Party committees in major State-owned enteprises, key economic sectors and corporations must work to improve productivity and efficiency, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said in Ha Noi yesterday.

Labour productivity in State-owned companies was too low, he said.

So was competitiveness, particularly in the regional and international market.

"In some, poor management has led to major losses of State capital and assets and equitisation is too slow."

Internal disputes among some had also become a major cause of discord.

The Prime Minister, who is also a Politburo members, reminded the 300 delegates attending the 1st Congress of the Central Enterprises Committee, that they were key to Viet Nam's economic development and international integration.

Their enterprises would remain the core of the country's multi-sector economy and an important tool for the Government to regulate the economy, he said.

This had been reiterated in all Party documents.

The Prime Minister assured the congress that the Government would do its best to restructure SoEs within the country's key economic sectors.

"The central enterprises Party committee must work closely with the Government, Party Commission and other Government agencies to build a mechanism and policy to manage State assets properly and efficiently," he said.

"It's important to build sound labour relations and integrated strength to ensure the high performance of the political tasks assigned to enterprises and the work of Party building of the central enterprises Party committee."

The Prime Minister asked the committee to make the campaign to follow President Ho Chi Minh's moral example a regular activity of higher quality and practicality.

He also asked all Party members to practise self-criticism and criticism to make the Party strong and pure.

"Party members should be role models for others to follow," he said.

The Central Enterprises Party Committee has almost 70,000 members affiliated to State-owned enterprises, economic sectors and corporations within and beyond Viet Nam.

The congress will end today after electing a new committee to serve a five-year term and elect delegates to attend the National Party Congress scheduled for early next year.

Vietnam Teacher’s Day celebrated in Russia  

The Vietnamese embassy in Moscow held a meeting to mark Vietnam Teachers’ Day on November 20.

The Vietnamese ambassador to Russia Bui Dinh Dinh, representatives from Vietnamese associations, the embassy’s staff and many Vietnamese students studying in Moscow attended the event.

Addressing the meeting, ambassador Dinh highlighted the significance of Vietnam Teacher’s Day, especially the great contribution by teachers to the cause of education. He also heightened teachers’ responsibility for discovering and educating national talents. Despite many difficulties, teachers have set bright moral examples for students to follow.

Ambassador Dinh also sent his best regards to all Vietnamese teachers who are working in Moscow and presented a bouquet to Ms Tran Kim Bao who has been working in the education sector for more than 30 years.

On behalf of Vietnamese students studying in Russia, student Nguyen Quang Chien said that honouring teachers is one of Vietnam’s finest cultural traditions. Each Vietnamese student always bears his teachers in mind and shows them gratitude even though they may be far away from their homeland.

There was also a variety of art performances during the meeting.

Vice President welcomes Bulgarian teachers  
Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan received in Hanoi on November 20 a Bulgarian delegation of professors, teachers, social activists and diplomats, who are on a visit to Vietnam to attend the programme “Paying Gratitude to the Nation of Roses”.

Vice President Doan hailed the Bulgarian guests for visiting Vietnam on the occasion of celebration of the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

On behalf of Vietnamese alumni of Bulgaria, Doan congratulated Bulgarian teachers, who had trained thousands of students and skilled workers for Vietnam.

She expressed her thanks for great assistance from the Bulgarian government and people to Vietnam in the past struggle for national liberation and for the present national development.

The Vice President affirmed that Vietnam’s achievements in national renewal were attributed to contributions from the Bulgarian State and people, including Bulgarian teachers.

She also expressed her hope that the Vietnam-Bulgaria relations would be further developed in all areas to match the two countries’ potential.

Praising Bulgarian science and training environment, Doan expressed her wish to expand cooperation in education and training with Bulgaria and pledged that Vietnam would soon implement the signed agreements with Bulgaria , especially education and training agreements.

Head of the Bulgarian delegation, Simeon Dimchev, President of the Bulgaria-Vietnam Friendship Association, and other delegates recalled their fine impressions about Vietnamese students and trainees, who contributed to the construction of many projects in Bulgaria and expressed their pleasures at the successes of them, describing those successes as great bonuses to their teachers.

Officials of many Bulgarian universities expressed their wish to continue receiving Vietnamese students to Bulgaria to study economics, medicine, technologies, agriculture and food processing.

Earlier, the Bulgarian guests paid a floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and visit the Ho Chi Minh museum.

In the evening the same day, the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association held the programme “Paying Gratitude to the Nation of Roses” with exchanges and art performances by Vietnamese people, who used to study and work in Bulgaria.

PM receives German and Bulgarian guests  

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hosted receptions for the Governor of the German State of Baden-Wurttemberg, Stefan Mappus, and the outgoing Bulgarian Ambassador to Vietnam, Georghi Vasilev, in Hanoi on November 19.

The PM said that Baden–Wurttemberg is one of the most developed states in Germany and its strengths are in industry, education and training, and science and technology, and Vietnam hopes to promote cooperation in these fields with the German state.

He said Vietnam is willing to create the best conditions for enterprises from Germany, particularly the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, to invest in Vietnam for the mutual benefit.

The PM thanked Baden–Wurttemberg for its contributions to the Vietnam–Germany University project and asked the state continue providing scholarships for Vietnamese students, and create favorable living conditions for Vietnamese community in the state.

Governor Stefan Mappus reiterated that enterprises from his state want to boost cooperation with Vietnamese partners to further develop the friendship between the two countries, and between Baden–Wurttemberg and Vietnamese localities.

*While receiving Ambassador Georghi Vasilev, PM Nguyen Tan Dung praised the diplomat’s contributions to promoting traditional ties between the two countries, especially in economics, trade, investment, education and culture.

Ambassador Vasilev spoke highly of Vietnam’s support during his term in the country.

He congratulated Vietnam on its achievements and expressed his favorable impressions of Vietnam and its people.

PV