The delegation expressed respect and gratitude for the late President’s contributions to national liberation and construction, stating that he was both a man of culture and a hero who made the Vietnamese nation shine in the eyes of the world.

The Memorial House’s director Bui Kim Hong told the delegation that each year more than 2 million people visited the house.

“We, staff and cadres at this historical site pledge to do our best to maintain and conserve these precious objects for future generations,” Hong said.

Earlier on August 29, a ceremony was held to launch a room where the late President presided over meetings and received foreign visitors.

Hong said many meetings to discuss important issues relating to national construction and defence and the struggle to liberate the South from 1954-69 were held in the room.

“It was here, on December 28, 1967, that President Ho presided over a meeting with the Politburo to approve the plan to launch the 1968 Spring General Offensive,” Hong said.

The two events were to mark the 65 th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2) and 41 years since the late President’s testament was released to the nation.

On August 30, the National Politics Publishing House and the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education jointly held a ceremony in Hanoi to launch a book entitled “Ho Chi Minh – The Heart and Talent of A Patriot” written by Nguyen Dai Trang, an overseas Vietnamese in Canada.

Earlier, the book was published in both English and Vietnamese in Canada on the occasion of President Ho Chi Minh’s 120 th birthday.-Enditem

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Contemporary paintings exhibition in Hong Kong

Hong Kong (VNA) – An exhibition of contemporary Vietnamese paintings opened at Rotunda Exchange square in the centre of Hong Kong on August 30.

Vietnam Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau Pham Cao Phong said the exhibition is expected to help visitors understand more about Vietnam ’s land and people as well as the country’s efforts in its development.

He also said he hoped that the exhibition would contribute to strengthening friendship and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and China , including those living in the Hong Kong special administrative region.

Florence Hu, Acting Head of the Hong Kong Civil Administration said the event will help boost art and culture exchanges between Vietnam and Hong Kong .

The five-day exhibition, which is jointly held by the Vietnam Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau, Lotus Gallery and Hong Kong Land Ltd,
is part of activities to mark the 65 th anniversary of Vietnam National Day (Sept. 2).-Enditem

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HCM City businesses kick off month of promotions

HCM City (VNA) — Many businessesin HCM City have kicked off promotions with discounts of up to 50 percent to welcome National Day and mark the start of the city's official sales promotion month in September.

Vinatex Mart's chain of 57 supermarkets are offering more than 1,000 items to be reduced by 10-50 percent during September. It is also offering thousands of enclosed gifts to consumers.

In addition, Vinatex Mart's mobile sales teams will be dispatched to outlying districts, industrial parks and export processing zones.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, general director of Saigon Co.op Mart, said from August 30 to September 12, the Co.op Mart supermarket chain would offer a discount of 50 percent on 1,500 items.

Co.op Mart, in collaboration with Vissan, Sagrifood and San Miguel Co will reduce the price of pork by 4,000 VND per kilogramme.

Customers with bills worth over 200,000 USD (10.5 USD) will have an opportunity to participate in a lucky draw and win prizes of 46 Attila motorbikes and 4,000 shopping trolleys full of gifts.

During September, HCM City 's Big C supermarkets will apply a discount of 5-50 percent on 2,300 items, 97 percent of which are Vietnamese products.

Maximark Cong Hoa in Tan Binh District will cut the prices of 300 commodities by 5-50 percent and offer 300 special discount vouchers for customers.

Thien Hoa Electric Appliances Centre said it offers a discount of 10-49 percent on 500 electronic, household appliances and electricity products.

Many companies said purchasing power in September, especially National Day, is expected to be double the level on normal days.

Shopping centres like Zen Plaza have marked prices down by 10-50 percent on local and international fashion brands.

At Zen Plaza, a promotion programme titled Qua tang thang 9 (Gifts in September) was launched from August 28 to September 5 to offer a 50 percent discount on Minoshe, Jockey, Kiko, Oiwai and Children Planet brands.

With a bill worth 1 million VND (52.6 USD), customers will receive a voucher worth 50,000 VND (2.6 USD).

On August 27, Sai Gon Nguyen Kim department store began its Tuan le vang 2010 (Golden Week) with a discount of at least 15 percent on leading global brands including Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, JVC, Sanyo, Sharp, Samsung, LG, Philips and Electrolux.

In addition, the warranty on products will be extended, and 500 customers will receive rice cookers if they purchase at least 1.5 million VND (78.9 USD) of goods.

Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of HCM City ’s Department of Industry and Trade, said the promotional month was created to stimulate demand and support a national programme that urges Vietnamese to buy locally made brands. — Enditem

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Commercial banks now cashed up

Hanoi (VNA) — Commercial bank liquidity has improved dramatically since the State Bank of Vietnam injected a heavy volume of capital at reasonable interest rates into the Open Market Operation, OMO, in July.

The volume of valuable paper trading remained at about 32-56 trillion VND (1.64-2.87 billion USD) from July to August.

It even climbed to 110 trillion VND (5.64 billion USD) in late June.

But the volume had fallen seven fold to 7.72 trillion VND (395.79 million USD) as of August 20.

"The reduction was very surprising," Thang Long Securities said in a report issued last week.

"It reflects the improvement in bank liquidity."

An Binh Bank's deputy general director Pham Quoc Thanh said: "A flexible monetary policy will help bank liquidity remain heathy until the year-end. Supply and demand will be balanced and interest rates will be stable."

In order to boost lending, banks like ABBank, Lien Viet Bank, HD Bank and Asia Commercial Bank are reducing borrowing costs to 10.7-11.7 percent per year for manufacturers, exporters, small and medium sized enterprises. —Enditem

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RoK firms eye Da Nang

Da Nang (VNA) — A seminar themed "Promoting trade investment from the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Da Nang " was held on August 30 by the Da Nang People's Committee and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

The event which was attended by 15 RoK enterprises was aimed at enhancing co-operation and promoting investment and trade between RoK and the central city of Da Nang .

Da Nang 's Investment Promotion Centre presented the city's potential, sectors of the city that are calling for investment and the preferential policies and favourable investment environment of Da Nang to the companies.

Phung Tan Viet, deputy chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee confirmed the city will continue to create good conditions for enterprises to invest in the city and guide the relevant agencies to rapidly solve any difficulties in the investment process.

Representatives of the enterprises said the city's authorities actively support enterprises in the granting of investment licences, land clearance, building, logistics and import and export. — Enditem

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IFC to buy 10 percent stake in Vietinbank

Hanoi (VNA) — Vietinbank would sell a 10-percent stake to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in October for 190 million USD, Vietinbank chairman Pham Huy Hung said last week.

The price was set by the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam .

When the deal is finalised, Vietinbank will be the first partly-equitised State-owned bank to have obtained a foreign strategic investor within 20 months of its initial public offering (IPO).

Vietcombank was the first State-owned bank to go public in December 2007, but it has been struggling since to land a foreign strategic investor.

IFC, a financial arm of the World Bank, also agreed to lend 120 million USD to Vietinbank over 10 years at six-month LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) plus a fixed margin of 1.5 percent.

Vietinbank also expects to sell another 10-20 percent to Canada 's Nova Scotia Bank which will meet with Government representatives next month with the aim to finalise the Vietinbank deal in December.

Vietinbank is also planning to issue 392 million additional shares next month, of which 315.1 million will be offered to existing shareholders and the remaining 76.9 million issued to them as a dividend. The deadline for shareholders to register for participation is September 8.

Shares of Vietinbank (coded CTG on the HCM City Stock Exchange) closed up 3.3 percent on August 30 to 22,200 VND per share.

In the first six months of the year, the Hanoi-based bank reported earnings of 5.3 trillion VND (273 million USD), of which revenues from business activities accounted for 659 billion VND, forex services 24.16 billion VND (1.23 million USD), and other sources of revenue 168.7 billion VND (8.65 million USD).

After deducting 813 billion VND (41.69 million USD) risk provision, the bank posted a net profit in the first half of 1.6 trillion VND (83 million USD).

Vietinbank expects to increase its charter capital to 23 trillion VND (1.18 billion USD) by the end of the year, and the figure is slated to reach 35 trillion VND (1.8 billion USD) next year.-Enditem

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Stock markets record strongest day this year

Hanoi (VNA) — The nation's stock exchanges on August 30 saw their strongest single-day increases since the beginning of this year, with the VN-Index making a gain of 15.41 points, or 3.59 percent, to end the day at 444.55.

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the HCM Stock Exchange by 242 -11, although the value of trades remained meagre at just 842.1 billion VND (43.2 million USD), on a volume of 33.8 million shares.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index skyrocketed by 5.58 percent to close at 124.88 points, although value on the northern bourse also remained modest at just 471.1 billion VND (24.1 million USD), with 20.2 million shares traded. Over 240 codes rose to their ceiling prices.

Foreign investors bucked the rising trend in shares on August 30, becoming sellers on both stock exchanges by a net of 1.6 million shares worth 26.9 billion VND (1.4 million USD). — Enditem

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Quoc leads medal hopes at SEA table tennis tourney

Hanoi (VNA) — Olympian Doan Kien Quoc and his team-mates Tran Tuan Quynh, Nguyen Nam Hai and rising star Dinh Quang Linh will all compete in the All-Stars Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship starting on September 11 in Hai Duong city.

Quoc, who qualified for the second round at the Beijing Olympics, will lead the Vietnamese in a tough contest against top tour athletes from Singapore and Thailand in the men's singles.

Known for his left-hand smashes, the 31-year-old is hoping to be on top form in what could be the most important game of the year.

"Quoc has always been a key member for Vietnam . He has gained experience in world competitions. But Tuan Quynh and Quang Linh have also won medals in regional contests," said Vietnam Table Tennis Federation official Nguyen Duc Long.

"The tournament, which is being held the first time, is a crucial test for our players, who've lacked tough competition throughout the year," Long added.

In the women's division, the hosts will display their power with top-form sisters Mai Hoang My Trang and Mai Xuan Hang and teenager Nguyen Thi Viet Linh.

Linh, 16, who won the U15 girls' singles in the Southeast Asia junior championships in Thailand last year, begins her first competition at a senior tourney.

As scheduled, athletes will compete in the men's and women's eight group round-robin competition at Hai Duong's 2,000-seat Gymnasium.

The two top players from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.

"We're ready to host the tournament. The gymnasium, which was built for the Southeast Asian Games in 2003 and upgraded last year, will be an ideal venue for the biggest table tennis event of the year," said director of Hai Duong gymnasium Nguyen Van Thanh.

Vietnam will send a 24-member squad to compete in the two-day event, which the country will host for the first time.

Quynh was the first Vietnamese player to win the Southeast Asian Championship in 2002. — Enditem

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TTA3108 009 Epic race across VN set for Hanoi's anniversary

Hanoi (VNA) — Cyclists will contest a 17-day trans-Vietnam race for the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi , the Vietnam Cycling Federation said on August 30.

The 14-stage 1,500km race from HCM City to Hanoi would begin on September 23 and end on October 9. The last time-trial stage will be held at Hoan Kiem Lake to celebrate the millennium of the capital city and the 56th anniversary of Hanoi 's liberation day on October 10th.

"It's the biggest race of the year as the country’s eye will be on the great celebration of Hanoi . We have invited foreign riders to compete in the event, which is a good opportunity for Vietnamese athletes to horn their skills," said the Federation's general secretary Doan Kim Phach.

"The Malaysian team has agreed to take part in the event and we expect more powerhouses are also eager to join a tough race," he said.

The general secretary also added the race will see around 100 athletes from 13 teams of Vietnam and foreign squads of the Republic of Korea , Mongolia and the Philippines .

"We hope to make the race successfully in the occasion of big festivals to be held in the city," Phach said.

The race organising committee will offer special awards to the overall yellow jersey (the best time rider); green jersey for the best stage finish athlete; the red jersey for the ‘King of Mountain' and white jersey, for the best young cyclist. — Enditem

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GMS conference on public health opens in Hue

Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The 2 nd Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS) International Conference on Public Health opened in the central city of Hue on August 30.

About 50 scientific reports have been delivered during the two-day conference, themed “Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health Research and Training Cooperation in the Globalisation Process”.

The event also provided a chance for delegates to share their research results on existing public health issues in GMS countries, thus seeking measures to strengthen effective public health cooperation in the sub-region in particular and Southeast Asia in general.-Enditem

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Nigerians face prosecution for drug smuggling

HCM City (VNA) – The Supreme People’s Procuracy said on August 30 that it has completed indictments for the prosecution of several Nigerians in two separate cases of drug trafficking and transport, together with their local accomplices.

In one case, 33-year-old Michael Ikenna Nduanya and a group of Nigerians residing in Ho Chi Minh City enlisted Nguyen Thi Hai Anh, who was living with Michael as husband and wife, to help them transport drugs from India via Cambodia to Vietnam and then China .

In the other case, three Nigerians namely Ben Blessed, 30, Anyanwu Chima Stanley, 32, and Ozogu John, 30, and a Vietnamese woman named Pham Thi Thanh Trang, 33, in HCM City ’s Binh Tan district, were arrested in July 2009. They were found to be part of a ring that hires Vietnamese women to transport drugs from Southeast Asian countries to Vietnam and then a third country.-Enditem

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Vietnamese Days in China opens

Beijing (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Beijing on August 30 to mark the 65 th anniversary of Vietnam ’s National Day and the 60 th anniversary of the Vietnam-China diplomatic ties, and launch the Vietnamese Days in China .

Prominent among nearly 700 representatives from Chinese agencies, the Sino-Vietnamese Friendship Association and diplomatic corps in Beijing was Abdul’ahat Abdurixit, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh recalled the countries’ relations over the past 60 years, affirming Vietnam’s belief in the unceasing development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership, thus bringing prosperity and happiness for people of the two countries as well as contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

The stant to Chinese Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyao praised Vietnam ’s great achievements, saying he believed that the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam will build Vietnam into a strong socialist country with rich people, and an equal, democratic and civilised society.

He hailed the significance of activities during the Vietnam-China friendship year and affirmed that the reality over the past 60 years had proved the two countries’ friendship meets the common aspiration and fundamental interest of both peoples, benefiting peace, stability and development in the region.

The Vietnamese Days in China programme, jointly held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnamese Embassy in China, includes various activities such as economic forums to boost cooperation in investment, trade and tourism, meetings of governmental and business, and Vietnamese traditional art performances.

Also on the same day, an economic forum on cooperation and investment was held in Beijing with the participation of nearly 300 Vietnamese and Chinese businesses.-Enditem

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Hanoi Expo marks city’s millennial anniversary

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi International Fair 2010 opened at the Vietnam Exhibition and Fair Centre on August 30 to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The fair covers around 20,000 sq.m with 800 pavillions representing 300 domestic and foreign businesses operating in industry, agriculture, construction, trade, science and technology.

There is also a section at the fair devoted to Hanoi ’s socio-economic achievements and potential. Organisations and businesses from France , India , South Africa , Denmark , Chile and Cuba display their key products and services at 30 pavillions.

Meanwhile, section D is reserved exclusively for agricultural products and hi-tech production models.

The fair will last through Sept. 5.-Enditem

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Consultancy contract signed for new bridge in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) – The Transport Ministry has signed a 6.7 million USD consultation contract with a partnership from the Republic of Korea for a bridge connecting Hanoi and Vinh Phuc province.
The RoK partnership, which includes with Yooshin Engineering Corporation and the Sambo Engineering Co. Ltd. will provide their service over a nine-month period regarding the Vinh Thinh bridge spanning the Red River on the National Highway No 2C.
Construction work on the 4.4km bridge will start at the end of next year at an estimated cost of 100 million USD to be sourced from the RoK Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) loans.-Enditem

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Vietnam, Laos, Thailand boost trade, investment

Quang Binh (VNA) – Vietnam , Laos and Thailand put forth measures to effectively use Roads No. 8 and 12 in order to boost their trade, investment and tourism ties at a meeting in the central province of Quang Binh from August 29-30.

Officials from the three countries agreed to propose issuing regulations to facilitate goods circulations among border provinces and speed up investment in infrastructure to connect Vietnam ’s National Road No. 8A with Laos ’ Road 8, thus helping link Thai northeastern provinces, Laos and Vung Ang Port in Ha Tinh province with China , the Republic of Korea and Japan .

They also agreed to suggest Laos ’ Bolikhamsay province build a cultural centre in Lak Sao town with the aim of boosting cultural and sport exchange activities, especially on the three countries’ major anniversaries.

On the occasion, nearly 120 businesses from Vietnam , Laos and Thailand took part in a conference to promote investment in Quang Binh province, which called for investment in such areas as tourism, industry, mining, energy and shipbuilding.

Earlier on August 28, an international trade fair opened in Quang Binh featuring products of Laos’ Kham Muon, Savanakhet and Bolikhamsay provinces, Mucdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom provinces of Thailand and Vietnam’s Quang Binh, Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces.

The fair, which aims to promote the three countries’ trademarks, will last until September 2.-Enditem

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Activities mark 65th anniversary of National Day abroad

Hanoi (VNA) – The Lao Defence Ministry has held a meeting to mark the 65 th anniversary of National Day of Vietnam (September 2) in Vientiane.

Addressing the function on August 30, Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Sengnuon Saynhalat and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Ta Minh Chau reviewed the development of the Vietnamese revolution over the past 65 years and highlighted the country’s achievements.

The Deputy Minister stressed Vietnam ’s achievements have been a source of encouragement to the entire Party, army and people of Laos in their national defence and construction.

Ambassador Chau affirmed that the Party and people of Vietnam will spare no effort to keep and strengthen their special solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with the Party, State and people of Laos , lifting the ties to a new height and meeting aspiration and benefit of people in each country.

Also on this occasion, Vietnamese living in Bangkok , Chiang Mai and other provinces of Thailand met at the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on August 29.

Chairman of the Thai-Vietnam Cultural Association Prof. Lae Dilokvidhyarat said the celebration of Vietnam ’s major holidays will help the overseas Vietnamese remember their homeland. He acknowledged the Vietnamese community’s contributions to Thailand ’s socio-economic development, particularly in the Northeastern region, and enrichment of ASEAN cultures.

In Russia , the Vietnamese Embassy and the students association in Russia on August 29 presented certificates of merit and awards to 125 excellent students who were born to the Vietnamese families in Russia .

Ambassador Bui Dinh Dinh said the award was made in recognition of the oversea Vietnamese students’ achievements in their study, stressing the country’s future depends on the young generation, including those in Russia.-Enditem

Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Laos honoured

Vientiane (VNA) – The Vietnamese Cultural Centre (VCC) in Laos was awarded Vietnam and Laos ’ third-class Labour Orders on the 15 th anniversary of its founding, on August 31.

In celebrating the anniversary on August 30, the Director of VCC Pham Hong Toan said that the centre had successfully fulfilled the tasks assigned to it by the Party and the State over the past 15 years.

The centre has worked with agencies from both countries to screen films and hold exhibitions on Vietnam ’s national holidays, organise painting and writing contests on Uncle Ho for Lao children and set up cultural clubs in the community, he added.

It has also worked with Vietnam ’s agencies to successfully organise the Vietnamese Cultural Week in Laos and hold science workshops for Lao students.

The centre has also successfully brought together Vietnam ’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and their Laotian counterparts as well as central and local agencies from both countries, he added.

The Lao Minister of Culture and Information Munkeo Orabun, highlighted the centre’s activities and said that he hoped the centre would foster friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two peoples.-Enditem

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Vietnam helps Laos expand radio, TV coverage

Vientiane (VNA) – The northern Laotian province of Luang Prabang plans to launch its new radio and television station, built with Vietnam ’s assistance, this September.

The Vice Director of the Luang Prabang Information and Culture Department, Somlith Boupphapanya, said that the station, which was built earlier this year at a cost of 57 billion VND funded by the Vietnamese Government, includes a television station that covers seven districts in the province and an AM radio station that covers 12 districts as well as other northern provinces in the country.

According to Somlith Boupphapanya, the province’s existing television station can only cover four districts and its radio station covers just 85 percent of the province.

Under Luang Prabang’s socio-economic development plan for 2011 - 2015, its radio and television station will also improve the quality of its news programmes to meet increasing demands from the public.-Enditem

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Singapore, Indonesia agree on maritime border

Kuala Lumpur (VNA)- Singapore and Indonesia have ratified an agreement on their borderline on the waters west of the Singapore straits at Singapore ’s Foreign Ministry on August 30.

The signatories were Singapore ’s Foreign Minister George Yeo and his Indonesian counterpart, Marty M. Tatalegawa.

The Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore as saying that the maritime border between the two countries is based on international maritime law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), that both countries have signed up to.

The Indonesian embassy also made it clear that the maritime border agreement provides a legal foundation for both countries to enhance navigational safety and security and enforce the maritime law.

Establishing the maritime border from Nipa Island to the island of Karimun Besar , in the Western waters will enable the authorities of both countries to fulfil their duties along the Singapore straits, said the statement.

A lot of work lies ahead for Indonesia and Singapore before they agree on the maritime border delineation in Eastern waters, as any decision depends on the outcome of the negotiations between Singapore and Malaysia on their mutual maritime border.

Malaysia and Indonesia still have to agree on the demarcation of the border in the Johor and Bintan/Batam areas, east of the Singapore straits.--Enditem

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Domestic air market becomes more competitive

Hanoi (VNA) – The arrival of two new Vietnamese carriers Air Mekong and Blue Sky Air is expected to stir up competition in the domestic market, which is currently overloaded.

Air Mekong , Vietnam 's third private air carrier, is scheduled to launch its maiden flight on October 10.

T he airline has received delivery of four Canadian Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft, owned by the US company Skywest Leasing. Each aircraft has 90 business and economy-class seats.

Truong Thanh Vu, Air Mekong’s Commercial Director, said that his airline is currently waiting for its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from Vietnam ’s Civil Aviation Administration.

Air Mekong is scheduled to provide passenger and cargo services on routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang , Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Ban Me Thuot, Hai Phong and Vinh.

Meanwhile, Blue Sky Air, Vietnam ’s first joint private airline, will focus on services for industry, the agricultural and fisheries sector and the construction industry. It has been allowed to use helicopters, seaplanes and other kinds of airplanes.

Blue Sky already operates two airplanes and will gradually increase its fleet to meet the market’s demand. The carrier is registered to provide services on 20 routes to well-known Vietnamese commercial and tourist areas such as Vung Tau, Ninh Thuan, Dak Lak, Con Dao, Can Tho, Ca Mau and Phu Quoc.

Around 26.2 million passengers and 445,800 tonnes of cargo were transported by air in 2009, four times the number in 2000.

In the first seven months of this year, the country saw a 33 percent increase in air travel over the same period last year.

This number indicates that Vietnam ’s air market has grown rapidly.

Vietnam has to date granted licences to nine operational airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Viet Air, Indochina Airlines, Mekong Air, VietJet Air, Blue Sky Air and Trai Thien Air.

Of these airlines, Vasco and Viet Air are both subsidiaries of Vietnam Airlines and Trai Thien Air only provides cargo services.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines holds more than 80 percent of all domestic services, which is attributed to the overloading of the domestic market, particularly the routes from HCM City to Phu Quoc and Da Nang.-Enditem

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Less poverty amongst ethnic people in Lam Dong

Lam Dong (VNA) – The rate of poor ethnic minority households in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong has fallen to 18 percent, which represented a drop of 32 percent from the 2001-2005 period.

The figure was released at a meeting held in Da Lat City on August 30 to review the 10 years since Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW was issued by the Political Bureau on socio-economic development and national defence and security in the Central Highlands region between 2001-2010.

Reducing poverty sustainably in Lam Dong has also helped to stabilise the socio-economy, security and the political situation in the Central Highlands.

Over the last decade, the province has spent 87.8 billion VND on building 14,600 houses for ethnic minority people, who make up 22 percent of the province’s population and 69.4 billion VND on clean water supplies to 16,600 households.

The province has disbursed 500 billion VND from Programme 135 to develop local infrastructures in 49 extremely disadvantaged communes across 10 districts.

The power project in the Central Highlands region has also enabled Lam Dong province to supply electricity to more than 19,700 households in 475 villages.
The investment policy has helped to boost sustainable economic development amongst provincial ethnic minority communities, at an annual growth rate of 9-12 percent.-Enditem

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Laos raises capacity for exporters

Vientiane (VNA) – The Lao government is developing projects to raise the capacity of its major exporters, according to Director General Phengsanguan Chounlamany of the Lao Ministry of Commerce’s Trade Promotion Department.

This is a move to help the country enter larger markets after Laos joins the World Trade Organisation, he said.

The projects focus on garment and textiles, silk, handicrafts and wood products.

Within the framework of these projects, a garment and textiles centre is being built to offer training opportunities for managers. Some of these managers have been sent to regional countries to gain experience.

The Lao government is encouraging silk production, considering it a pathway to reducing imports.-Enditem

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Overseas Vietnamese helps vulnerable students

Ben Tre (VNA)- The President of the French non-profit organisation “Friends of Vietnam” presented 59 million VND in scholarships to 23 poor, orphaned and disabled students in Ben Tre province on August 30.

Nguyen Thi My Nga has been involved in this kind of charity work since 1994, with donations for disadvantaged children in the southern province reaching 880 million VND in total so far.

The President of the provincial Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, Le Thi Thanh Van, said that the scholarships sourced by the French-Vietnamese lady were small in value but have come in time to benefit the recipients until they graduate.

As a result, two students have finished their post-graduate education, three others have graduated from university, three are currently attending university and 20 have graduated from vocational colleges.

This year, the association has provided loans of 500 Euros each with no interest to poor university and college students in Ben Tre, for one academic year.

Only after graduating from university or vocational colleges and earning a stable income, will the borrowers have to pay back the loans, at 20 percent a month, which will be used to fund other disadvantaged students.

Nga was born in Saigon and emigrated to France in 1969 and her husband is originally from Ben Tre.

She founded the “Friends of Vietnam” organisation in 1992 with financial assistance from friends in France , Belgium and Switzerland . Her two children are amongst the regular donors to the fund.

Since 1994 she has sourced donations of 225,000 Euros for disadvantaged students in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre province.--Enditem

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FDI flow turns to processing, manufacturing

Hanoi (VNA) – Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first eight months of this year has seen changes with about 57 percent of the total registered capital of 11.5 billion USD focused on processing and manufacturing technology and production.

The processing and manufacturing technology sectors are magnets for foreign investors, with total registered capital of about 3.7 billion USD for 265 newly-licensed projects and 102 expanded others in the first eight months of 2010, after a standstill during the 2006-2009 period.

Noteworthy are large-scale projects such as the Hai Duong thermal electricity plant with registered capital of 1.6 billion USD by Malaysia’s Jacks Resources, the Quang Ninh thermal electricity plant capitalised at 2.1 billion USD by the AES-TKV Mong Duong Electricity Co. Ltd, the 1 billion USD Vietnam Kobelco Steel Company in Nghe An province, and the 360 million USD Posco SS-Vina Company in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

The positive change is the biggest difference in FDI structure compared with the same period last year. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), FDI in accommodation services accounted for nearly 45 percent of the total registered capital of 13 billion USD in the first eight months of 2009, and the proportion was reduced to 23 percent in the comparable period of 2010.

The change of FDI flow in Vietnam is attributed to global and domestic economic recovery and the government’s macro-economic management policy, experts said.

However, the change has not helped reduce the country’s trade deficit, excluding exports of crude oil.

According to FIA statistics, although January-August exports from the FDI area rose, its trade deficit reached 1.7 billion USD, accounting for 19.7 percent of the country’s total trade deficit.

The country’s FDI attraction policy needs to consider both the target for development of for-export production and the competitiveness of domestic investment flow, according to James Riedels, economist of the USAID/STAR-Vietnam Technical Assistance Project.-Enditem

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Disasters claim lives, cancel flights in Asia

Jakarta (VNA)- Landslides that rocked Banyumas district in Indonesia’s central Java province on August 31, killed at least four and left two missing, including a small child.

Rescue chief Marsono said heavy rains have caused the disaster.

Indonesia is prone to landslides and flooding during the monsoon season lasting from December to April next year. However the wet season this year is longer than normal.

Also on August 31, Japan cancelled 216 flights and stopped many freighters heading to islands in the southern region due to typhoon Kompasu’s impact.

The Japanese hydro-meteorological station reported that typhoon Kompasu is heading to Okinawa and other islands at a speed of 20km/h with wind speeds up to 216km/h.

The weather forecast agency reported that the typhoon was likely to be accompanied by hurricanes and powerful winds. It warned locals of landslides and floods.--Enditem

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Condolences over DPR Korea’s flood losses

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 31 cabled a message of condolences to his counterpart Choe Yong Rim of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea over flood losses.

Recent torrential rains and floods have caused losses of human lives and property in many cities and provinces in DPR Korea.-Enditem

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UN official pushes poverty reduction efforts in VN

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam should make more efforts to ensure sustainability of poverty reduction achievements it has made during the past 20 years, said a UN official.

At a press briefing on August 31 after her nine-day working visit to Vietnam, UN Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty Magdalena Sepulveda praised Vietnam’s plan to build a new social security strategy for the 2011-2020 period.

She noted that to make the strategy effective, the government needs to ensure its comprehensiveness and integration with other social policies as well as its funding.

She also called for further support from donors and international community for Vietnam’s response to climate change as it is a big challenge to Vietnam.

It is necessary to add financial support relating to climate change to the official development assistance that Vietnam is receiving, the expert said.

During her stay in Vietnam, from August 23, Sepulveda was received by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem and visited several disadvantaged localities in Bac Kan and Quang Nam provinces and Hanoi.-Enditem

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Vietnam provides electricity to Cambodia

HCM City (VNA)- Vietnam’s National Power Transmission Corporation (NPT) and the Electricity of Cambodia (EDC) on August 31 held a conference in Ho Chi Minh city on the Chau Doc-Takeo 220kV power line from Vietnam to Cambodia.

At the conference, the two sides discussed issues including power transmission between the two countries, developing power networks, as well as technical problems and maintenance work.

Nguyen Van Bay, head of the technology department of Power Transmission Company No 4, said that after 16 months of operation, the Chau Doc-Takeo power line has provided Cambodia with over 912 million of kWh of electricity, contributing to dealing with the shortages of electricity in Cambodia.

The project is part of an agreement between the two governments and a contract between EVN and EDC signed in July, 2000. Its maximum transmitting capacity is 200MW with an average output from 900 million kWh to 1.4 billion kWh.-Enditem

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Best thousand wishes to be sent to Hanoi

HCM City (VNA)- The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Vietnam (HSBC) on August 30 launched a programme to collect a thousand best wishes to mark the 1000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

For each chosen wish, HSBC will donate 500,000 VND to a scholarship fund of Tuoi Tre Newspaper. By the end of the project, a total of 500 million VND will be granted to 100 disadvantaged students to cover their living and study expenses.

Ton That Anh Vu, a senior officer of HSBC, said that HSBC would like to convey Vietnamese citizens’ best wishes for prosperity and development on the millennial birthday of the capital city, and the program would bring about practical benefits in training young generations.

The event will last until September 24. All Vietnamese citizens who wish to join the program can visit the website http://www.ngandieuuoc.com/ or send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for registration.-Enditem

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Mozambican Prime Minister begins Vietnam visit

Hanoi (VNA) – Mozambican Prime Minister Aires Bonifacio Baptista Ali arrived in Vietnam on Aug. 31, beginning a week-long official friendship visit to the country at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The Mozambican PM is accompanied by Ministers of Labour, Fisheries, and Veterans Affairs; and Deputy Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, and several other officials.-Enditem

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Government keen to grow electricity industry

Hanoi (VNA) – The Government will speed up programmes to generate electricity from renewable energies and soon adopt a clear and favourable mechanism for the electricity industry to grow as it is crucial for national development.

The question of how to spur the development of the electricity industry caught the special interest of cabinet members at their regular monthly meeting in Hanoi on August 30-31 under the chair of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The government’s plan for the issue is to encourage all economic sectors to join hands with the State in investing and boosting the growth of this important industry.

The PM asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to focus investments on raising power output to prevent shortages in the future.

Discussing the socio-economic development plan for 2011, which is the first year in the next five-year development plan, and the 2011-2020 development strategy, PM Dung said the general goal of 2011 is to strengthen macro-economic stability to achieve a growth rate higher than that of 2010 and step up the economic restructuring.

The other goals are to ensure social security and social welfare to further improve people’s living conditions while assuring political security, social order and safety, he said.

The PM proposed the Government target a GDP growth rate of 7.5 percent, CPI year-on-year rise of 7 percent, and trade deficit below 18 percent for 2011.

He underscored the need to pay special attention to vocational training and considered it an important index to serve the country’s economic shift in 2011.

PM Dung also requested formulation of mechanisms and policies to support national target programmes, and listed the rural development programme as Government target for the 2011-2015 period.

At the meeting, cabinet members heard about good performance of the national economy in the last eight months with industrial production growing 15.2 percent year-on-year.

CPI rose slightly - 0.23 percent in August against July - the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported.

Also at this meeting, cabinet members heard reports on inspections, the settlement of petitions and denunciations, the fight against corruption, and administrative reform.

They debated a draft decree guiding the implementation of several articles of the Enterprise Law, the draft ordnance on management, and use of weapons, explosive materials and supportive tools, and a bill amending the Cooperatives Law.-Enditem

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Folk culture research projects announced

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Folk Arts Association announced 2,000 research projects on the folk culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups at a press briefing in Hanoi on Aug. 31.

The projects were selected from almost 5,000 researches carried out over the past 40 years, according to President of the association To Ngoc Thanh.

Addressing the event, Phung Huu Phu, Permanent Deputy Director of the Commission for Information and Education under the Party Central Committee, said that with 54 ethnic groups, Vietnamese people enjoy a plentiful and diversified culture. Those projects fortified the cultural traditions of the nation, he said.

In 2008-2012, the association plans to publish 1,000 research projects covering five fields: knowledge and behaviour to environment; agricultural production with relations between people and nature; customs and practices; religions; and the achievements of literature and arts.

By the end of 2009, 100 research projects were published and in 2010 another 200 others are expected to come to the public. Each published project has a summary in English at the back.

The association plans to set up a website featuring the research projects, to introduce the traditional and unique Vietnamese culture to online audience.

The publications will be presented to local and central libraries, as well as Vietnamese embassies, Vietnamese cultural centres abroad and some international organisations in Vietnam.-Enditem

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Vietnam seeks more German tourists

Berlin (VNA) – The Vietnamese government has invested 4 trillion VND in building infrastructure for the tourism industry, a Vietnamese tourism senior official said at a talk to promote Vietnam ’s image in Germany .

Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Chief of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, met with representatives of travel companies owned by Germans and Vietnamese expats in Germany on August 29 and 30.

Introducing the country’s tourism potential, sightseeing wonders, and prominent tangible and intangible cultural heritages, Cuong also presented special programmes that the tourism industry launched on Hanoi ’s 1,000 th founding anniversary.

He expressed his hope that tourism cooperation between German and Vietnamese travel companies would be boosted so Germany can eclipse France in terms of the number of tourists coming to Vietnam .

Present at the talks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Do Hoa Binh noted that the growing ties between the two countries have provided conditions for the development of bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, including tourism.

He pledged to create improved conditions for German travel companies to do business with Vietnam .

For their part, many participants urged the Vietnamese tourism industry to equip more tour guides with the German language, along with professional skills and rich cultural knowledge, in order to lure more German visitors.

In 2009, the Vietnamese tourism industry contributed 5 billion USD to the State budget, generating jobs for 1.3 million people and helping to eradicate poverty. -Enditem

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VN, Cambodia ink education cooperation deal

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports on August 31 signed a cooperation agreement for this year.

Under the agreement that was inked in Hanoi, Vietnam will receive 130 Cambodian students for graduate and postgraduate courses, internship, research and short-term refresher courses on science, technology, Vietnamese language and other fields.

Vietnam is also willing to receive Cambodian students who wish to study in Vietnam with their own money or with funding from international organisations and the Cambodian government.

For its part, Cambodia will accept 10 Vietnamese students for study at its universities and 20 officials to learn Khmer language in two years.

The two countries will send their working teams to one another to review the cooperation and examine their students’ study outcomes.

The countries will support cooperation in scientific and educational research between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City as well as between provinces sharing the border and encourage the exchange of educational materials, magazines and reviews.-Enditem

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HCM City to facilitate int’l cooperation

HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City leaders have pledged to exert more efforts to provide the most favourable conditions to exchanges and cooperation with international and foreign agencies, organisations and businesses.

The municipal People’s Committee and People’s Council Chairpersons, Le Hoang Quan and Pham Phuong Thao, made the commitment at a party held in the city on Aug. 31 to representatives of diplomatic corps, foreign businesses and organisations and non-government organisations in the city on the occasion of the National Day of Vietnam (Sept. 2).

Quan praised effective contributions by foreign and international businesses and organisations to the city’s development in recent years and expressed his hopes that the city would continue to receive their support and active cooperation.

On behalf of guests at the party, Malaysian Consul General to HCM City Khairi Omar praised the city’s achievements in recent years and expressed his hope that the city would continue to develop and gain more progress in the future.

On the occasion of Vietnam ’s National Day, Khairi Omar also expressed his belief that Vietnam would obtain more achievements in national development and praised the country’s active cooperation within ASEAN.-Enditem

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Gov’t yet to plan investment for express railway

Hanoi (VNA) – The Government has neither developed an investment plan nor taken any action to implement the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City express railway project, said Minister of Transport Ho Nghia Dung.

At the Government’s regular press briefing on August 31, he said the Government plans to continue studying the project to determine its size, technology to be used, sources of investment, as well as environmental and social impacts which have not been included in the project feasibility study presented to the National Assembly recently.

Dung said relevant agencies are studying the project before making an investment plan using ODA funding, not State money.

Spokesman for the Government, Minister and Director of the Government Office Nguyen Xuan Phuc reported that the Prime Minister agreed in principle to the reception of technical assistance in the form of non-refundable ODA from the Japanese Government for making investment plans for the construction of the Hanoi-Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City-Nha Trang sections of the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City express railway project and a project to upgrade the Hanoi-Noi Bai railway route.

Regarding the restructuring of the country’s debt-hit shipbuilder, Vinashin, Deputy Finance Minister Nguyen Cong Nghiep and a representative of the State Bank of Vietnam said the Finance Ministry is working on a plan to reschedule debts for Vinashin and define the group’s chartered capital.

The State Bank of Vietnam is screening the group’s debts with each credit institutions as its debts totalled 86 trillion VND while its total assets are valued at 104 trillion VND.

The restructuring project of Vinashin will give priority to paying salaries and insurance for its workers, Minister Phuc said, adding that Vinashin will get new projects once it gains access to capital.-Enditem

Southern localities seek new ways to attract more Japan’s capital

HCM City (VNA) – President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentary Group Ho Duc Viet told three southern localities to improve administrative procedures, site clearance and capital disbursement to make a breakthrough in attracting Japan ’s FDI and ODA capital.

Viet, who is also Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, made the statement at a working session with the authorities of Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong in HCM City on August 30.

He highlighted Japanese businesses’ capital and technology strength, fast implementation of their projects and good compliance with Vietnam ’s laws, thus making considerable contributions to local socio-economic development.

HCM City is the country’s leading locality in attracting Japan ’s FDI and ODA capital. By August 2010, the city had 398 Japanese-invested projects worth over 2 billion USD. There are four traffic and environment projects that are being carried out in the city using Japan ’s ODA. They include the East West Avenue project, the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien railway project and two water environment improvement projects.

Binh Duong now has 153 Japanese-invested projects totalling more than 1.2 billion USD and four ODA projects while Dong Nai has 90 projects worth more than 1.7 billion USD in total and one ODA project.

The three city and provinces are calling for Japan’s ODA capital for four infrastructure development projects in HCM City, two water environment improvement projects in Binh Duong province and three projects in Dong Nai.-Enditem

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Quang Ninh to host ASEM forum on climate change

Hanoi (VNA) – The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Forum on Climate Change will be held in Ha Long City in the northern province of Quang Ninh on September 6-7.

This was announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) at a press conference in Hanoi on August 31.

The forum is to strengthen Asian-European cooperation on climate change issues through partnerships, existing networks, exchanges of views and the sharing of information on climate change and how to deal with the effects.

It will also discuss the outcomes of the 15 th UN Conference on Climate Change as well as regional and global measures.

The organisation of the forum is a Vietnam ’s initiative which was adopted by the 9 th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Hanoi on May 25-26 last year.

According to domestic and international experts, Vietnam is one of the countries to be the hardest hit by climate change. Being aware of this, Vietnam has actively joined in regional and international efforts to deal with the effects of climate change.

In 2009, the country approved the National Programme on Coping with Climate Change as well as scenarios on climate change and rising sea levels.-Enditem

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Probe into contract labour to help protect worker rights

HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs on August 30 began inspecting labour leasing services in five provinces and cities and asked 20 other localities to do the same.

Workers, who are contracted out to companies by the labour services, risked missing out on benefit entitlements and being underpaid, Dang Duc San, head of the ministry's Legislation Department, said.

In Vietnam , labour leasing services employ, train and sign contracts with clients and lease them out as workers to companies. The service first emerged here in 2001.

Such companies are not sufficiently regulated under the labour laws despite their large presence around industrial parks especially in Hanoi , HCM City , Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Can Tho, San said.

Employees could be exploited because they are kept ignorant of the agreements made between their employer and their labour leaser even though many of the contracts are long-term. Currently regulations only apply to short term contracts.

In some cases the labour leasing companies pay salaries less than the amount agreed with the employer, San said.

He said that neither the company nor the labour leaser accepts responsibility to pay the workers' health and social insurance.

According to San, most labour leasing companies are only licensed to introduce jobs, not to lease out labour.

The inspection will be conducted in Hanoi , HCM City , Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Can Tho by the end of September and authorities in 20 other provinces have been told to conduct similar inspections and report to the ministry.

The management offices will be able to use the findings to issue regulations to protect workers' rights, San said.

The ministry will soon issue regulations that restrict the services to arrange only short-term labour leasing agreements.

Changes are needed so that long-term contracts employees could sign directly with the company they work for, he said.-Enditem