Workshop marks Ho Chi Minh trail at sea

A workshop on the Ho Chi Minh sea trail will be held on September 22-23 in Hai Phong city and will be the highlight of the 50th anniversary of the launch of the legendary trail.

The workshop on “The Ho Chi Minh sea trail – the path of Vietnam’s will and creativity” will honour and recognise the great sacrifices as well as the contributions of cadres, soldiers and people of coastal localities where the legendary transport trail ran during the war against the US, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tuan Dung, Deputy Head of the General Department of Politics the Vietnam People’s Army said in Hanoi on September 13.

The workshop will also help recognise and thoroughly assess the significance of the strategic supply route to the south – the Ho Chi Minh trail at sea, he said.

Colonel Nguyen Manh Ha, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Military History Institute, said the workshop’s organising board has received 76 historic reports from people who used to hold high positions in the Party, the State and the Army and senior officers of the Navy, and scientists, including soldiers and sailors of the legendary ships on the trail.

After it was launched on October 23, 1961, the Ho Chi Minh sea trail always fulfilled its task of allowing hundreds of ships to transport weapons, goods, medicine, cadres and soldiers from the rear in the north to the frontline, directly contributing to the entire people’s efforts to defeat the US imperialists and liberate the south, reunifying the country.

Party leader works with farmers’ union

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Sept. 13 held a working session with Vietnam Farmers’ Union , focusing on the implementation of the 10th Party Central Committee’s Resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and delegates at the working session. (Source: VNA)

The Party leader affirmed the Party’s confidence in the resolution, saying it created a strong drive for all-round and sustainable development of Vietnam ’s agriculture, farmers and rural areas during national renewal.

He stressed on the important role of agriculture, farmers and rural areas in national industrialisation and modernisation, saying they laid a firm foundation for sustainable socio-economic development.

The Party leader hailed the Union and the Vietnamese peasantry for their efforts and creativity in implementing the Party resolution and contributing to the country’s agriculture.

However, these were initial results, he said, adding that there were still 62 poor districts nationwide and many issues relating to agriculture, farmers and rural areas needed to be resolved.

He expressed his hope that the Union would continue to uphold the tradition of more than 80 years of development – with two Gold Star Orders, the highest distinction, conferred by the Party and the State – to develop agriculture and rural areas and build up the peasantry amidst the country’s development and integration process.

The General Secretary stressed the need to pay more attention to providing knowledge and improving skills for farmers in order to create conditions for them to promote their role.

He urged the Union at all levels to continue reviewing and improving its operational efficiency, with a view to playing the key role in implementing the Party and the State’s policies on development of agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

Farmers accounted for more than 70 percent of the country’s population and over 50 percent of the workforce.

At the working session, participants discussed the union’s operations and measures to promote its role along with farmers’ aspirations and proposals.

Deputy PM calls Switzerland key economic partner

Switzerland is now one of Viet Nam's most important European economic partners, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said in Zurich on Monday during his official visit to Switzerland.

Viet Nam welcomed and committed to creating the necessary conditions for foreign, and in particular Swiss, investors to do business in Viet Nam, Hai said during his September 10-15 trip which lands on the 40th anniversary of Viet Nam–Swiss diplomatic relations.

He was speaking at a seminar to promote Swiss investment in Viet Nam which attracted hundreds of would-be Swiss investors.

Switzerland currently has 80 projects in Viet Nam totalling US$2 billion in registered capital, and a number of Swiss companies have successfully established themselves in the country including Nestle, Holcim and Norvatis.

Switzerland is Viet Nam's second largest European trade partner with two-way trade reaching $3.7 billion in 2010.

Further co-operation has also been strengthened in development, with capacity building for financial and banking institutions increasing alongside urban planning, infrastructure development and natural resources management projects.

Viet Nam is currently the biggest recipient of Swiss official development assistance in Southeast Asia, while also a popular tourist destination for Swiss travellers.

Hai said co-operation in education was also on the rise with the number of Vietnamese students studying in Switzerland increasing in recent years.

He added that said despite recent developments in bilateral trade and investment co-operation, there was still a chasm between economic and political relations, and there were still untapped potential to be explored, particularly with Swiss expertise in engineering, the chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance.

President of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce Urs Lustenberger said the seminar was a good opportunity for Swiss investors to get an update about Viet Nam's economic developments, investment policies and business opportunities.

The event was also useful for networking, especially for investors wanting to expand business prospects into the ASEAN region, as Viet Nam is part of the ASEAN free trade zone.

Party leader meets with farmers' group

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stressed the important role farmers play in national industrialisation and modernisation during his meeting with leaders of the Viet Nam Farmers' Association yesterday, Sep 13.

Trong said Party Resolution 26 to develop agriculture and rural areas reflected a consistent policy that rural development was vital to the nation's economic development. He also recalled farmers' contributions to the nation during the country's struggle for independence.

This year, despite adverse weather, total food production of the sector had been forecast to reach 40 million tonnes, Trong said.

Localities across the nation had also been participating in the national movement to create new rural areas, he said.

Trong praised the efforts made by the asociation in actively promoting and raising awareness about Resolution 26, which also aims to build up Vietnamese farmers' class in the period of national industrialisation and modernisation, and encouraging good farming practices and implementing poverty reduction programmes.

Trong noted, however, there were still 62 poor districts and many problems associated with the sector.

He said he hoped the association with its 10 million members would continue its role in uniting farmers to boost the efficiency of agricultural production and improve their lives.