recent years, bee breeding has developed strongly in the province. Most households own 200-400 bee hives each and sovre up to 800. Dak Lak Honey Company has produced more than 8,000 tonnes of honey and exported 1,500 tonnes since early January.

The province’s honey products have been shipped to the US, Japan, Canada and the RoK, among other countries. The US buy 90 percent of Dak Lak honey exports.-Enditem

(Source: MOFA)