Belarusian President to tour Vietnam

Belarusian President Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is scheduled to pay an official visit to Vietnam from December 8 to 9.

The visit will be made at the invitation of his counterpart Truong Tan Sang, the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on December 4.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in January 1992.

Workshop enhances trust building among Asian countries

Confidence building among countries plays an important role in ensuring peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, said Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Hiroshi Fukada at an international symposium held by the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) in Hanoi on December 4.

ASEAN should further promote its central role through existing multilateral forums and cooperation mechanisms, thus building trust among countries, the Japanese diplomat said, affirming that maintaining peace and stability in Asia and the world is crucial to nations’ development and prosperity.

According to VASS Vice Chairman Pham Van Duc, Asia holds an important position in the world’s geopolitical map, and is also a dynamic development centre boasting abundant resources, strong economic connections and numerous sea transport routes.

However, the region is facing risks and challenges of insecurity related to national thought, territorial sovereignty disputes, and strategic trust among countries, he said.

He said the workshop serves as a venue for researchers to discuss and outline a future vision, along with measures and policies to enhance friendship and mutual trust among Asian nations as the best way to maintain peace, stability and development in the region.

Echoing views with Duc, Prof. Nguyen Tien Sam, former Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies, underlined the need to increase joint patrols at sea among navy and coast guard forces of regional countries, curb unilateral military activities, abide by international law, promote the sharing of information and set up a maritime security control centre in the region.

Prof. Oba Mie from the Tokyo University of Science said it is necessary to improve efficiency of multilateral mechanisms and forums in the region such as the ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF), the ASEAN Security Community (ASC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) , and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus ( ADMM+) in order to spur strategic trust building among regional nations.

He noted that security and political links between ASEAN member nations and other countries is a basic condition to build trust and ensure security in the area.

Vietnam, China share experiences in deploying level-2 field hospital

Experiences setting up a level-2 field hospital to participate in UN peacekeeping missions were shared at a working session between representatives from Military Hospital 175 and the Chinese Defence Ministry’s Peacekeeping Office on December 4.

Colonel Tran Quoc Viet, Military Hospital 175 Deputy Director, said that with 25 years deploying peacekeeping officers and 10 years deploying field hospitals, China’s experience will help Vietnam run a level-2 field hospital efficiently.

He informed the guests that in Vietnam, a field hospital was put into operation in July. To prepare for this work, 100 officers received training in English, with support from the Australian army. This year, Military Hospital 175 also coordinated with the Defence Ministry’s Peacekeeping Centre to organise several seminars with the US and Australian armies in the deployment of peacekeeping officers.

At the meeting, Colonel Li Xiuhua, Deputy Head of the Chinese Peacekeeping Office, spoke about how field hospitals cared for UN peacekeeping officers.

China’s experience selecting the officers was also shared.

Birthday greetings to Thai King

On December 4, President Truong Tan Sang sent a message of congratulations to the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, on his 88th birthday and the country’s National Day (December 5).

The same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung cabled a congratulatory message to his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-ocha.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also extended his greetings to Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on the King’s birthday.

Under the 66-year reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand has recorded great achievements in all aspects, especially in economy, culture, science and technology.

Hanoi People’s Council wraps up 14th session

The 14th session of the Hanoi People’s Council (14th tenure) wrapped up on December 4 after four days of sitting, electing Nguyen Duc Chung as new Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.

In his speech, Politburo member in charge of the Hanoi’s Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi hailed the municipal People’s Council for issuing significant policies that contributes to building a law-governed State of the people, by the people and for the people.

The municipal People’s Council has worked hard to promote democracy in the Party and society and well performed its role as an organ of power representing local people, he said, adding that the role of each People’s Council member is brought into play via sessions and meetings with constituents.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said the 14 th session has been a success as all contents set in the agenda were fulfilled.

She hoped that the freshly-elected Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung will direct the implementation work to accomplish the city’s tasks in the future.

Ngoc also urged the municipal People’s Committee and agencies concerned to put the recently-signed resolutions into place and assign tasks to the right staff.

She said orientations set during the session lay the groundwork for the municipal People’s Council to devise tasks and goals for socio-economic development and national defence-security for the next five years.