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Panasonic Vietnam becomes main sponsor of national football teams
Hanoi (VNA) – Panasonic Vietnam Ltd. Co. will be the main sponsor of Vietnam’s national Olympic, men’s and women’s football teams for two years.
Under a contract to the effect signed in Hanoi on March 28, Panasonic Vietnam will provide financial assistance to national teams’ activities as well as activities targeting local fans.
General Director of Panasonic Vietnam Ltd. Co. Shinichi Wakita said the sponsorship programme, themed “Millions of hearts, one flag”, is intended to build up solidarity among Vietnamese football fans and to raise Vietnamese football to a new height of development.
President of the Vietnam Football Federation Nguyen Trong Hy said with Panasonic Vietnam’s assistance, Vietnam is expected to earn the best achievements in this year’s World Cup, Olympic and SEA Games qualifying rounds./.
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RoK helps build court officials training school in Vietnam
Hanoi (VNA) – Construction on a court officials training school funded by the Republic of Korea kicked off on March 28.
Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam Tu Van Nhu and Minister of the National Court Administration of the RoK Park Il Hwan attended the breaking-ground ceremony for the facility.
The project is built with the RoK government’s non-refundable aid of 3 million USD through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Once operational, the school is expected to train 5,000 court officials each year./.
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Deputy PM urges for more methadone
HCM City (VNA) — Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong has asked HCM City authorities to extend methadone maintenance treatment to drug users in the city as a measure to fight crime and reduce HIV transmission.
HCM City and Hanoi will be the country's first localities to produce methadone in order to ensure sufficient supply for scaling up the pilot methadone programme and provide the treatment to intravenous drug users nationwide, Trong said during his visit to a methadone clinic in the city's District 8 on March 28.
District 8 is a hotspot in the illegal drug trade and leads the city in drug-related crime, according to Colonel Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the city's Public Security.
Trong, who is also chairman of the national committee for preventing HIV/AIDS transmission, drug abuse and prostitution, urged district authorities to step up the fight
against drug trafficking.
"The fight and prevention against drug-related crime should be taken in tandem with urban development, job creation, vocational training and credit support for poor households as well as education and propagation activities among community," he said.
Hua Ngoc Thuan, deputy chairman of the city's People's Committee, said that drug crimes in District 8 have reversed to an upward trend this year after a record drop between
2009 and 2010 due to coordinated effort by departments, agencies and local residents.
In 2009 the police broke 260 cases and arrested 1,597 people involved in drug trafficking and hoarding, according to a report by the District 8 People's Committee.
Last year the number of cases declined to 162 with 814 people involved, the report said.
However, the first three months of the year saw 55 cases involving 326 people, an increase of 18 cases and 268 people against the corresponding period last year.
Thuan blamed the upward trend of drug crimes in the district to a halt in the anti-drug programme that was carried out in 2009 and 2010 under direct instructions from the city People's Committee.
He said more than 7,000 drug users are being treated in 16 drug rehabilitation centres in the city and more than 19,000 former addicts are trying to re-integrate into society.
The city now has five methadone clinics in districts 4, 6, 8, Binh Thanh and Thu Duc, providing methadone maintenance therapy, general health care and drug dependence counseling to nearly 1,000 drug users.
It plans to open two additional clinics in the city's outlying districts this year, Thuan said./.
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Broken undersea telecom cable resumes operations
HCM City (VNA) — An undersea telecom cable that broke on March 8 has been fixed and resumed normal operation on March 28, FPT Telecom reported.
With the Asia America Gateway cable again functioning normally, the Internet bandwidth connection between Vietnam and foreign countries has been fully restored, it said.
Four Vietnamese companies are connected to AAG – Vietnam National Post and Telecommunications Corporation, military-run Viettel, and Sai Gon Post and
Telecommunications Services Corporation besides FPT Telecom – with the former three also being part owners of the cable.
It is owned, along with the three, by telecom operators in various Asian countries and the US .
FPT Telecom said as soon as the disruption occurred, it diverted part of the lost capacity to a standby system to ensure international communications proceeded smoothly
and launched more connection routes to minimise the impact./.
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French experts honoured with Friendship Order
Hanoi (VNA) — The late Prof. Ennio Lucio Benedetti and his wife - Irene Dunia Benedetti on March 28 were honoured with the State President's Friendship Order, the
honourable award bestowed on foreigners for their contribution to the development of Vietnam .
Benedetti and his wife used to work at the Jacques Monod Institute, the Paris University 6 and 7, France . They visited Vietnam in 1976, and the late professor helped the health sector to establish and develop electron-microscopic studies for biomedical research in Vietnam . He also organised a range of scientific workshops and training courses on immunisation, biochemistry, to cellular work and pathology.
Benedetti and his wife also collaborated with Vietnamese scientists in conducting scientific research on diseases and epidemics such as leprosy, SARS, avian influenza
H5N1 and encephalitis in the 1990s./.
Poor rural women get a break
Thai Nguyen (VNA) — Until recently, 26-year-old Luong Thi Tham was living under the poverty line on about 400,000 VND (20 USD) a month.
Today, the young woman, who is from the Tay ethnic group, earns a stable income of about 2.5 million VND (125 USD) a month from raising free-range chickens for the market.
The turnaround in Tham's life began after she joined a cooperative group raising free-range chickens using biologically safe techniques and care.
Known as the Thai Nguyen Women's Economic Collaboration Group, it is part of a development project set up by Care International, in May, 2008. It will run until next year.
Until about a year ago, in Tham's group of 13 women, eight were living under the poverty line. Then in January last year, they became part-time poultry farmers after being
given 50 one-day-old chickens each.
"We all attended training courses and become trainee trainers," said Tham.
The average profit for each member from their small flocks amounted to 2.5 million VND (125 USD) within three months.
"This was beyond my expectations. I had never dreamt about being so successful," said Tham.
Before the programme started, Tham found irregular work as a hired farm worker earning about 400,000 VND (20 USD) a month.
"With my new money, I can afford some necessary furniture for my house and put a little aside in savings," she said.
In pre-Care days, people usually let their chickens wander around without any care. Now, under biologically safe techniques, the chickens wander freely for much of the day
and are then caged and fed - and given vaccinations when necessary.
"Raising chickens under the model, I need only three or four months before they are ready for market," said Tham. "Before it took six months to have them ready."
Tham is among 12,000 poor residents in eight communes in Dinh Hoa district in the northern province of Thai Nguyen who have received practical assistance from Care
International to improve their incomes.
The project has been backed with more than 20 billion VND (1 million USD) from Care Denmark and the European Union and managed by Care International in Vietnam .
Chairman of the Dinh Hoa People's Committee, Hoang Van Son, said that early next year, the committee will join hands with the project management board to make a detailed survey of poverty reduction in the district.
"The pressing concern of these women, most of whom are ethnic women, is not only poverty but gender inequality," said Phan Thu Hien, director of the project.
Women who can contribute to a family's income are highly thought of by their husbands and families.
In the targeted communes, women are encouraged to form production or business groups depending on their interest.
And chicken are not the only source of income, Care International has taught the women to branch out into growing cassava, tea, coffee, sugarcane, maize, organic
vegetables, fruit, small agro-forestry plots and silk production.
"The women support and learn from each other, which increases their confidence and strengthens membership ties," said Hien.
By the end of this year, more than 100 cooperation groups comprising a total of about 2,000 members are planned to be in operation.
New cultivation methods for cash crops, updated methods for livestock rearing and crop and livestock restructuring are the main skills being transferred to the groups.
While they are setting up their small operations, group members receive day-to-day advice and coaching from project consultants from Hanoi .
"The women are also taught about marketing, production planning, business start-up and development of capital for business," said Hien.
Groups that have successfully started up and require credit for expansion can now access loans from sources such as the Bank for Social Policies or a fund managed by
the Vietnam Women's Union .
Social issues such as gender equality, life skills and household management have also been mainstreamed into the groups' operations.
"This will help poor ethnic women not only generate more income but also improve their position in the household and society at large," said Hien./.
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Airfares may soon soar by up to 20 percent
Hanoi (VNA) — A 20 percent rise in airfare ceiling prices has been proposed to solve difficulties for businesses.
The proposal was discussed by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance and a new ceiling price was expected by the end of next month.
The proposal follows approaches by the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration and many domestic airlines asking for permission to increase ticket prices to avoid losses
due to the change in the exchange rate.
Department of Transport Director Tran Ngoc Thanh said the depreciation of the dong had raised the cost of fuel and services at airports.
The Ministry of Transport had agreed with the proposal to increase the ceiling price by 20 percent and will send it to the Ministry of Finance for appraisal, he said.
In its deliberations, the Finance Ministry will calculate how much of the burden business will have to share in accordance with Resolution 11 of the Government to curb inflation.
The new ceiling price will be applied by the end of next month if the plan was approved by the Finance Ministry.
Air Mekong CEO Doan Quoc Viet said an airfare price adjustment was necessary to ensure the existence and development of air businesses. However, the actual airfare
price adjustment depended on market demand.
Raising the ceiling price did not necessarily mean that airfares will hit the ceiling but rather it will create a framework for air companies to set airfares in a flexible
manner.
He added that raising the ceiling price will help ease difficulties but will not completely compensate for extra expenses of air companies.
Viet said air services were regarded as a luxury for average income earners and entrepreneurs. Air service prices did not have much influence on CPI but air transport had an important impact on economic development./.
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US to make documentary about Vietnam War
Washington (VNA) - US filmmaker Ken Burns will produce a 10-12 hour documentary about the Vietnam war.
In an announcement made public on March 28, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States , said that the next Ken Burns documentary project for PBS is the documentary series which will explore the military, political, cultural, social, and human "dimensions" of the Vietnam war.
According to the PBS, the documentary series will focus on the human experience of the conflict, using eyewitness testimonies of ordinary people – American and Vietnamese – whose lives were impacted by the war.
The series will also tell the story of the millions of American citizens who became deeply opposed to the war in Vietnam , taking to the streets in some of the largest protest demonstrations the nation has ever seen, PBS said.
Ken Burns had made documentaries on the Civil War of the U.S. and World War II. PBS is rebroadcasting Burns' "The Civil War" next week to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of that conflict. His documentary about the Vietnam War will be broadcast in 2016./.
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French court rejects Italian lawyer’s claim on Vietnam Airlines’ money
Hanoi (VNA) – The Paris Civil Court has refused an Italian lawyer’s demand to receive 5.2 million EUR of Vietnam Airlines that is kept in the Paris Lawyers Bar’s account, the national flag carrier said on March 28
Vietnam Airlines said it received the verdict from the Paris Civil Court on March 11, which is a positve sign in a 17-year lawsuit between the airline and Maurizio Liberati, a former lawyer of Vietnam Airlines’ former agent in Italy.
Lawyer Maurizio Liberati was hire in 1992 by the airline’s agent in Italy , the Falcomar Co., Liberati claimed that he provided professional services to the airline pursuant to his agreement with Falcomar. When Liberati was sacked by Falcomar, he took both agent and Vietnam Airlines to court, and demanded comensation for his unpaid wage amounting to 537 million ITL (4.3 million EUR).
Under the contact between Vietnam Airlines and Falcomar Co., the agent in Italy was only authorised to sell tickets for Vietnam Airlines and the airline was not taking any responsibility for any other contacts/agreements signed by Falcomar Co.
However, in November 1994, Vietnam Airlines received a summon from the Rome lower court attached with a translation version of the petition by Maurizio Liberati as plaintiff, asking the airline to attend the Roma lower court on November 20, 1995.
As it believed it had no link whatsoever with Liberati , Vietnam Airlines did not attend the hearing on November 30, 1995.
The carrier only learnt about the hearing’s ruling seven years later when in May 2002, it received a translation version of a letter from Liberati demanding payment of compensation and a copy of the Rome Court’s verdict issued on March 7, 2000, requiring the carrier to pay 4.3 million EUR within 30 days.
In February 2004, Vietnam Airlines received a notice from the French committee for debt payment and seizure, announcing that it had frozen more than 1.33 million EUR in the carrier’s BSP account in Italy in order to execute the March 7, 2000 verdict. The sum Vietnam Airlines was order to pay came to 5.185 million EUR.
For many years, Vietnam Airlines sent its complaints to the Rome Appeal and the Paris Court , but on December 16, 2008, the Rome Appeal Court issued a decision to dismissing the airline’s appeal.
Vietnam Airlines said it will continue to work closely with Vietnamese relevant ministries and agencies and follow the lawsuit to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the firm and State./.
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Plutonium detected in soil at Fukushima nuke plant
Hanoi (VNA) - Plutonium has been detected in soil samples taken in five locations at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant No. 1, the Tokyo Electric Power company (TEPCO) said on March 28.
According to the nuclear complex’s operator TEPCO, this was the first time plutonium had been detected at the nuke plant since the March 11earthquake and tsunami that devastated the plant’s reactors.
Of the samples from five locations, there is a high possibility that at least two of them are directly linked with the current reactor accident, TEPCO spokesman said.
Plutonium is more noxious than other radioactive substances like iodine and cesium, but TEPCO said the level is not serious enough to harm human health.
Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the detection of plutonium showed the damage of fuel rods. TEPCO an the Ministry of Science will keep a close watch on the environment at the plant and its surrounding areas within a radius of 20km.
Earlier the same day, TEPCO said, high levels of radiation exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour have been detected in water in a trench outside the No. 2 reactor's building at the nuclear plant, with the contaminated water suspected to have come from the reactor's core, where fuel rods have partially melted.
The radiation level in the air in the trench stood at 100 to 300 millisieverts, the company said.
At a radiation level of 1,000 millisieverts per hour, people could suffer a decrease in the number of lymphocytes -- a type of white blood cell -- in just 30 minutes, and half could die within 30 days by remaining in such conditions for four hours./.
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‘Football Dreams’ set to return in April
HCM City (VNA) – “Football Dreams”, a programme designed by the Qatar Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence to seek football talents will come back to Vietnam next month.
“Football Dreams” Vietnam 2011, the fourth of it kind in a row, will take place in 43 cities and provinces across the country and is expected to attract around 60,000 boys aged between 13-15, said the programme’s managing director, Josep Colomer, at a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City on March 29.
As scheduled, the qualifying round will be held in all the 43 cities and provinces from April 20 to May 20 to select 176 outstanding players.
In the second round, experts from the Aspire Academy will pick out 50 of the 176 players for the national final round, slated for HCM City from August 6-7.
Three top players will represent Vietnam to compete at the world final round in Qatar .
In 2010, “Football Dreams” drew the participation of 20,000 young footballers from 25 cities and provinces.
Three winners, including Le Van Chung, Cao Thanh Hoe, both from the central city of Da Nang and Nguyen Viet Thang from the Mekong Delta province of Long An, qualified for the world round in Qatar.
A year earlier, Nguyen Thai Sung from Da Nang city became the first Vietnamese contestant to overcome the global round, receiving a scholarship for three-year training at the Aspire Academy .
This year, “Football Dreams” will be organised in 13 countries worldwide, including four Asian nations - Vietnam , Thailand , Indonesia and Cambodia .
The Aspire Academy is planning to build training centres in Vietnam and Thailand to help young footballers get easier access to modern football training programmes./.
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Overseas Vietnamese Committee delegation visits Laos
Vientiane (VNA) – A delegation from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) led by Foreign Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Son visited Laos from March 28-31 to boost relations between the two countries.
While receiving the COVA delegation in Vientiane on March 29, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Doangchay Phichith expressed his wish that the two sides will strengthen the exchange of experiences, helping foster the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos .
Deputy Minister Son congratulated Laos on the success of the 9 th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and informed the Lao Deputy PM about the results of the talks between COVA and the Liaison Committee for Overseas Laotians.
He affirmed that Vietnam ’s Foreign Ministry will closely coordinate with its Lao counterpart to strengthen the comprehensive relationship between the two ministries and implement a memorandum of understanding signed between the two committees on the day.
According to the MoU, between 2011-2015 the two sides will continue close coordination, regularly exchange ideas on the world situation or events relating to their countries’ overseas residents and support each other in communication work.
The two sides will jointly prevent and struggle against hostile elements which sabotage the two nations.
They will create favourable conditions for each other in mapping out plans on exchanges of information, experiences, experts and working delegations./.
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VN to enhance climate change adaptation ability
Hanoi (VNA) – A seminar on enhancing education on adaptation to climate change in Vietnam was jointly held in Hanoi on March 29 by the Live and Learn for Environment and Community Centre and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).
The seminar, themed “Sharing experiences and boosting education on climate change in Vietnam ” aims to share experiences on climate change adaptation and natural disaster relief education, as well as to set up a joint cooperation mechanism on climate change education in Vietnam .
At the event, some non-governmental organisations introduced successful models and experiences in climate change education in the country, which were carried out with children from the northern mountainous areas, central coastal provinces and Mekong Delta regions playing a central role.
During the seminar, the Belgian Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB) and the Teachers’ Training University discussed how to bring issues relating to environment and climate change into high school education in the future, while Action for the City Centre introduced various ways to change urban residents’ behaviour and attitudes to their surrounding environment.
A representative of MoET presented an action plan on how to cope with climate change for the period 2011-2015, with a view to enhancing people’s knowledge and ability in dealing with climate change. He also said the ministry will instruct relevant agencies to implement tasks included in the action plan on climate change adaptation, while boosting postgraduate training and science research./.
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Forum reviews administrative procedure law
Hanoi (VNA)- The Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on March 29 held the second Judicial Policy Dialogue Forum on the Code of Administrative Procedure (CAP) in Hanoi.
Standing Deputy Minister of Justice, Hoang The Lien said the regular event effectively serves for activities of aid coordination and strategy building that are among important contents under the One UN Initiative signed between the United Nations and the Vietnamese Government.
At the event, Dr. Dao Thi Xuan Lan, Judge and Tribunal President of the Administrative Court of the Supreme People’s Court, presented the new contents of CAP 2010.
Dr. Nguyen Van Hien, Deputy Chief of the Central Steering Committee on Judicial Reform introduced foreign countries’ experiences in dealing with the Supreme Court’s decisions and made comments on Vietnam’s mechanisms.
The delegates also heard presentations delivered by Nicholas Booth, UNDP Vietnam Policy Advisor for Rule of law and Access to Justice, and Dang Thanh Son, Director of the National Centre for Judicial Records./.
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VN, Netherlands join hands on climate change
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and the Netherlands will cooperate in climate change adaptation and water management.
At the first meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands intergovernmental committee held in Hanoi on March 29, participants discussed detailed solutions to deal with climate change and improve water management, ensuring stable social development in such areas as the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, Red River Delta and coastal areas.
Presiding over the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai highlighted the bilateral strategic partnership agreement on climate change adaptation and water management signed in October, 2010 as a landmark in the two countries’ cooperative ties. He said the attendance of Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander at the meeting embodied the cooperative commitments of the two governments in the field.
The Deputy PM took the opportunity to thank the Dutch Government for its past support and committed to doing his best to bring bilateral cooperative relations to a greater level of success.
Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai was also appointed as Chairman of the Vietnam subcommittee under the Vietnam-Netherlands intergovernmental committee on climate change adaptation and water management./.
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12th National Assembly’s final session closes
Hanoi (VNA) – The ninth and final session of the 12 th National Assembly wrapped up in Hanoi on March 29, voting for several laws, except for the Law on the Capital City .
The bills passed at this session included the Law on Human Trafficking Prevention, the Law on Independent Auditing and amendments to the Civil Litigation Code.
The draft resolution of the 12 th National Assembly’s ninth session was passed, obtaining 90.76 percent of the votes.
Party General Secretary and Chairman of the 12 th NA Nguyen Phu Trong said the NA has made strong changes to improve the efficiency of law making and supreme supervision as well as in deciding important issues for the country.
He hailed the State President for making many active contributions to the nation’s external and internal activities and the building of the national great unity bloc.
The Government and the Prime Minister have exerted efforts in running and managing the country and society in a dynamic and resolute manner to meet the people’s growing needs, Trong said in his speech to close the session.
He also recognised the efforts judiciary agencies have made to gradually improve as required by the judiciary reform roadmap, and the progress the agencies have achieved in judiciary activities.
The Party General Secretary asserted that these achievements have contributed immensely to the country’s common achievements.
He asked the deputies to enthusiastically take part in preparing for the election to the 13 th National Assembly and supervising the work.
According to law, the first session of the 13 th National Assembly will convene on July 22, 2011 at the latest.
The upcoming session will elect and approve senior personnel of the State, along with considering socio-economic issues and the State budget while passing a number of bills and dealing with other important matters./.
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Thailand agrees on border meeting in Indonesia
Phnom Penh (VNA)- Thai Minister of Defence, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon has agreed to attend the General Border Committee meeting with Cambodia to be held in Indonesia , on the condition that the host will not directly take part in the talks, Cambodian press said on March 29.
Co-chaired by Prawit and Cambodian Minister of National Defence Tea Banh, the meeting will discuss ASEAN’s dispatch of Indonesian observers to the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple, a site that witnessed a number of military clashes in February.
Earlier, Gen. Prawit refused to attend the meeting as he opposed the involvement of a third party in an issue that he said could be solved bilaterally.
The same day, the Thai parliament decided to postpone a vote on documents drafted by the Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Committee, in order to wait for the ruling of the Thai Constitutional Court on the issue./.
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VN-Cambodia friendship to develop firmly
Hanoi (VNA) – Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan has expressed her belief that with efforts by states and people, the friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia would develop firmly.
The Vice State President expressed her aspiration while receiving a visiting delegation of Cambodian citizens headed by Khun Chhy, former Cambodian Transport Minister, in Hanoi on Mar. 29.
Stressing the traditional friendship and mutual assistance during the past struggle for national liberation and the current national construction, Doan confirmed that the fine relations between the two countries resulted from the efforts and devotion of generations of Vietnamese and Cambodians and there was a responsibility in educating young people to continue these precious traditions.
Khun Chhy appreciated assistance from the Vietnamese people to help the Cambodian people escape from genocide and said Cambodia would never forget the help and devotion of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in the past.
He informed the hosts that during the visit the delegation met Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts, who stood side by side with the Cambodian people during their past difficulties.
The same day, the Cambodian delegation was received by Vu Xuan Hong, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, who expressed his hope that the visit would contribute to boosting the traditional friendship between the two people.
The Cambodian delegation also paid a tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum./.
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HN National University honors Prof. John Quelch
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi National University on March 29 awarded an honorary doctorate to Professor John A. Quelch, one of the world’s top ten influential marketing experts, in honour of his outstanding contributions to marketing and to the university.
Born in London , Prof. John A. Quelch is Dean of the China-Europe International Business School . He was previously Senior Associate Dean of Harvard Business School , teaching marketing to senior executives in the Advanced Management Programme.
The professor made his first visit to Vietnam in early 2005 and has returned every year since then.
He had met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan. He also shared his experience and marketing case studies with Vietnamese executives at seminars hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He was among advisors providing accurate methodology and transparent processes for rating Vietnam ’s 500 largest businesses since 2007.
During the visit to Vietnam from March 28-30, Prof. Quelch gave a lecture on marketing strategy in the period of recession and during the 21 st century./.
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Vietnam’s military delegation visits Brunei
Hanoi (VNA) – A high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation led by Deputy National Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Huy Hieu paid an official visit to Brunei from March 27-29.
During the three-day visit, the delegation met and held talks with Dato Pakuda Haji Mustappa Haji Sirat, Brunei ’s Deputy Minister of Defence. The two parties highlighted the fine bilateral relationship on defence, which they said could match political relations between the two countries.
The two sides expected to further foster cooperative relations in many fields under the agreement on defence cooperation signed in November, 2005. They also agreed to the exchange of young officer exchanges, English language training, relief and rescue activities and anti-piracy in the future.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Huy Hieu expressed his thanks to the Brunei Ministry of Defence for its support for Vietnam to successfully organise military and defence meetings of ASEAN in 2010, especially the Fourth Asean Defence Ministers (ADMM-4) and the ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting - Plus (ADMM+) organised for the first time in Vietnam .
On the occasion, the delegation visited the third Battalion of the Royal Brunei Armed Force (RBAF)./.
BUSINESS
Ben Tre exports 10, 000 young coconuts to Singapore
Ben Tre (VNA) – A company in the southern Ben Tre province has shipped 10,000 young coconut fruits to a Singaporean client.
Director of Le An Service-Trade and Export Ltd., Co. Le Thanh Phong said his company is negotiating similar contracts with young coconut with US and Malaysian customers./.
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First forestry festival brings success
Binh Dinh (VNA) – The first ever Vietnam Wood Furniture and Forest Product Fair saw the signing of 30 contracts and 10 MOUs on cooperation in afforestration, wood processing and forest product export and domestic consumption.
The three-day event, which ended on March 28 in Quy Nhon city, central Binh Dinh province, attracted more than 100,000 visitors, generating 50 billion VND in revenue.
A total of 110 domestic and foreign businesses displayed their products in 528 pavilions.
The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIETFOREST), and the Binh Dinh’s authorities./.
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Vietnam keeps importing Japanese farm goods
Hanoi (VNA) — Vietnam will continue to import farm products from Japan but will strengthen inspection on radiation safety, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development announced.
At a meeting last March 25, Minister Cao Duc Phat requested agencies to publish regulations on the permitted level of radioactivity for each specific type of food products.
The ministry will be responsible for inspecting raw products from Japan at the border gates while the Ministry of Health will inspect milk and canned products.
Phung Huu Hao, of the ministry's Quality Control of Agricultural, Forest and Aquatic Produce Department, said to ensure safety, whenever farm products cross border gates,
random samples will be tested at one of four standard laboratories to analyse the level of radioactive pollution.
The safety requirements applied in Vietnam will be in line with internationally recognised standards relating to foods, food production and food safety.
"If two or three batches have radiation levels exceeding the safety threshold, 100 percent of this type of product will be tested," he said.
Nguyen Cong Khan, head of the health ministry's Vietnam Food Administration, said that since the cost of radiation testing is relatively high, the ministry has proposed that
the Ministry of Finance provide additional funding for unscheduled inspection activities.
Vietnam has already asked Japan to provide radiation safety certificates for each batch of farm products imported into Vietnam .
The main farm products imported from Japan are fish, shrimp, squid, milk, apple and pumpkin but the import turnover was reported to be insignificant.
The Ministry of Science and Technology reported that the radioactive waste leaked from Fukushima 1, a nuclear power plant in Japan , has been found to have moved to the
Pacific region. The radioactive clouds are heading for Indonesia and Malaysia , while Vietnam remains unaffected.
Observation station of the Institute for Nuclear Science and Technique under the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission has discovered radioactive isotope I-131 in the air,
but the minor content will not affect people's health, scientists said on March 28.
Scientist Satoru Toshimitsu, chief representative of Japan Atomic Industrial Forum's Office in Vietnam on March 28 said the situation will be worse only in case there
will be continuous earthquakes and tsunamies occuring at the location of the plant. Otherwise, with helps from IAEA and other countries, Japan could control and minimise the consequences of the nuclear plant explosion, he said./.
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Three cities top economic integration poll
Hanoi (VNA) - HCM City ranked first, followed by Hanoi and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province among 50 localities surveyed which summarised their capacity for international economic integration in 2010.
The figure was revealed in a report by the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation (NCIEC) last week.
The report, for the first time measures the capacity for international economic integration of localities in Vietnam , based on eight criteria including institutions, infrastructure,
culture, local natural features, human resources, trade and investment and tourism.
HCM City ranked top in terms of trade and investment. Between 2005 and 2009, the city's total retail and consumer sales reached 2,444 trillion VND (over 1.1 triillion USD), accounting for more than 42 percent of the total of 50 localities nationwide.
The city's total export turnover reached more than 182 billion USD in the period, making up over 35.6 percent of the total 50 provinces and cities. The city had more than 29,000
import-export companies, compared to nearly 16,000 in Hanoi , that ranked second.
The report said that HCM City was also the most attractive city for investment in the country in 2010. Last year the city had 3,500 projects that were still operational with
registered capital making up 15.82 percent of the country's total registered capital.
Nguyen Thanh Trung, a project representative said that HCM City , Hanoi and Ba Ria-Vung Tau were the most attractive places for investors in Vietnam .
He added that Ba Ria-Vung Tau was expected to become a major regional and international port.
Cao Bang, Ha Giang and Bac Kan provinces stood at the bottom of the list due to their limited trade development potential, ability or lack of development focus on trade and
investment.
Trung said that provinces that had not attracted investment were struggling due to geographical location or poor infrastructure systems and transportation.
Most of the provinces, such as Bac Kan , Dien Bien, and Lai Chau in the north or Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, and Ben Tre in the south, are limited in their development potential.
In terms of tourism, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa and Thua Thien Hue were leading provinces due to their beautiful beaches and hospitality services.
Cao Bang, Kon Tum, and Lai Chau ranked low due to difficult terrain and poor access to airports or other provinces.
"The report aims to create an analytical tool for policy makers and localities to determine a locality's international economic integration status in the broader context of the
nation's increasingly comprehensive economic integration," said Deputy Minister of Trade and General Secretary of the NCIEC Nguyen Cam Tu.
Tu also added that the report did not aim to rate localities in a negative way, but instead provided them with statistics and analysis in an effort to help them make more
consistent decisions in socio-economic development by using province-specific integration criteria.
The report focused on the impact of economic integration on social welfare, hunger eradication and poverty reduction and development of enterprises. It also assessed the
compatibility between local visions and the current integration capacity of each province or city in order for them to make the necessary adjustments needed to attract more
sources for integration and sustainable development.
The report was conducted last June as part of a research project funded by the Australian Agency for International Development and the UK Department for International
Development through the Beyond WTO Programme./.
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Share values rise, volume drops
Hanoi (VNA) — Shares rose slightly on March 28 on both national stock exchanges, even as trading volumes and values dropped compared to the previous session on March 25.
On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index rose by 0.27 percent to close at 93.07 points. Both volume and value dropped by more than 25 percent from March 25 to just 28.2 million shares, worth less than 412 billion VND (19.7 million USD). Decliners outnumbered advancers by 152-113.
Kim Long Securities (KLS) became the most-active share nationwide, with 4.6 million traded, before closing up 6.1 percent to 10,500 VND (0.50 USD) per share.
Late last week, the company announced that it will reverse its decision earlier this month to exit the brokerage business, a move which had severely rattled the market.
However, the move was shelved due to objections raised by shareholders ahead of the general shareholders meeting. The meeting was cancelled, however, due to a lack of quorum and will be reconvened on April 15.
On the HCM Stock Exchange , the VN-Index rose 0.39 percent to close at 459.52 points. Volume fell by 11 percent from March 25 to about 25 million shares, worth just 544.3 billion VND (26 million USD), the lowest level this month.
Many blue chips posted gains, however. Insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and Vietinbank (CTG) each rose by over 3 percent, while PetroVietnam Finance (PVF), property developer Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAG) and steelmaker Hoa Phat Group (HPG) each made gains of less than 1 percent.
Losers outnumbered gainers overall by 109-90. Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) and Sacombank (STB) were the most-active shares on the southern bourse, each with a volume of about 1.3 million shares. Both closed unchanged.
Foreign investors continued to be net buyers on March 28 on both exchanges, but for a net value of just 26 billion VND (1.2 million USD).
Viet Capital Securities Co analysts predicted that the market will continue to fluctuate within a narrow band with low liquidity in the near future as investors cautiously await a clearer trend.
"The market is in the shareholders' meeting season and investors are being gradually informed of corporate earnings' results. Investors at present are mostly looking to economic news which could give them a clearer picture of the nation's economic outlook," an analyst said./.
Sugar production slows due to glut, low prices
Hanoi (VNA) — Some sugar producers are temporarily halting production due to a glut in supply and a sharp decline in market prices, the Vietnam Sugar and Sugar Cane
Association said on March 28.
Domestic sugar prices have decreased sharply since earlier this month, as wholesalers have hesitated to buy sugar with substantial supplies already on hand, the association said.
The association's general secretary, Ha Huu Phai, noted that the plunge in sugar prices was also tracking global prices. In the first two weeks of this month, global prices
fell from an average of 850 USD per tonne to just 700 USD per tonne, due in part to a recent bumper cane crop in Thailand .
Substantial amounts of processed sugar is illegally imported into Vietnam , with wholesale prices ranging from 17,000 VND-17,500 VND (about 0.85 USD) per kg.
Domestic retail prices have therefore declined from about 24,000 VND-25,000 VND (around 1.20 USD) ahead of the Tet (lunar new year holiday) to just 20,000 VND-22,500 VND (0.95-1.10 USD) currently, Phai noted.
He expected a seasonal slump in sugar prices to last until summer.
"Summer is when people consume more sugar, so I don't see an increase in prices until then," Phai said.
The association will send a request to the Government seeking easier credit terms and co-ordinating with relevant agencies to stabilise prices.
"As the market fluctuates, it has become difficult to define exactly what will be a reasonable price, but sugar prices will not be reduced further," said Phai.
"The Ministry of Industry and Trade has accepted a quota of 250,000 tonnes of imported sugar, plus the estimated 1.1 million tonnes that will be produced domestically this year, to balance supply to actual demand," he said.
Meanwhile, however, some sugar mills have encountered difficulties obtaining financing at reasonable terms to buy cane for the new production cycle, encountering tighter credit and higher interest rates of around 18 . They generally buy about 169,000 USD worth of cane per day, with bank financing meeting only about one-third of that amount.
Two mills in Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces have already closed their doors due to lack of funds, leaving buyers for only about 70 per cent of the unprocessed sugar cane
produced in the Mekong Delta region./.
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