Foreign press links Vietnam to the world

 Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga hopes that foreign media agencies will continue providing the world with accurate and unbiased information about Vietnam.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga. (Source: VNA)

Nga expressed her hope at a meeting with representatives of foreign media agencies and press attachés of foreign organisations in Hanoi on January 30 in the lead up to the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

She thanked foreign media workers for giving the whole world insight into the situation in Vietnam, its domestic and foreign policies, and Renewal achievements in 2012, as well as challenges it faces in 2013.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will work closely with relevant agencies and localities to facilitate foreign media agencies’ operations in Vietnam, Nga confirmed.

Algeria-Vietnam parliamentarian group founded    

The Algeria - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarian Group was founded at a formal ceremony in Algiers, the capital of Algeria on January 30.

The ceremony was chaired by the Vice President of the Algerian National Assembly, Mohamed Djemai, who emphasised the group’s role in strengthening the friendship and traditional partnership between the two countries.

The establishment of the Group will create favourable conditions for cooperation between the two National Assemblies in legislation, politics, economics and society, he added.

During the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Do Trong Cuong expressed his belief that the group will broaden bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Parliamentarian Lahcen Maaloum of the ruling Algerian National Liberation Front (AFN) was appointed as the group’s President. He pledged to foster the Vietnam-Algeria friendship.

Sympathies to Kazakhstan President

State President Truong Tan Sang on January 30 sent a message of condolences to his Kazakh counterpart N. Nadarbayev over the plane crash that killed 21 people.

The incident occurred on January 29 near the country’s Almaty Airport.

Finalising political regime a must

The Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration held a workshop in Hanoi on January 31 to develop arguments for finalising the political system in Vietnam.

Since the Doi Moi (Renewal) process was introduced in 1986, Vietnam’s political system has been gradually consolidated and finalised to support the country’s transition to socialism, and promote people’s democracy and mastery rights.

The political system works by mobilising the aggregate strength of all social strata, of which the Communist Party of Vietnam forms the political nucleus, the State is the mainstay, the Fatherland Front and other social organisations are political and socio organisations.     

Over the past eight decades, the Communist Party of Vietnam has better performed its functions and managed its operations. The role and position of a number of organisations within the political regime have been adjusted to correspond to the requirements of different periods of the revolution.

However, the system has revealed shortcomings that need to be addressed. The leadership capacity of the Party, the management efficiency of the State, and the operational efficiency of other political-social organisations has yet to meet practical requirements. A number of ranking officials fall into decadent lifestyles or lacks competence at work.

Renewing and finalizing the political system is a must for Vietnam to meet the requirements of the Renewal process, accelerate national industrialisation and modernisation, and develop the socialist-oriented market economy.

Nearly 40 presentations looked at the political system’s achievements and shortcomings and proposed solutions for finalizing the system in the near future.

Speakers proposed renewing the Party’s leadership methods for the State, Fatherland Front and political-social organisations, increasing the leadership and management capacity of all key figures in the political system, and building people’s supervisory mechanism for the State’s power.

They also underlined the need to enhance the role of social criticism of the Fatherland Front, accelerate administrative reform, and further staff cuts.

Nobel Prize winner Kroto visits Vietnam

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on January 30 received Nobel Prize winner Professor Harold Kroto of University of California, USA.

Nhan welcomed Kroto’s visit, which he said will act as a bridge between Nobel Prize winners and Vietnamese universities and institutions to support long-term relationships and promote cooperation in science-technology and education.

The organization of a series of activities by Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners and other renowned politicians in Vietnam gives Vietnam a good chance to share experience, increase exchanges, broaden vision and promote Vietnam’s profile to the world, said the Deputy PM.

He expressed hope that with his experience the professor will help strengthen cooperation between Hanoi National University and foreign universities.

Kroto said the purpose of his visit is to encourage and increase academic dialogues and exchanges with Vietnamese individuals and organizations.

He vowed to work closely with Hanoi National University to bring the programme ‘Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace’ to Vietnamese people, especially the youth.

Public opinions on Constitution amendments

The National Assembly Committee for External Relations has collected its members and former members’ opinions on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution.

Addressing a conference in Hanoi on January 29, the Committee’ Chairman Tran Van Hang emphasised amending the Constitution as a great political event in the country that requires the involvement of all people.

Collecting public opinions is based on the basic principles of the State, which is of the people, for the people and by the people, he said.

Public opinions are focused on the institutionalisation of foreign policy, the role of the NA and the collaboration between the NA, the President and the Government in deploying foreign policy and ideological work related to the approval and ratification of treaties.

They will be submitted to the NA Standing Committee before March 15, 2013.

Earlier, on January 8, a national conference to collect public opinions on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution was broadcast live across the country.

Government seeks feedback over Land Law proposals

The Government is calling for people from all walks of life to express their opinions on draft amendments to the Land Law that are scheduled to be approved by the National Assembly in June.

Senior officials said the drive to collect public opinion, which begins today, was aimed at ensuring that the law would be effective and of high quality.

Speaking at an online conference in the capital city yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said there were numerous channels for the people to send their comments on the amendments, either directly or indirectly to the drafting committee.

They could do so through conferences, consultation workshops, the government's Web Portal, the websites of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the Land Management Administration and others, he said.

Hai asked the People's Council and People's Committee at all levels, political and social organisations, academics, universities, other institutions and the citizens to actively take part in the exercise and provide valuable feedback.

"Land use and management is not only an economic issue with broad, complicated dimensions, it is also a sensitive political and social issue. It is strongly related to the protection of the revolutionary gains, to social stability and economic development of the nation," said Hai.

He asked central and local government agencies to co-ordinate closely with the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee and the Viet Nam Farmers' Union to organise consultation workshops with people from all walks of life in a democratic and open manner.

Hai also asked the MoNRE to co-operate with the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the Viet Nam Farmers' Union to promote communications and mobilisation of the people to give their comments to the proposed amendments of the Land Law.

He also urged the media to comprehensively cover the campaign and help the drafting committee present a final high quality revised Land Law for the lawmakers to discuss and approve in the coming full house meeting in June this year.

The closing date for receiving comments is March 31, 2013.

VNN/VOV/VNA