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National squad takes on Kuwait at Millennium Cup
Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam national team will meet Kuwait's U-23 team in the opening game of the Millennium Football Cup at 7pm at My Dinh National Stadium on Sept. 20.
At a press conference on Sept.19, team coach Henrique Calisto said the cup would be good preparation for Vietnam before they defend the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup in December.
Meanwhile the Kuwait team is eager to get going and started training just three hours after a 30 hour flight on Sept.18. The tournament will also be part of both teams' preparations for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, in November.
Kuwait's coach U-23 Al Semmari said his team would include 12 players who played in the Gulf Cup final against the United Arabs of Emirates last month.
Australia's U-23 team will also have a tough match against North Korea in Sept.20's early game. -Enditem
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Historic cinema reopens in Hanoi
Hanoi (VNA) — The Kim Dong Cinema reopened on September 18 at 19 Hang Bai Street, Hanoi, on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the capital.
With an area of nearly 1,000 sq.m, the 6-storey construction is equipped with a 4D projection room with 40 seats – the first in Hanoi, as well as 3D and 2D projection rooms with a capacity of 625.
The 8.6 million USD construction was managed by PetroVietnam Construction Investment Consultant JSC and constructed by Song Hong PetroVietnam Trade and Investment JSC. The complex is a gift from the PetroVietnam Group to the Hanoi People's Committee on the occasion of the city's birthday.
Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi thanked PetroVietnam for the generous gift and said he expects that it will become a high quality cultural centre for the city's youth and tourists.
Kim Dong used to be a children's cinema but was closed in the 1980s due to degradation and a lack of investment. — Enditem
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British group to host charity run in HCM City
HCM City (VNA) — The British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) expects to raise more than 40,000 USD from its 11th annual Fun Run for Charity in HCM City on October 3.
Speaking at a press conference on September 17, Paul Cleves, a BBGV board member, said that last year's run collected36,000 USD from 5,500 participants.
All proceeds from the run go towards helping schools, disadvantaged children and poor patients in need of medical care.
BBGV estimates that 6,000 people will join the event. There will also be musical performances from the Cuban Band and Luna Negra.
The funds are donated to various groups and projects, including the Christina Noble Children's Foundation; Orphan Impact-Support Centre for Development of Children in Hanoi; infrastructure support for local social organisations that provide educational services to disadvantaged children and youth; and Education Centre for Disabled Children in HCM City's District 4.
The Fun Run will kick off at 6.45am at the Sai Gon Zoo. The run goes through Le Duan, Dong Khoi, Mac Thi Buoi and Hai Ba Trung streets and then returns to the zoo.-Enditem
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Central bank eyes foreign currency in real estate deals
HCM City (VNA) — The State Bank of Vietnam's branch in HCM City this week will inspect the use of foreign currencies in real estate transactions in the locality.
Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the branch, said the SBV's move was aimed not only to ensure the serious implementation of Vietnamese laws but also to protect real estate buyers from losses caused by forex fluctuations.
The branch has already prepared a list of real estate companies eligible for inspection to be carried out without any advance notification.
This week, inspections will focus on real-estate companies allegedly using the US dollar in their business.
The SBV hopes to check two or three real estate companies a week.
Real estate owners will be penalised at a level heavier than current fines if any violation is discovered, according to Minh.
According to Vietnam's current laws, all transactions and payments in the country must not be implemented in foreign currencies, except those that are carried out with credit organisations, and payment forms that require intermediaries.
However, the use of foreign currencies including the US dollars was still very popular in big cities, especially in real estate transactions, Minh said.
Most transactions related to high-grade properties include villas or luxurious apartments now using foreign currencies, particularly the greenback, according to Bui Tien Thang, deputy director of the Sai Gon Commercial Real Estate Joint Stock Company (Sacomreal).
There were many reasons that made real estate owners prefer the greenback to the domestic currency (Vietnamese dong), Thang said.
Most foreign investors want to be paid in US dollars because such a payment form is familiar to them.
In addition, their partners often use the US dollar as they have to contribute their capital to the projects.
As a result, the price of finished real estate products has to be established in the US dollar, which facilitates payments among the involved sides.
Thang, however, said that a main reason that the greenback was used in real estate payments was that project owners would not have to suffer losses as the Vietnamese dong will likely be devalued.
Many individual investors, most of them rent their houses, have also wanted to fix their rental charges in US dollar, but they then received dong. With this method, they expected to keep their capital intact, he said.
The current penalty of 30 million VND maximum applied to violators is too low, which allowed investors to continue using foreign currencies.
An official of the HCM City Real Estate Association also admitted that the association suggested that real estate companies should not use the foreign currency in establishing product prices. However, the latter insisted on their option of the US dollar in payments.
Over the past years, authorised agencies have checked and penalised only consumer goods traders who used the foreign currency in their transactions.— Enditem
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Mobile libraries to visit schools
HCM City (VNA) — HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd and BaoViet Holdings Insurance Corp (Bao Viet) have launched a 1.5 billion VND (769,000 USD) mobile-library project for primary school pupils and disadvantaged youngsters in Da Nang.
The mobile library programme is a Global Village Foundation initiative that gives thousands of students and teachers a chance to appreciate the fun and intellectual benefits of reading.
It also aims to teach library science and book care, and improve children's aptitude and appetite for learning.
The project is administered by the foundation in cooperation with the Da Nang Department of Education and Training.
At least 136 schools will receive a mobile library over a period of three years from the start of the 2010-11 school year.
Around 58,000 students across eight districts in Da Nang will benefit from the scheme.
One library containing 275 books on a variety of subjects, including Vietnamese literature, culture, encyclopaedias and fun reading materials will be delivered to each school reading hall, and will be open to children aged 12 years or younger.
Every semester, each set of library books will be rotated to another school so that every school will have access to four different sets of library books over a two-year period. — Enditem
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Pharmacies slow to achieve good practice standard
HCM City (VNA) — As the year-end deadline for application of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) standards nears, only one-fourth of the pharmacies in the city have achieved it.
For the last three years since the Health Ministry issued its decision (No 11/2007/QD-BYT), HCM City has taken several steps to implement it, but so far just 927 of 3,667 medical establishments have succeeded in applying the GPP standards.
The 927 establishments comprise 91 hospitals and 836 residential pharmacies.
"The main reasons for the slow pace is a shortage of professionals in the health sector to guide, train and conduct checks," said Dr Pham Khanh Phong Lan, deputy director of the municipal Health Department.
She told the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper that three years was not long enough to make a full assessment, but the application of GPP had started changing the quality of pharmacy system.
"At first, many people doubted the necessity of the GPP, but after three years, there is an important change in awareness. People accept that it is a must for the industry," she said.
In promoting GPP application, the city's health sector focused first on pharmacies in hospitals and enterprises to ensure quality and price of essential medicines.
At present, the department is focusing on firms engaged in wholesale and retail distribution of drugs.
In 2009, there were 752 pharmacies found violating regulations, including 20 that had the GPP certification.
"GPP is the starting point for managing the pharmacy system and regular investigation is the best way to maintain quality," Lan said.
After January 1, 2011, pharmacies that haven't met GPP requirements would be closed or forced to curtail their operations depending on the final decision from the Health Ministry, she said. — Enditem
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UK company builds 30 mln USD shoes factory in Tien Giang
Hanoi (VNA) – The Freeview Industrial Vietnam of the UK launched construction of a 30 million USD leather shoes factory in Chau Thanh district, the southern province of Tien Giang , on Sept. 18.
The factory is scheduled to be operational in early 2011 to produce leather shoes and sport shoes’ parts. It will provide jobs for 5,000 local workers in the first phase and 10,000 workers in the second phase.-Enditem
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More garment businesses expand scale
Hanoi (VNA) – A dozen of garment and textile enterprises, mostly in northern region, have been investing in expanding production since 2009 in a trend that is forecast to be continued, said experts from the Vietnam Garment and Textile Group (Vinatex).
Analysing the positive trend, Nguyen Van Thoi, General Director of the Thai Nguyen Investment and Trade Company (TNG), said the world’s garment and textile suppliers are shifting their attention from China to Vietnam and in the country, the market is moving from the south to the north due to more labour competitiveness.
In addition, customers now tend to directly connect to suppliers instead of through intermediaries such as international contractors and retail groups, thus creating opportunities for development for Vietnamese garment firms, including TNG.
Recently, TNG invested 210 billion VND (11 million USD) in building its fourth plant, which is scheduled to be put into operation in the first quarter of 2011, bringing the company’s total sewing chains to 172, making it one of the country’s leading garment suppliers.
The TNG leader said that the investment was based on long-term and stable commitments and orders from its customers, including those from the US and Canada like Columbia , Sportswear, The Children’s Place and Capital.
After this project, TNG plans to invest further in its equipment with the aim of taking on more steps of international garment orders by 2015, Thoi said.
Earlier, the Nha Be Garment Joint Stock Corporation, which has 22 garment factories and eight trading companies, invested trillions of VND in nearly 10 projects despite fluctuation in the market. Two of them, with a combined investment capital of over 200 billion VND (over 10 million USD) will become operational late this month.
The new investment is expected to raise the company’s export turnover by between 20-25 percent this year, said Duong Thi Ngoc Dung, President of the Board of Directors of Nha Be.
According to experts, increasing investment in expand production is necessary at a time when Vietnam still has many advantages in sub-contracting. However, for sustainable development, enterprises should invest in supporting industries like materials processing, textile and dying in order to switch from sub-contracting to selling products of their owned designs.
Garment and textile have been Vietnam ’s leading export items with turnover hitting nearly 10 billion USD a year for the past two years.
In the first eight months of the year, the garment and textile sector earned almost 6.9 billion USD from exports, a 17.8 percent increase over the same period last year and is expected to earn 10.5 billion USD for the whole year.-Enditem
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Vietnam contributes positively to AIPA’s growth
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has made positive contributions in the development of the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) as well as for AIPA’s role in various political, economic and social-cultural activities, said a diplomat of Indonesia , which is one of ASEAN’s founding members.
The Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam , Pitono Purnomo, made the remarks in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of AIPA 31 General Assembly which is being held in Hanoi .
He said under the theme “Solidarity for the Sustainable Development of the ASEAN Community” for the 31 st AIPA meeting, Vietnam has put forth initiatives and ideas to revitalise AIPA and establish political, economic and social committees and dialogue with observers to discuss various issues of mutual concerns of AIPA members.
The diplomat stressed that AIPA is very important in providing the checks and balances in terms of attainment of ASEAN’s goals and in its statute, it aims to contribute to the implementation of purpose and desires of ASEAN through inter-parliamentary cooperation.
In line with this, an ASEAN lawmaking body is needed to enhance its critical role as an effective representation of the people’s voices in addressing the regional and international issues of common concern to ASEAN countries, the ambassador told the VNA.
He noted that as the representative of the ASEAN people, AIPA should also play its vital role in conveying people’s voices for the successful implementation of the ASEAN Community in 2015 and ASEAN Charter.
“AIPA should bring the information of ASEAN’s development and success to every single person in the group,” Ambassador Purnomo said.
He underlined the importance for AIPA and ASEAN countries to hold regular dialogue for disseminating ASEAN’s measures, challenges and progress to the populations of ASEAN member countries for their readiness to benefit and cope with the impacts of the ASEAN Community in the years to come.
The diplomat noted that through their function, AIPA members may devise national legislation to support the implementation of the ASEAN agreement as well as communicate for gaining consensus in ASEAN and in every single person in the group.
He affirmed his country’s support of Vietnam ’s AIPA Chairmanship, saying the attendance of the Indonesian Parliament’s Chairman at the AIPA meeting and ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in last April is a reflection of the Indonesian Parliament’s commitment to AIPA as one of ASEAN’s most important entities.
The Ambassador affirmed that the Indonesian Parliament is ready to participate in discussing and exchanging views with AIPA committees and talking about issues of mutual concerns of ASEAN.
He pledged that the Indonesian Parliament will work with the National Assembly of Vietnam and other AIPA members for the success of the 31 st AIPA meeting.-Enditem
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British Council helps improve vocational training
Hanoi (VNA) – The British Council will help Vietnamese workers hone their skills in preparations for the ASEAN Skills Competition to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov. 14-24.
The council in coordination with the General Vocational Training Department has invited experts from the vocational skills organisation of the UK to Vietnam under an MoU between the British Council and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.
Between Sept. 20-24, the UK experts will help the Vietnamese side to build a training programme and implement it with Vietnamese contestants.
They will also share experiences in vocational training with local trainers.
A seminar on developing training, teaching and learning methods, assessment techniques, as well as policies and experiences in vocational development will be held in Hilton Hotel in Hanoi on Sept. 24.
The British Council began operation in Vietnam in 1993 and has organised many activities to help Vietnam in education, teaching English language and arts.-Enditem
Labour exporters enjoy overseas opportunities
Hanoi (VNA)- Labour exporters are being offered more opportunities as many overseas markets are receiving increasing numbers of Vietnamese workers and making changes in their policies to lessen the financial pressure on them.
Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that well paying markets such as the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan choose Vietnamese workers first out of other 15 markets.
“Many RoK and Japanese employers prefer to hire Vietnamese workers due to their diligence, hard-work, creativity and eagerness to learn”, said Ngan.
She added that many employers feel more secure when hiring Vietnamese workers as their sense of responsibility has improved and the number of fled workers has dropped sharply.
Some markets have also introduced policies to ease the financial pressure on workers. Currently guest workers are exempted from income tax in Malaysia and do not pay deposits in Japan.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Doan Xuan Hung said that Vietnamese guest workers send up to 2 billion USD a year home.
In addition to licensed businesses, successful tenders, organisations and individuals investing overseas should be promoted. At present, Vietnam has sent only 3,060 guest workers in this manner, Hung said.
He emphasised that the African market is short of experts in healthcare, agriculture and education, in which Vietnam is strong. With a monthly salaries ranging from 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD, Africa is a huge potential market for Vietnam to speed up the export of specialists and highly-skilled workers.
National Assembly’s Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu said that in the near future, labour exports should be more specialised, to raise economic efficiency and the country’s image.
He emphasised that the African market is short of experts in healthcare, agriculture and education, in which Vietnam is strong. With a monthly salaries ranging from 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD, Africa is a huge potential market for Vietnam to speed up the export of specialists and highly-skilled workers.
According to the Overseas Labourers Management Department, over 500,000 Vietnamese are now working in 40 countries and territories all around the world.-Enditem
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Thang Long-Hanoi in the eyes of foreign friends
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi , the 1,000-year-old city, is developing rapidly, yet still maintains its own unique character and traditional values.
This was stated by German journalist Maris Kristin, who agreed with 14 other reporters, who went on a week-long tour of the city called “the Heart of Vietnam”, organised by the municipal People’s Committee from September 9-15.
Moved by Hanoi ’s beauty, Park Hae-Yoon from the Republic of Korea , wrote 7 pages on Hanoi , describing it as active, but ancient and peaceful.
Coming from a country which is famous for its culture, Refat Ablelsamiaa Abbas Abdelmoaty Hussein from Egyptian Television, learnt about Hanoi through its folk songs. He said he loved these melodies and intended to use them as background music for his report on Hanoi . He added that he wants to get a CD of Vietnamese folk music.
Meanwhile, Vansili Bounthi, a reporter from the Laotian daily newspaper the Pasason, described the tour as his return to his home. “ Hanoi is very close to my heart and I have with many memories of when I was a student there,” he said.
During the tour, the foreign reporters visited world heritage sites recognised by UNESCO, including the Thang Long Royal Citadel and the Temple of Literature , the country’s first university. They also visited the historical sites of Son Tay citadel and Duong Lam village and the craft villages of Van Phuc for its silk and Bat Trang for its ceramics.
While writing about the capital city’s culture, traditions and economic development, all the journalists on the tour said they believed that Hanoi would have wonderful 1,000 year birthday celebration.-Enditem
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Vietnam to plant genetically-modified corn
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam intends to plant genetically-modified corn in 2011 after successfully completing an experimental project.
A recent seminar in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau discussed initial outcomes of the project, which was carried out in both the northern and southern regions.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bui Ba Bong, said the project showed that genetically-modified corn can adapt to the weather and land in these areas.
It also showed that this corn is resistant to pests, diseases and could help Vietnam reduce it imports of maize for making animal fodder.
Vietnam produces between 1.1-1.2 million tonnes of maize a year while it needs 1.5 million tonnes.
The genetically-modified corn will be planted on a large scale from 2011, if it passes a final test, said Bong.
According to Le Huy Ham, Director of the Agricultural Genetics Institute, various species of genetically-modified plants have been grown worldwide for 16 years, with a current acreage approaching 126 million ha.
Vietnam also plans to grow genetically-modified cotton and soya beans by 2013-2014.-Enditem
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VNGOs praised for contributions to society
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam ’s non-government organisations (VNGOs) have confirmed their role and contributions to ridding the nation of hunger and reducing poverty while promoting socio-economic development, said a former official of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ex-Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Thang Van Phuc stated this at the annual VNGOs seminar held by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association in Hanoi on September 20.
A representative from the Consultation Institute Pham Quang Tu praised the VNGOs projects which, he said, have contributed to raising the awareness, skills and the capabilities of poor and ethnic people, as well as people affected by natural disasters and epidemics, and women, children, and people with HIV or disabilities.
However, he went on to say the effectiveness of VNGOs’ activities have not met their full expectations due an inadequate legal framework and strict regulations on VNGOs.
Apart from enhancing the present legislation, Deputy Head of the Vietnamese National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Van Tien, suggested that the State introduces policies so VNGOs can become more involved in government programmes and consult on a number of the State’s policies.
The State should also permit the VNGOs to provide public services in healthcare, education and culture, he said.
According to statistics released by the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), in 2009, domestic and foreign NGOs disbursed more than 271 million USD as aid in health care, socio-economic development, education and training and settling social issues.
The country now has around 1,700 NGOs.-Enditem
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Vietnam’s space committee established
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Space Committee will be set up with the Minister of Science and Technology being its president, according to a recent government decision.
The decision says that the committee will propose programmes, plans and measures to implement the national strategy on research and application of space technology to the Prime Minister.
It will also help the PM oversee the implementation of the strategy and act as Vietnam ’s representative to international organisations on space technology.
The committee comprises two deputy presidents, who are head of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, and 10 members, three of whom are scientists specialising in space technology.-Enditem
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Hanoi CPI up 0.96 percent
Hanoi (VNA)- The September consumer price index (CPI) in Hanoi surged 0.96 percent month on month with educational products taking the lead at 7.17 percent, reported the Hanoi Statistics Office.
Experts attributed the phenomena to the inauguration of the 2010-11 school year, which was marked with an increase of tuition fees by private schools and vocational colleges and universities.
Except post and telecommunication services with stable prices, all the other groups of products witnessed slight increases in prices, fluctuating around 1 percent.
Experts from the Hanoi Statistics Office forecast CPI growth at 8.63 percent for the whole year.
Gold prices made a surge of 3.57 percent over the previous period while the US dollar value climbed by 1.35 percent.--Enditem
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Medical sector active in international scene
Hanoi (VNA) – The medical sector has diversified its international cooperation to attract various foreign aid sources and receive advanced science and technology, said Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu.
Addressing a training conference on international cooperation in the medical sector in Hanoi on Sept. 20, Minister Trieu asked the medical sector to expand its cooperation with foreign donors and partners and international scientific centres and effectively coordinate aid sources for the sector.
The Ministry of Public Health has so far established cooperative relations with more than 100 non-government and international organisations, international banks, bilateral and multilateral financial funds, universities, research institutes and scientific centres in around 60 countries and territories.
Over the past five years, the ministry has signed seven agreements at government level, 14 cooperation documents at ministerial level and two agreements within the ASEAN cooperation framework.
The ministry has also sent nearly 10,000 medical experts to work in Africa.-Enditem
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Malaysian female MP expects more opportunities for women
Hanoi (VNA) – Datuk Rosnah binti Haji Abdul Rashid Shirlin, a member of the Malaysian female parliamentarian delegation to the Women ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) meeting, has stressed the role of women in ASEAN development and called for more opportunities for women.
According to the Malaysian female parliamentarian, women should be given opportunities, more role and more places in terms of politics as well as decision-making as they are very progressive in each regional country.
“I would like to see that situation in ASEAN countries would change and more opportunities and power given to women in terms of decision-making,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the WAIPA meeting in Hanoi on September 20.
The role of women can be strengthened with the support by not only the women parliamentarians, but also the men, she added.
Datuk Rosnah binti Haji Abdul Rashid Shirlin was among 28 female parliamentarians from nine AIPA member delegations to attend the WAIPA meeting in Hanoi to discuss issues, focusing on improvement of social welfare and development for women and children, the role of women in economic recovery after financial crisis, women’s political participation and women's role in legislation.
She took this opportunity to congratulate Vietnam for its celebration of the millennium of Thang Long-Hanoi as well as its hosting of the 17 th ASEAN summit next month.-Enditem
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NA health seminar held in Central Highlands
Kon Tum (VNA) – The National Assembly (NA) Committee for Social Affairs on September 20 jointly held with the Kom Tum provincial People’s Council a seminar on health care and policies in the central region and the Central Highlands .
Representatives of the NA and People’s Councils along with leaders of medical centres in the region attended the event.
The seminar focused on three main areas: policies on health insurance and malnutrition prevention, maternal and child care, and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Participants discussed the implementation of the policies in localities while offering proposals on human resources, financial capacity and policies to assist targeted subjects.
They reached consensus on several measures that need to be carried out in the future relating to information and mobilisation work, and the improvement of medical staff contingent at grassroots levels.
They stressed the need for Central Highlands provinces to encourage local residents to subscribe to health insurance and create favourable conditions for them to enjoy the service. Maternal and child health care campaigns and socialisation to encourage people to improve their health were also touched on at the event.
Since 2008, the NA has invested 14.35 trillion VND of government bonds to build and upgrade hospitals and help rural residents, especially those living in remote and island areas, gain access to health care services.
The central region and the Central Highlands have recorded remarkable achievements in health care with almost 62 percent of regional people having health insurance. The Central Highlands has 80 percent of its population involved in health insureance. About 90 percent of pregnant women have been injected against tetanus and the proportion of malnourished children has dropped by 18 percent.-Enditem
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AIPA meeting aims to enhance role of women
Hanoi (VNA) – The Meeting of Women Parliamentarians of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) took place in Hanoi on September 20, drawing the participation of 28 women parliamentarians from nine AIPA member delegations.
Under the chair of Vietnamese NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, AIPA female parliamentarians discussed draft resolutions on improving social welfare and development for women and children, the role of women in economic recovery after the financial crisis, women’s participation in the political field as well as the role of female parliamentarians in law making.
Regarding the draft resolution on strengthening social welfare and development for women and children, the delegates paid attention to ensuring education and health care for women and children, care services for children, and employment opportunities and vocational training for women, especially poor and immigrant women.
The women parliamentarians agreed to call on AIPA member countries to continue financial support for supervising the implementation of national policies and regional agreements on social welfare and development for women and children.
They also recommended that AIPA member countries strengthen cooperation, information and consultation in formulating and enforcing laws and policies relating to social welfare and development for women and children.
The meeting applauded results reached during the 16 th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on April 2010 on sustainable economic recovery measures and guidance on the building of economic development models after the global financial crisis.
The meeting also agreed on the contents of the draft resolution on the role of women in economic recovery after the financial crisis, which affirms the important role of women in economic development and building the ASEAN Community, as well as hastening AIPA member countries to approve policies and programmes supporting female workers and entrepreneurs.
The AIPA women parliamentarians also voiced their support for the draft resolution on increasing women’s participation in the political field, which has been built on the basis of existing AIPA resolutions on strengthening the role and participation of women in political activities.
The delegates agreed to not set any specific target number of women parliamentarians for ASEAN countries, as each country has its own political regime and socio-cultural conditions. Instead, they urged more efforts to increase the number of women parliamentarians in each country in the future.
Regarding the draft resolution on the role of women parliamentarians in law making, the delegates agreed with the report and proposals of a Vietnam-initiated meeting on the role of women parliamentarians in the process of law making held in Hanoi from November 29 to December 3, 2009.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the meeting, NA Vice Chairwomen Phong, who is also head of the Vietnamese NA delegation, said that social consensus is needed to increase women’s participation polictics.
After the 31 st General Assembly, AIPA should have more specific activities to put forward recommendations on policies that create more favourable conditions for women, she concluded.-Enditem
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Vietnam helps Cambodia in drug investigations
HCM City (VNA) – A training programme on drug crime investigation technology and assessment of drug origins has been held in HCM City for Cambodia ’s anti-drug police and executive forces.
The five-day programme that will last through Sept. 24 is within the framework of a memorandum of understanding of the bilateral ministerial conference on drug prevention and control that took place in HCM City last year.
During the training programme, representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Crime Investigation Police Department and Criminology Institute informed Cambodian police of the drug crime situation along the common border and cooperation in investigating drug crimes between Vietnam and Cambodia and among regional countries.
They also spoke about the Vietnamese police force’s typical drug investigation cases and their experiences in information collection as well as methods of analysis of drug substances.-Enditem
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Miwon VN supports humanitarian activities
Hanoi (VNA) – Miwon Vietnam has committed at least 500 million VND for humanitarian programmes in Vietnam each year.
An agreement to this effect was signed on September 20 by the company and the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) in the presence of Chairman of VRC’s executive board Tran Ngoc Tang, Miwon Vietnam ’s Director General Yoon Suk Chun and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Park Suk Hwan.
Of the total, 300 million VND will be directly handed to the VRC’s humanitarian fund and another 200 million VND will be presented to the Red Cross at the locality the company is operating to support scholarship programmes, the poor and victims of natural disasters.
At the signing ceremony, Miwon Vietnam ’s leaders have also promised to persuade the company’s headquarters in the RoK to join more projects launched by the VRC.
Chairman Tang said the agreement is seen as a proof of the solidarity and close relations between the two countries, affirming that the VRC will fully implement all terms in the agreement.
The VRC will dispatch its workers to help train the company’s staff in emergency aid, Tang said.-Enditem
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Army elite asked to strengthen defence power
Hanoi (VNA) – The army must uphold the general strength of the nation, the entire political system and the great national unity bloc to build up the people’s defence and strengthen military power in terms of both potential and posture.
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh delivered this request at the ninth Party Congress of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), which opened in Hanoi on Sept. 20.
Former Party chiefs, Do Muoi and Le Kha Phieu, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung joined a number of former senior Party and State leaders and representatives of ministries and agencies at the event.
Manh, who doubles as Secretary of the VPA Central Party Committee, stressed that “Striving to successfully accomplish the Party’s guidelines and revolutionary tasks is the only mission of our army”.
The Party leader urged the army to continue building up the people’s armed forces - which have general strengths and good combat capacity - strongly and comprehensively.
He emphasised the need to step up research and implementation of directions in a move to build up a regular, elite and modern people’s revolutionary army.
Manh also asked the army to better carry out the Party building work, to ensure that its Party organisation, officers and soldiers are firmly consistent with Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought and adhere to the goal of national independence and socialism, as well as the Party’s renewal policy.
In a political report, General Phung Quang Thanh, Deputy Secretary of the VPA Central Party Committee and Minister of National Defence, said in the context of both opportunities and challenges, the army’s Party organisation has done well in its role as an advisor for the Party and State in the fields of national defence and security.
The army has also actively prevented and broken “peaceful development” schemes from hostile forces, and detected and effectively addressed acts of violation against national sovereignty and interests, the minister said.
Thanh noted that the army has contributed actively and effectively in the country’s socio-economic development programmes and activities designed to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, support families and persons with great devotion to the nation, and build a new cultural life, especially in remote, border and island areas.
The army has also worked as a major force in rescue activities as well as in mitigating and surmounting the consequences of natural disasters and epidemics, he said.-Enditem
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Vietnam seeks to boost Czech ties
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam attaches importance to its long-lasting traditional friendship with the Czech Republic and wants to further strengthen the relationship, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem.
The Deputy PM made the statement while meeting with Czech leaders during his visit to the country from September 16-17.
He said he was pleased to visit the Czech Republic when the two countries are celebrating the 60 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1950-2010).
“Vietnam is ready to facilitate Czech enterprises’ trade, investment and business activities in Vietnam in the areas of mechanics, machinery, electronic parts, chemicals, cement and food processing,” Khiem said.
The Czech leaders said they admired Vietnam ’s socio-economic development achievements over the past years, particularly its high economic growth rate in the context of the serious global economic crisis.
They also spoke highly of the country’s increasing stature in the region and the world at large.
Despite positive developments in recent years, the Vietnam-Czech cooperation remains modest and is yet to match the countries’ fine political relationship or their potential and aspirations.
The two sides have agreed on specific measures to boost their multifaceted cooperation for mutual benefit in future, especially in economics, trade and investment.
They also agreed to maintain the regular exchange of high-ranking and ministerial-level delegations in order to boost cooperation in specific areas.
The two sides said they should improve the efficiency of the Inter-governmental Committee on Economic Cooperation and agreed that the second session of the committee scheduled for September 27-29, 2010 will focus on discussing specific measures to solve difficulties and speed up the implementation of signed economic cooperation agreements, especially the disbursement of the Czech Republic’s ODA for Vietnam and the implementation of several major Czech projects in cement production and infrastructure.
The two sides agreed to sign a cooperation agreement between their finance ministries, as well as their bilateral cooperation agreement, as soon as possible.
In the education and training sector, the Czech Republic vowed to continue creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to pursue their studies in the country while suggesting Vietnam support the opening of Vietnamese language and culture training courses in its several universities.
The two sides agreed to boost cooperation in defence, crime and illegal migration prevention.
They also discussed regional and international issues of common concern and agreed to strengthen cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations, including the UN, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and ASEAN-EU.
Vietnam , as the 2010 ASEAN Chair, is ready to bridge relations between the Czech Republic and ASEAN while Czech pledges to continue support for Vietnam to strengthen its comprehensive cooperation with the EU.
At present, more than 60,000 Vietnamese people are living, studying and working in the Czech Republic.-Enditem
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Gov’t leader looks to cooperation with US
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and the US need to step up bilateral cooperation in agriculture, education, human resources development and response to climate change, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
PM Dung made the suggestion at a reception given to the Governor of the State of Washington , Christine Gregoire, in the capital city of Hanoi on Sept. 20.
The government leader said Vietnam-US relations have seen great developments and brought practical benefits to both nations in the 15 years since they established diplomatic ties.
The US is now one of the biggest trade partners of Vietnam and ranks 6 th among foreign investors in the Southeast Asian country, he said.
Dung told his guest that the signing of the Vietnam-US Free Trade Agreement and Vietnam ’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are considered important conditions for the two countries to expand trade and investment ties.
However, he said, the US has recently discriminated against a number of Vietnamese products, especially its tra (pangasius) fish. The US has also yet to apply the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to products imported from Vietnam , while granting GSP status to other ASEAN nations.
These are obstacles that have hampered trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and the US , the PM emphasised.
Regarding education and training, PM Dung urged the US and the State of Washington in particular to open more training establishments in Vietnam .
The leader said he also hoped that Washington would continue to provide favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese who are studying and living in the state.
Gregoire said her state wants to build prosperous and long-term relationships with the cities and provinces of Vietnam .
The Governor expressed her belief that the two sides would soon consider and deal with the outstanding economic barriers on the basis of friendship, mutual understanding and respect for each other’s opinions.
She took this occasion to thank the Vietnamese Government for its moves to facilitate the flow of US goods into Vietnam ’s market.-Enditem
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Vietnam, Russia share legislative experiences
HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam and Russia have shared experiences in how to organise legislative and people’s elected bodies at central and local levels.
The experiences were shared during a meeting between the deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City NA Deputy Delegation, Huynh Thanh Lap, and a Russian NA delegation led by Umakhanov Ilias-Magomet Salamovich, First Vice Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Council (Senate), in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20.
At the reception, Lap said that HCM City and Vietnam wish to learn from and strengthen cooperation with Russia in addressing problems arising during the socio-economic development process, such as traffic congestion, urban flooding and environmental pollution.
For his part, Umakhanov expressed his belief that Russia and Vietnam have many opportunities to further their cooperation and experience sharing for the common interests of the two countries as well as for the prosperity and development of the region and the world.
The Russian guests, who are in Vietnam to attend the 31 st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-31), visited HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province from September 19-20 to exchange legislative experiences and visit economic cooperation models between Vietnam and Russia .-Enditem
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AIPA-31 Executive Committee adopts agenda
Hanoi (VNA) – The Executive Committee of the 31 st ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) convened a meeting on Sept. 20 to adopt the operation programme and agenda of the 31 st AIPA General Assembly, dialogue topics with observer nations and other issues.
Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman and Chairman of AIPA-31 Nguyen Phu Trong briefed the participants about the outstanding activities of AIPA over the past year, including symposiums on women parliamentarians’ role in making laws and post-crisis and sustainable development.
Other AIPA activities are the 7 th meeting of the AIPA Fact-Finding Committee to Combat the Drug Menace, the 2 nd meeting of the AIPA advisory group and the policy consultation of G20 parliamentary speakers.
At the meeting, the delegates nominated the AIPA-31 General Assembly Vice Chairperson, approved the appointment of the AIPA Secretary General and discussed a number of other affairs.
Earlier, NA Vice Chairwoman and Head of the Vietnamese delegation Tong Thi Phong hosted a banquet in honour of delegates to the AIPA-31 General Assembly.
Phong said she believed that with the contributions of the member parliaments, Vietnam would successfully host the AIPA-31 General Assembly, helping to foster the durable development of AIPA.-Enditem
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Vietnam gains impressive poverty reduction
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has gained impressive achievements in implementing the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on poverty reduction, said a UN representative.
At a press briefing on Vietnam ’s MDGs implementation in Hanoi on September 20, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam John Hendra said that among all MDGs, Vietnam has made the most impressive progress in the MDG on poverty reduction (MDG1), reducing the poverty rate from 58.1 percent in 1990 to 14.5 percent in 2008.
The number of hungry households dropped by two thirds from 24.9 percent in 1993 to 6.9 percent in 2008, he said.
The country has also made remarkable progress in primary education with the rate of children entering primary schools reaching 97 percent, he said, adding that 88.5 percent of pupils have completed their five-year primary education, of whom over 90 percent continue higher education.
The rate of women joining economic activities is estimated to reach 83 percent in 2010.
At present, Vietnam is one of the region’s leading countries in women’s participation in the parliament with 25.8 percent of NA deputies being women.
The UN official spoke highly of the Vietnamese government’s commitments and efforts through the integration of MDGs into the country’s socio-economic development plans, building development policies for the poor and creating more jobs for labourers.
However, he also stressed that to maintain those achievements, Vietnam should define and address disparities arising from the development process and anticipate possible risks.
According to John Hendra, while the country has reached or is on the way to fulfil almost all MDGs, the goal on HIV (MDG6) is likely to be out of reach by 2015 if access to services is not improved remarkably, especially for groups at high risks.
The Vietnamese government’s budget commitment for HIV prevention at national and local levels needs to be strengthened and focus on preventive measures, ensuring the sustainability of prevention activities, he said.
Regarding education and training, the UN representative said that Vietnam should ensure poor people’s access to educational services and encourage families to invest more in the education of their children, especially girls.-Enditem
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UN MDG Summit opens in New York
New York (VNA) - The UN Summit on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) officially kicked off in New York on the morning of Sept. 20 (local time).
Vietnam ’s State President Nguyen Minh Triet joined leaders from 193 UN member states and 19 international organisations at the event.
While opening the summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders to make greater efforts and actions, and pour more investment into infrastructure and social services to absolutely eradicate hunger and poverty across the globe by 2015 as they promised in the UN Millennium Declaration.
The UN chief said after 10 years of implementing the MDGs, the world has recorded achievements, especially in the endeavours to increase the number of children getting access to school, provide safe water to people and control epidemics. These progresses proved that the Millennium Development Goals “are achievable,” he said.
However, the world is still facing various challenges on the path to achieving the set targets by the deadline, including inequality. Therefore, the UN Secretary General urged developed nations to keep their promise to increase official development assistance for poor countries to fulfill the MDGs.
The UN summit will last until Sept. 22, with a plenary session and six roundtable discussions. The participating nations are expected to adopt a document to outline the direction for the implementation of MDGs from now until 2015.
Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet is scheduled to deliver a key speech at the plenary session on the afternoon of Sept. 20 local time (Sept. 21 morning Hanoi time).-Enditem
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