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Central earthly paradise attracts tourists
Quang Binh (VNA) – Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park , a UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site in the central province of Quang Binh , has become a favourite destination of domestic and foreign tourists.
After visiting the cave, many people recognised its irresistible magic, saying that this is really the most beautiful wonder of the Creator on earth.
Thien Duong was labelled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered by scientists from the British Cave Research Association in 2005.
Located in the middle of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park , about 4 km west of the Ho Chi Minh Road , the cave, which is believed to be formed hundreds of millions of years ago, is surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.
Thien Duong Cave is 30-100 metres wide, with the widest point measuring 150 metres. With a length of over 36 km, it is considered the longest dry cave in Asia .
After crossing an old forest, visitors see the entrance to the cave shaded by century-old trees and are then dazzled by the mysterious beauty of stalactite pillars, each dozens of metres in diameter, and grandiose rock arches, which are works made by the enchantment and sudden inspiration of the Creator over the past millions of years.
Vo Minh Tuan from Mai Dich, Hanoi , said that despite visiting many landscapes in the country and the world as well, he was still amazed at the magnetic beauty of Thien Duong Cave .
“I am also impressed with the professional and careful way of serving visitors here,” he said, adding that in the coming summer, he will surely take his family to the site.
Andy, a 30-year-old woman from the Netherlands , said she was really contented with the pure and natural beauty of the wonderful cave and also the highly professional services.
Visiting Thien Duong Cave was a great experience, Andy confided, adding that she will share her feelings with friends after returning to the Netherlands .
The Truong Thinh Group, the operator of Thien Duong Cave , the group has invested tens of billions of VND in a tourist project that aims to “draw visitors from all over the world”.
Quang Binh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that since the beginning of this year, Thien Duong Cave has attracted more than 10,000 domestic and international visitors./.
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“Flavours of Canada” introduced in Hanoi
Hanoi (VNA) – Two weeks introducing Canadian culinary experience will be held in Hanoi from March 24 to April 10.
Canadian Ambassador Deborah Chatsis on March 23, announced that the event entitled “The Great Taste of Canada”, the event will introduce a Gourmet Promotion with live Canadian oysters, Dungeness Crab, lobster and shellfish, as well as Alberta Beef.
These exceptional products will be featured by Canadian Master Chef and renowned restaurateur Donald Berger at his in Hanoi , said Chatsis in the embassy’s press release.
The highlight of the event will be two Canadian Gala Dinners on March 24 and 25 at the restaurant and the event will be opened to the public on the following days.
“The Embassy of Canada is proud and delighted to offer Hanoians an opportunity to experience the finest Canadian beef, wine, and seafood”, said the ambassador.
“ Canada has all the crucial components to be Vietnam ’s supplier of quality agriculture, food and beverage products: a clean environment, world-class agricultural practices, and high standards for food inspection and regulations,” she said.
She expected that delicious, safe, healthy Canadian foodstuffs and beverages would become part of the modern Vietnamese fine dining culture and lifestyle.
This annual Canadian food promotion event in Hanoi will be followed by another later this year in Ho Chi Minh City./.
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Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation
Hanoi (VNA) – Young people from regional countries of Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia joined in a friendship meeting in Hanoi on March 23.
The event, held by the Hanoi ’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, aims to create a forum for youths from the three countries to meet and exchange experiences in educating the young generation to treasure solidarity, promote traditional friendship as well as maintain peace and boost cooperation in the future.
The exchange, taking place on the occasion of the 80 th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Year 2011, is a chance for Vietnamese youths to promote the country’s image as well as introduce their Lao and Cambodian counterparts achievements that Vietnamese young people have contributed to the country’s construction and defence.
In the framework of the event, participants will take part in a talk themed “Vietnam- Laos- Cambodia youths promote traditional solidarity and friendship for mutual peace, cooperation and development” to update each other on mobilising youth and promote youth’s roles in cooperation for socio-economic development of the three countries.
During the event, which will last till March 30, Lao and Cambodian youths will meet with Vietnamese students and visit the country’s historical sites and landscapes./.
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Conference reviews election work in northern region
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) held a conference to review preparations for the elections of the 13 th National Assembly and the People’s Councils at all levels for the 2011-2016 term in the northern region in Hanoi on March 23.
At the conference, Head of the MoHA’s Local Authorities Department Vu Huu Duc said the ministry has guided provincial and city departments of home affairs on contents of implementation of election work.
The ministry has also coordinated with a deputy working board of the NA Standing Committee and relevant central agencies to guide and answer localities’ questions on arising issues from the organisation of elections such as rights to voting and stand for election, vote forms, seal, ballot-boxes and vote colour.
It has compiled a book that clears up queries on election work in order to timely serve the implementation of the elections in localities.
Provincial and municipal election committees have urgently established constituencies enclosed with the list of candidates to be voted by each constituency to be submitted to the NA Standing Committee for approval.
To date, central agencies and localities have made preparations for the election on schedule, ensuring democracy and complying with the law. The first consultation conference selected and introduced candidates, election structure and individuals eligible for election in accordance to regulations./.
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Nigerian sentenced to death for drug offences
HCM City (VNA) — HCM City People's Court on March 22 sentenced a Nigerian man to death for trafficking heroin.
His Vietnamese wife received a life-sentence for the same offence.
According to the indictment by the Supreme People's Procuracy, Michael Ikenna Nduanya asked his wife, Nguyen Thi Hai Anh from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak , to pick up nearly one kilogram of heroin from a friend in Cambodia in early December 2009.
Anh was reported to have caught a bus from HCM City to Cambodia to get the drugs and was caught red-handed at Mien Dong (Eastern-bound) coach station on her way to Hanoi . /.
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VN kickboxers to compete at world championship
Hanoi (VNA) – Three Vietnamese kickboxers were outstanding in their victories in the qualifying rounds and quarter finals to qualify for the World Semi-professional Muay Thai Championships semi-finals in Thailand on March 22.
They include Asian Indoor Games gold medallist, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat from HCM City , Southeast Asian Games silver medallist Phan Thi Ngoc Linh of HCM City and kickboxer Van Dai.
Earlier, Vietnamese players won two golds, five silvers and two bronzes at the eight World Amateur Muay Thai Championships in Thailand on March 20.
At the world amateur event last year, Vietnamese boxers surprised the world by winning three golds and one bronze medal. They finished third out of 45 teams./.
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Radioactive cloud ‘will have no impact on people's health'
Hanoi (VNA) — A radioactive cloud was forecast to arrive in the next two days but it would have no impact on people's health, Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology Director Trinh Van Giap said on March 23.
"The cloud has hit the Philippines and it is expected to arrive in the southern region of Vietnam first before moving over other regions of the country," Giap said.
"The cloud will be gradually disperse in several days," he said.
Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety Control Director Ngo Dang Nhan said food imported from Japan would be tested.
"We will give warnings if there is any sign of danger," he said.
Department of Medical Services Administration Director Luong Ngoc Khue said it was planned to set up groups of medical workers to conduct radioactivity tests on Vietnamese citizens returning from Japan .
Eleven Vietnamese returning from Japan had been tested so far and the results showed none of them were affected by radiation. /.
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Construction to promote green tech
Hanoi (VNA) — The construction industry would be giving preferential treatment to investors in green technology, said Nguyen Tran Nam , Deputy Minister of Construction.
Nam added that the ministry would create a legal framework to boost the development of green industries.
The Government wants the country to become an industrialised nation by 2020. In that time, it anticipates the population in major cities to rise by about 45 percent from its current level.
The World Green Building Council said that buildings consume about 40 percent of the world's energy and generate 30 percent of global carbon emissions.
Green buildings, therefore, are crucial to reducing the country's carbon footprint, said Tran Huu Ha, Head of the ministry's Science, Technology and Environment Department.
He said going green would also reduce the effects of global warming.
However, he said the development of clean technologies would initially require a big investment.
Le Thi Bich Thuan, Deputy head of the ministry's Institute of Architecture , Urban and Rural Planning, said industrialisation also led to the loss of green spaces, further adding to global warming.
Thuan added that up till now little had been done to encourage construction firms to invest in green buildings.
She also said the Government should invest more in environmental sciences and raise public awareness about the need to conserve resources. /.
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Rare Han-Nom documents exhibited
Thua Thien –Hue (VNA) - An exhibition featuring thousands of original and digitized versions of Han Chinese – Nom documents issued during the Le (1428-1788), Tay Son (1778-1802) and Nguyen (1802-1945) dynasties has opened at the provincial library of Thua Thien-Hue.
A workshop on Han Chinese – Nom heritage was also organised on March 22 with the participation of researchers from HCM City and Hue , as well as representatives from villages in the province, where Han – Nom documents have been found.
The workshop discussed the preservation, exchange, digitalization and development of the values of the documents./.
Music brings Vietnamese, UK artists together
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam National Opera and Ballet and young artists from the UK 's Concordia Foundation engaged in a music fest at Hanoi Opera House on March 22.
The “UK-Vietnam Gala”, organised by the British Council Vietnam, was in honour of the official visit by Alderman Michael Bear, the Lord Mayor of the City of London , who was visiting until March 24.
The concert was the first international event in a unique collaboration between the Lord Mayor and the Concordia Foundation, with concerts also planned in China and Kenya .
The event opened with “Fanfare”, a work staged by artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet under the instruction of UK bandmaster Graham Sutcliffe, who has been praised by the Queen for his contribution to boosting cultural ties between Vietnam and the UK .
“Fanfare” was freshly composed by Tim Brice, Concordia’s jazz and classical piano player, to be performed especially at the Hanoi music fest.
The night was warmed up by UK artists such as baritone James Cleverton in the aria “Largo al facotum”, soprano Tanya Cooling in “Estrano...folie” and tenor Christopher Steele in “La donna e mobile”.
Vietnamese artists contributed to the gala with “Un di felice” performed by tenor Thanh Binh and “Toreador” by Manh Dung.
The Vietnamese folk song “Trong Com” staged by the entire orchestra really sparked the night. The event then reached its peak when Tanya Cooling and Thanh Binh sang the duet “ Brindisi ” composed by G.Verdi.
The gala wrapped up with the dance performance “Minus” arranged by Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a UK citizen of Vietnamese origin.
The concert helped to build bridges through music and the arts, and to provide much-needed concert platforms for emerging young artists.
Established 15 years ago, the London-based Concordia Foundation aims to develop arts education cooperation in the UK . Concordia has been active in Vietnam for the past 10 years.
The Concordia Foundation will provide start-up funding for a Vietnam performing arts foundation to offer performance opportunities, as well as vocal and technical training for young Vietnamese artists./.
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Get-together marks VN-Chile diplomatic ties
Hanoi (VNA) – A get-together was held in Hanoi on March 24 to mark the 40 th anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic ties on March 25.
Addressing the function, Chilean Ambassador Fernando Urrutia reviewed the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Chile over the last 40 years.
He said that on March 24, Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung and his entourage visited Chile to exchange experiences in international economic cooperation and to meet his Chilean counterpart on March 25.
The two sides will also officially mark the event in Chile , he said.
The diplomat said that a Chilean foreign ministry delegation will visit Vietnam in April to boost political, diplomatic, economic and cultural relations and cooperation in many fields.
On the occasion, President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung cabled messages of greetings to Chilean President Sebastian Pinera Echenique.
The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem sent a congratulatory message to Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno Charme./.
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Japan helps build schools in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An
Hanoi (VNA) – Japan will provide 101,158 USD in aid for a project to build a primary school in My Son commune in the central province of Nghe An’s Do Luong district.
The signing ceremony for the grant was held in Hanoi on March 24.
At the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador Yasuaki Tanizaki said “I hope that this project will improve primary school education of My Son commune, the friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Vietnam will be further deepened.”
The People’s Committee of My Son commune planned to build a two-storey school building with eight classrooms and renovate the old building, built in 1962, in order to create a positive learning environment, reduce class sizes and improve primary education in the commune.
On the same day, a grassroots grant assistance contract for upgrading Thanh Hoa Industry Technical Vocational School funded by the government of Japan was also signed in Hanoi./.
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Mobile library brings books to Hanoi children
Hanoi (VNA)- The Singapore International Fund and Hanoi Library on March 24 launched the “ Mobile library – Wheel of Knowledge” project.
The 78,000 USD project will bring books, stories, study tools, educational games and internet-connected computers to 4,000 poor children in 10 Hanoi outlying districts of Phu Nghia, Bach Thach, Noi, Thang Tri, Luong Chau, Chu Son, Hoang Xa, Dai Dong, Phu Luu and Nam Hong.
Through this project, the children will have a chance to improve their reading culture and research skills, with the support of volunteers from Singapore and Hanoi library.
According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office, access to internet services is very limited for about 60 percent of Hanoi’s rural population./.
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VN approves EU removal of footwear tariffs
Hanoi (VNA)- A Foreign Ministry spokesperson on March 24 described the European Commission (EC) decision to lift anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese leather-capped shoes from March 31 as “suitable”.
Nguyen Phuong Nga made the comment at a regular meeting of the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on March 24, responding to queries raised by reporters on Vietnam ’s reaction to the EU’s decision.
She said: “The EC decision to cancel the anti-dumping tariffs levied on Vietnamese leather-capped shoes from March 31, 2011 is suitable to real production and exports in Vietnam ”.
“The decision is also in line with the common trend towards trade liberalisation and against protectionism, as well as the positive development of partnership and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the European Union,” the spokeswoman said./.
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Asia-Pacific scholars warn of river changes
Hanoi (VNA) – Asian-Pacific experts have warned of greater challenges and a rapid reduction in water resources quality, along with changes in currents when water shortages become severe.
At the first session of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Study Group on Water Resources Security that wrapped up in Hanoi on March 23, Swedish scholar Maria Larsson said that the Asia-Pacific, especially the Mekong river basin, will lack water in the next decade due to current utilisation and management of water resources.
At the two-day session, other scholars warned that along with rapid urbanisation and industrialisation processes, the increasing use of chemical fertiliser in agriculture and the discharge of untreated urban waste water directly into rivers have severely polluted surface and underground water.
On the other hand, they said, the plan to build dams on the Mekong river’s main currents will seriously change the river’s currents, reduce by more than half the amount of silt running into the lower basin, destroy the biodiversity of the lower river basin and create other unpredictable effects on the river estuary, they said.
Scholars said the institutional environment and current regional cooperation have so far failed to ensure regional water resources security.
They emphasised the necessity for countries along the Mekong river to immediately make public information on the utilisation of water resources and share data on the river currents.
They also called for China and Myanmar’s early admission to the Mekong River Commission as full members, for more effective cooperation.
A Thai scholar suggested increasing ASEAN’s role in enhancing cooperation in protecting water resources and bring the issue of protecting the Mekong river into the ASEAN agenda.
Meanwhile, Japanese Professor Mikiyasu Nakayama said it was necessary to discuss water resources security at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Delegate of the Asia-Pacific Socio-Economic Committee (ESCAP) of the UN Le Huu Ti said that ASEAN should play a key role at the Asia-Pacific Water Summit slated for 2012 in Bangkok.
Delegates exchanged ideas on cooperation in protecting the ecological environment and increasing the effectiveness of water resource utilisation, waste water treatment, and coping with the impacts of climate change and rising sea level.
The US and Australian scholars said that many lessons on sharing water resources in other regions can be applied to the Mekong river basin.
The second session of the CSCAP Study Group will be organised in Cambodia by the second half of 2011. It is expected to discuss concrete measures to enhance international and regional cooperation in protecting regional water resources./.
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Vietnam, Switzerland in political discussions
Hanoi (VNA) – The first Vietnam-Switzerland political consultation between the two foreign ministries was held in Hanoi on March 24.
The consultation was conducted by Assistant to Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh Vice Secretary of State for the Swiss Foreign Ministry Beat Nobs.
Switzerland spoke highly of Vietnam ’s achievement in socio-economic development, particularly in poverty reduction and fulfilment of some UN Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule.
The Swiss side expressed deep impressions with the elevation of Vietnam ’s international position, especially after the country successfully fulfilled its role as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2008-2009 term and ASEAN Chair in 2010.
The two sides were pleased and spoke highly of positive steps in the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland in recent years, particularly in economics, trade, investment, development cooperation and education and training.
They agreed to join hands in organising celebrations for the 40 th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2011, which will include economic, cultural and educational events, thus contributing to increasing friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Vietnam affirmed its effective use of Switzerland ’s official development assistance, thanked the European country for its priority provision of ODA for Vietnam in the future, focusing on new cooperation areas such as climate change resilience, forest protection and clean and renewable energy development.
Both sides discussed international and regional issues of common concern and agreed to increase cooperation and coordination at multilateral and international forums.
Vietnam also affirmed its support for Switzerland to boost cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)./.
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Regional higher education officials meet
Nha Trang (VNA) – Directors general, secretaries general and commissioners responsible for higher education from Southeast Asian countries are gathering in Nha Trang city, in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa , to discuss regional tertiary education issues.
During the meeting, held by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation’s Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED), participants presented reports on matters relating to development of higher education management, the model of information technology and communications-based training in higher education in regional countries.
They discussed how to increase cooperation in research among regional universities, plans on sustainable tertiary education development, and education policies of regional countries toward the ASEAN Community by 2015.
The meeting, the first of its kind in Vietnam , was designed to create conditions for leaders of domestic universities to discuss, share experiences and learn about the latest developments and cooperation in higher education in the region, Vietnam Deputy Minister Bui Van Ga said.
It also confirms Vietnam ’s position in SEAMEO, especially ahead of Vietnam assuming the SEAMEO Council Presidency in the 2013-2014 term./.
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Health partners discuss new five-year plan
Hanoi (VNA) – The Health Ministry held a meeting with its health partners’ group (HPG) in Hanoi on Mar. 24 to discuss the health sector’s priorities in the next five years.
In its 2011-2015 plan, the health sector was due to focus on strengthening and perfecting its grassroots networks, improve the capacity of the preventive medicine sector, and raise the quality of health care services.
It will increase health personnel numbers in remote and rural areas and better the efficiency of management and use of medicines, with the aim of improving the physical quality of the population.
Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Vietnam Director, said HPG partners from developed countries will contribute to the five-year plan by making an annual health assessment, providing direct technical assistance, and conducting an overall evaluation on tools for the national health strategy.
He said the partners’ groups will continue to work with the Health Ministry to improve the operation of coordination activities, and on policy formulation and plans for the health sector to operate more efficiently.
Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu expressed his hope that the Vietnamese health sector would receive more investment and aid from developed partners in the future.
At the meeting, participants talked about the establishment of technical groups in the HPG and ways to improve the coordination of aid in localities.
The HPG started operating in 2004 with the aim of assessing the efficiency of aid provided by developed partners for the health sector, as well as activities to coordinate aid and ensure transparency.
It works to draw the participation of related Government agencies and developed country partners to assist the health sector in achieving its goals./.
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VN enhances ties with Communist Party of Peru
Hanoi (VNA) – Delegations of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland have held talks in Peru , discussing measures to expand and increase friendship and bilateral cooperation and contribute to future cooperation between the two countries.
The talks took place during a working visit to Peru from March 21-23 by a Vietnamese delegation led by Hoang Thanh Khiet, Deputy Head of the Office of the CPV Central Committee. The Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland delegation was headed by President Alberto Moreno.
While in Peru , the Vietnamese delegation held working sessions with the new left movement executive board, the open socialist movement and the authorities of Cajamarca.
Earlier, from March 17-19, the Vietnamese delegation visited Mexico, as guests of the Worker’s Party of Mexico (PT), to attend the 15 th international workshop on “Political Parties and a New Society” in Mexico City./.
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President urges greater agricultural ties with Saudi
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Saudi Arabia should further strengthen multifaceted cooperation on the basis of each country’s potential to make the wishes of the two countries’ leaders come true.
State President Nguyen Minh Triet made the statement while receiving Industry and Trade Minister Abdullah Bin Ahmed Zainal Ali Radha and Agriculture Minister Fahad Bin Abdul Rahman Balganim of Saudi Arabia in Hanoi on March 24.
The State President said the two countries’ ministries and branches need to seek specific, new cooperative areas to boost bilateral trade.
He also affirmed that Vietnam , thanks to its advantages in agriculture, is willing to help Saudi Arabia ensure food security, adding he hoped that the Middle East country will assist Vietnam in ensuring energy security, since it has the world’s largest oil and fuel reserves.
President Triet asked the two countries to study possibilities for setting up partnerships in energy and food, expanding labour cooperation and establishing information supply channels for businesses.
The visiting ministers said their visit was aimed at deploying the initiative of their King and implementing the agreements already signed between the two countries, especially in agriculture, trade and industry.
They affirmed that agriculture plays an important part in Saudi Arabia ’s economy, and as a result, they wished to conduct agricultural projects in Vietnam in the earliest time frame possible.
The Middle East country was willing to build long-term strategic relations with Vietnam in energy, expand labour cooperation and expected that more Saudi Arabian businesses would invest in Vietnam, the two ministers said./.
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Japan diplomat thanks company for timely help
Hanoi (VNA)- The Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam has expressed thanks to the Song Da-Viet Duc Investment Joint-stock Company for its provision of a 58m-tall concrete pumping vehicle to help Japan in its effort to deal with nuclear problems.
Yasuaki Tanizaki told the Company Chairman and General Director, Nguyen Van Bay, at their meeting in Hanoi on March 24 that the vehicle will be used to deal with problems at nuclear power plants affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami, to minimise any possible disaster.
The Song Da-Viet Duc company was reported to have ordered two 58-60 m tall concrete pumping vehicles made in Germany, each worth over 30 billion VND (roughly 1.63 million USD), one year ago. When the devastating twin disaster rocked the northeastern region of Japan , the two vehicles were in transit in the country. Having received a proposal from Japan for help, the company’s chief instantly agreed to provide one of them.
Bay said he considered the provision of the vehicle to Japan as necessary, although the company was still in need of production machinery.
“It is a practical expression of sympathy for the twin disaster victims in Japan as well as thanks for the Japanese government and people for their valuable assistance to Vietnam in socio-economic development,” said the CEO.
Bay also took this opportunity to hand the Japanese ambassador 100 million VND as aid from his company to the Japanese construction association TSCE to contribute to the reconstruction of material infrastructure in disaster-hit areas./.
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PM meets female deputies to 12th NA
Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met female deputies to the 12 th National Assembly who were attending the last session of the 2005-2011 term NA in Hanoi on March 24.
According to the PM, the female deputies, as representatives of the people’s will and expectation, have improved their political spirit, professional skill and performed their tasks well during their tenure.
He also praised contributions the female deputies made in the country’s development, saying, “The image of the female NA deputies is also the image of the Vietnamese women and the pride of the country”.
Over many years, the Party and State have always attached importance to the role and position of women and made efforts to ensure gender equality and create conditions for women to devote themselves to the country’s development, PM Dung said.
He also said that the NA passed the Law on Gender Equality, the Political Bureau issued a resolution on women’s tasks in the process of national industrialisation and modernisation, and the government promulgated an action plan on a national strategy on gender quality between 2011-2020 period which aimed to raise the number of female deputies to NA and People’s Council to at least 30 percent in the 2011-2015 period and 35 percent in the 2016-2020 period.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese women, for their part, have tried their best to make contributions to the country’s socio-economic development, the PM added.
The female deputies affirmed their intention to continue to make further contributions to national construction and socio-economic development and act as a firm pillar in promoting gender equality and women’s advancement in Vietnam./.
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Vietnam, DPR Korea boost military ties
Hanoi (VNA) - Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh received the Deputy Minister of the People’s Armed Forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , General Pak Jae Kyong in Hanoi on March 24.
Thanh welcomed the visit by General Pak Jae Kyong, which he said would contribute to promoting the traditional friendship between the two countries and two armed forces.
The visiting general informed his host of the results of his talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, during which the two sides discussed international and regional issues and bilateral ties, for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
Earlier, General Pak Jae Kyong and his entourage laid a wreath at President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, and visited the army-run telecom group, Viettel, and Ha Long Bay./.
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RoK holds live-fire drills near Korean border
Hanoi (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK) began large-scale live-fire drills near the border with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on March 24.
According to the RoK Defence Ministry, the drills took place in Pocheon, about 30km south of the inter-Korean border, with the involvement of tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery, helicopters and fighter jets.
Earlier on March 23, the RoK Government said the army was conducting week-long naval exercises from March 21 on the occasion of one year of the Cheonan warship sinking.
The inter-Korean ties were tense after the Cheonan warship sinking was blamed on the DPRK. However, Pyongyang rejected all accusations relating to the case.
In another vein, the two Koreas on March 24 agreed to the venue and time for a meeting to discuss volcanic activities at Mount Baekdu .
According to the RoK Unification Ministry, both sides’ experts will meet on March 29 in the RoK border city of Munsan .
Standing at 2,774m, Mt Baekdu is the highest mountain on the peninsula and considered a sacred symbol of ancestry by both sides. The volcano last erupted in 1903.
The two Korean sides agreed to conduct joint research on the volcano in 2007, but are yet to promote any detailed activities./.
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Work starts on modernising northern railway signals
Hanoi (VNA) – Work on a 3.5 trillion VND-plus project to modernise information and signals along northern railway routes has started at Hanoi’s Yen Vien station.
Addressing the ceremony on March 24, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Le Manh Hung said that the project will help the railway sector to increase train speeds and improve safety, as well as allow access to the latest technology and railway management solutions.
The routes to be upgraded include Hanoi-Lao Cai, Hanoi-Dong Dang, Hanoi-Thai Nguyen and other railway lines.
More than 2.4 trillion VND of the 3.5 trillion VND project is sourced from the Chinese Government’s preferential credits. The project includes the construction of a cable transmission system, a signal control system and train monitoring system.
The first phase of the project, worth 2.2 trillion VND, is expected to be completed in 2013./.
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