At a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia, Nguyen Huu Dung on January 26, Mr. Yusgiantoro said Indonesia hoped to receive Vietnam’s support during its ASEAN presidential term in 2011 and that the relations between the two defence ministries would grow and flourish in the future.

He hoped that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation signed during the Indonesian President’s visit to Vietnam last October, particularly in terms of customs would be carried out soon.

The Indonesian defence chief also praised the role played by his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh in holding the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting 2010 and asked Mr. Dung to pass his best regards to Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh.

Mr Yusgiantoro thanked Ambassador Dung for his great contributions to developing the relations between the two countries.

Earlier on January 25, Mr Dung paid a farewell visit to chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Taufik Kiemas.

At the meeting, Mr Taufik Kiemas underlined the need to maintain the ties of the time-honoured friendship and cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam, which were fostered by late President Sukarno and President Ho Chi Minh.

In 2010, the group earned a record revenue of more than VND478 trillion, 59 percent more than in 2009 and contributed nearly VND128 trillion to the State budget, up 41 percent and accounting for one thirds of the State budget’s revenues.

This year, the group will strive to earn VND486 trillion in revenue and exploited 23.2 million tonnes of oil. To reach this goal, it will accelerate the implementation of exploration projects both at home and abroad, find ways of attracting more foreign investment and ensure the smooth operation of the Dung Quat oil refinery.

In his address, President Triet praised the group for its contributions to the state budget and the accomplishments in its business area and increasing its operational efficiency in other fields such as fertiliser and electricity and mining projects in other countries.

Mr Triet attributed the achievements to both the Party and State’s leadership and the group’s tireless efforts.

“Oil and gas is a key economic sector. Therefore, the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group need to bring its achievements and experience into full play to make greater contributions to the country,” said Mr Triet.

At the conference, the Government Prime Minister’ Decision was announced to establish the Vietnam Oil and Gas University in Vinh Yen, Vinh Phuc province.

The first special public university invested in by the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group aims to train professional human resources to promote the oil and gas sector’s future growth.

Ms Doan visited Bac Ninh’s traffic police department, praising its efforts to ensure social order and traffic safety.

The Vice State President expressed her admiration for the bravery of the police force and urged them to continue seeking innovative solution to better serve the country and people.

During her trip, Ms Doan also visited and presented gifts to 11 homeless elderly people and 41 homeless children who now live at a rest home of Tien Du district. She also delivered gifts to 20 poor households in Phat Tich commune.

Ms Doan also met with the province’s officials, including the Secretary of the provincial Party Committee.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited Ninh Thuan province, asking its authorities to invest more in infrastructure, traffic management, water resources, and the resettlement for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the province.

Mr Hai also requested the province to exploit wind energy to produce electricity. He agreed with the province’s proposals to allocate more capital to build roads along the coast.