Vietnam draw, miss Asian Cup final

Vietnam were held 1-1 by hosts Lebanon in their fifth group D match.

Meanwhile, also in group D, China and Syria ’s encounter ended in a goalless draw in Zhejiang . The group’s top two teams are now on 10 points, which means they are through to next year’s final.

Vietnam finished third with five points, while Lebanon remained in last place with one points.

As the winning team in their first leg match in Hanoi with Lebanon , Vietnam were expected to easily defeat the hosts. However, they faced a number of challenges ahead of the game, such as a grueling 30-hour flight to Beirut Municipality Stadium and unfamiliar food. They were also without four key players – keeper Duong Hong Son, striker Le Cong Vinh and halfbacks Phan Van Tai Em and Huynh Quang Thanh.

The hosts, who were forced to play in an empty stadium due to a FIFA ruling, opened the score in the 20 th minute.

Ahmad El Khodor jumped up to receive a ball from a free kick to the box and headed it to Ali El Atat who tapped it in.

About 20 minutes later, captain Nguyen Thanh Luong levelled for Vietnam with a 15m shot.

Both teams tried to play attacking football but they were thwarted by good defensive work.
The last round of the group on January 17 will see China play Vietnam and Syria play Lebanon .

On-line chat held to connect overseas Vietnamese youth

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese youths studying and working overseas had an online chat with State officials on Jan. 6 over matters of mutual concern, including how to lure young talents to contribute to the nation’s development.

Entitled “Connecting Young Vietnamese”, the talk involved officials from the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Students’ Association, as well as young people living abroad in the US, Australia, China, Russia, Japan and Singapore.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Nguyen Dac Vinh said that the talk, held for the first time by the union, sought effective ways to connect young Vietnamese across the nation and world to share information and create solidarity and strength for the fatherland. 

Answering queries from some youths about how to join in youth union activities in their host countries, Vinh said that they could sign up to be members of Vietnamese Students’ Associations in France , the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan . 

Another Youth Union official said that the union was learning how to set up branches in foreign countries.

Doan Nam Thai, from Seoul National University in RoK, asked what the Ministry of Education and Training had done to lure excellent Vietnamese lecturers in other countries to work for the homeland.

Nguyen Xuan Vang, from the ministry, said that Vietnamese intellectuals were always encouraged to come back home.

“Lecturers and research students who wish to work for the country can contact the ministry’s Vietnam International Education Development for further information,” he said.

Pham Tuan Anh, from the National University of Singapore, asked whether there were any more policies for overseas students after the first-ever youth union congress on young talents was held in Hanoi in the middle of last year.

Vinh, from the Youth Union, replied that they had set up a database of young talents and had held further activities on how to tap these talents’ potentials. 
“We’ve been bad about supporting our talents in the past. We’ll get better about this in the future,” Vinh said.

Other matters were also raised during the three-hour chat that drew a pool of questions and concerns from overseas Vietnamese youths.

Technical assistance project for programme 135 kicks off

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ethnic Minority Policy Department under the Committee for Ethnic Affairs on January 5-6 launched a project to provide technical assistance for management of Programme 135, second phase, in the central city of Hue. 

With a total investment of around 2.2 million USD, the Finland-funded project will be carried out in eight pilot provinces of Yen Bai, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Quang Tri, Nghe An, Cao Bang, Quang Nam and Lao Cai. 

The project, which is set to last until December 2010, is aimed at strengthening management and supervision capacity as well as information management and experience exchange of Programme 135-II project’s officials and relevant agencies at both central and provincial levels.

Calligraphic poem silk strip celebrates Hanoi’s millennium

Hanoi (VNA) – A group of poets and artists in Duy Xuyen district, the central province of Quang Nam, are making a collection of 1,000 calligraphic poems printed on 1,000 metres of silk in celebration of the upcoming millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. 

According to Ho Trung Viet from the district’s ornamental creature association, the poems, selected from 5,000 works by domestic poets, are written in calligraphic style on Ma Chau silk, a famous product of Duy Xuyen district. 

The silk strip is decorated with patterns and images of landscapes and cultural beauties of all regions in the country. 

The unique work, estimated to cost 300 million VND (nearly 1,600 USD), is expected to be completed in May. 

It will register for Vietnam Guinness Record and then be displayed at the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in October this year.

Vietnam targets primary education universalisation in 2015

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam strives to achieve the national standard on the primary education universalisation for children of the right age group in all provinces and cities in 2015. 

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the nation also sets a target of providing full-day schooling to 50-60 percent of primary pupils and supplying free textbooks to all primary and secondary students who are policy beneficiaries and living in disadvantaged areas. 

During the 2003-2008 period, 48 out of 63 provinces and cities obtained the standard of primary education universalisation for children of the right age. 

The rate of primary pupils attended full-day classes reached 36 percent and 88 percent of junior secondary students enrolled in schools. 

Over 9,000 community-based study centres were established in more than 10,700 communes, wards and towns nationwide.

Vietnam takes over ASEAN’s CPR chairmanship

Jakarta (VNA) - Vietnam took over the chairmanship of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to ASEAN from Thailand at a ceremony at the bloc’s secretariat headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 6. 

The term of the CPR Chair will last one year, in line with that of the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

Vietnam 's Permanent Representative to ASEAN, Ambassador Vu Dang Dung pledged to continue close cooperation and coordination with CPR members to implement the committee’s tasks in 2010. 

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan witnessed the turning over of the chairmanship and committed his full support to the work of the CPR, saying that "with the cooperation, intervention and mediation of the CPR, the results of our efforts in building the ASEAN Community will be met quicker." 

Pitsuwan also reiterated his appreciation of the high level of preparations that Vietnam had shown in assuming the ASEAN chairmanship. 

The secretary general had recently visited Vietnam to meet the nation’s leaders to discuss how the ASEAN Secretariat can support Vietnam 's chairmanship in 2010. 

The CPR, which was established in 2009 upon the enforcement of the ASEAN Charter, aims to support the work of the ASEAN Community Councils and the ASEAN professional ministerial bodies. It is also designed to liaise with the ASEAN Secretary-General on ASEAN-related issues.

BUSINESS

Construction Ministry blocks new cement plants

HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Construction has asked the people’s committee in five cities not to approve any more cement plants until 2020 because of ample supplies.

Vietnam had 97 cement plants in December with capacity of producing 57.4 million tonnes annually. Another 13 plants with a total 11.7 million tonnes capacity will open this year exceeding demand by an estimated 2 million tonnes.

More cement projects have already been approved for the following years with 12 with total capacity of 9.35 million tonnes in 2011, and seven in 2012 adding an additional 6.72 million tonnes capacity, and seven more in 2015. 

The ministry predicts there will be an oversupply even if there are no new approvals. 

This year’s estimated production is 102 million tonnes, 7 million tonnes more than the predicted demand.

In late 2009, the ministry reported to the Prime Minister about the forecast and gained approval to stop approvals for new cement plant projects in Hanoi , HCM City , Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho.

Coal group invests in power projects

HCM City (VNA) – The Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) is investing in 13 thermal power plants with a total capacity of 13,106 MW.

For the first half of this year, two mills, 300MW Cam Pha 1 and 220MW Son Dong in the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Bac Giang, will begin operating. The third project is the 440 MW Mao Khe plant in Quang Ninh province. 

The group has received approval from the Government for a 270MW Cam Pha 3 plant to be opened in 2012.

The largest one, the 2,400MW Hai Phong 3 plant, will be placed in Thuy Nguyen district in the northern coastal city of Hai Phong.

New Year rally begins to gasp

Hanoi (VNA) – The VN-Index saw a modest gain of another 0.36 percent on January 6, closing at 534.46 points on the HCM Stock Exchange, for the third consecutive rising day. 

Trading volume fell slightly to 65.47 million shares, north a combined 3.18 trillion VND( 170 million USD). Shares drew a distinction with gainers and losers being nearly on a par by 82:27 ratio. Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) grew to be the most active share on the southern bourse with over 3.6 million shares traded. 

On a divergent move the HNX-Index on the Hanoi Stock Exchange on January 6 slid 2.02 percent from the previous session to close at 179.56 points. 

The volume of the day’s trades, however, rose by 11.5 percent to 41.57 million shares, worth a total of 1.58 trillion VND (84.5 million USD), up 19.7 percent from the Jan. 5’s session. 

Another brokerage, Kim Long KLS) led the northern market as the most heavily traded share with over 5.7 million shares changing hands. 

Foreign investors on January 6 continued to be net buyers on both bourses, responsible for a combined volume of 1.28 million shares, worth 36.6 billion VND (1.96 million USD).

HCM City welcome new listing

HCM City (VNA) – The Gia Lai Sugar Thermoelectricity Joint-Stock Company (SEC) was listed on the HCM Stock Exchange on January 6. 

The Central highlands-based company closed on its first trading day at 21,600 VND (1.17 USD), a 20 percent increase against its reference price of 18,000 VND. 

Foreign investors have not yet bought any stake in the company, which has more than 12.6 million shares. 

SEC enjoyed a net profit of 36 billion VND in the first quarter of 2009 which is expected to reach a total of more than 38.3 billion VND by year-end. It earned 42 billion VND in 2008, up from 18.7 billion VND in 2007. 

The company set a target of 54 billion VND in profits this year, as next month it will complete production capacity upgrades to handle 2,500 tonnes of sugar cane per day from the current 1,500 tonnes. 

From February, the company will start its 233 billion VND, 12MW thermopower plant. 

The Tien Giang province-based seafood processing firm Go Dang Joint Stock Company (AGD) will register on the bourse on Jan. 7.

Transport costs likely to increase by 15 percent

HCM City (VNA) – Passenger transport companies plan to raise fares by 15 percent this year over this time last year due to rising fuel, wage and tax costs. 

The planned fare increase was because of a recent petrol and oil price hike, and an increase in value added tax and minimum wages, chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association Nguyen Manh Hung said. 

The increase would be only 5-6 percent for companies who had already raised charges by 10 percent since mid-2009, Hung said. 

Petrol prices have increased by 44 percent against the second quarter of last year and oil prices have increased by 48 percent. 

Value-added taxes on passenger transport services have also increased from 5 percent last year to 10 percent, and minimum salaries in all sectors have increased by 10 to 15 percent since the beginning of this year. 

To compete in a market where supply surpasses demand, passenger transport companies are considering the timing and how much to raise their charges, Nguyen Hong Minh, general secretary of the Hanoi Taxi Association said.

Top 500 enterprises to be released

Hanoi (VNA) – An official announcement by the Vietnam Report company will reveal the 500 biggest Vietnamese enterprises (VNR 500) of 2009 on January 13 in Hanoi . 

The VNR 500 list was based on a scientific survey conducted by Vietnam Report with the consultancy of domestic and international experts. 

The rankings were determined based on enterprise revenues last year.

Railway targets 10 percent higher revenue in 2010

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam Railway Corp plans to reach a revenue growth target of 10 percent in 2010, Nguyen Dat Tuong, the company’s deputy general director, said. 

To reach the target, the company will build modern infrastructure and concentrate on training its labour force, thereby improving service quality and raising its competitiveness. 

In 2009, Railway Corp earned 7.4 trillion VND (411 million USD) in revenue, an increase of 2 percent over 2008.