NA Chairman visits hydropower plant

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung met with engineers and workers yesterday at the Son La Hydropower Plant and emphasised the project's critical role in ensuring the nation's energy security and socio-economic development.

Photo: VNA
The meeting was part of Hung's ongoing visit to the province. While there, he inspected the plant's operations and other components of the project.

Upon completion, the plant will operate six turbines with a combined capacity of 2,400 MW for an average electricity output of nearly 10 billion kWh a year.

Hung congratulated the team for the recent launch of the fourth turbine and stressed the important role the Son La Hydropower Plant played in supplying electricity for socio-economic development, helping to control floods in the rainy season and supplying water for the northern delta in the dry season.

The final two turbines will be put into operation in 2012, three years earlier than scheduled.

On behalf of the Party and Government, Hung also praised the workers, engineers and staff for their efforts and offered his wish for a prosperous Tet holiday. He also applauded local authorities and residents for resettling in new areas to benefit the project.

Vietnam, Singapore boost all-round cooperation

Vietnam and Singapore will increase cooperation in various areas within the framework of the Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity Framework Agreement.

Cooperation will be focused on finance-banking, investment, trade, services, transportation, education-training, post and telecommunications and information technology.

The agreement was reached during the sixth bilateral political consultation in Singapore on January 5 co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Singaporean Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan. 

At the meeting, both sides expressed their pleasure at the rapid and strong development of the two countries’ comprehensive cooperation, especially after the official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in January 2010, and the State visit to Singapore by President Truong Tan Sang last September. 

They agreed that the two countries have established a favourable foundation for lifting bilateral relations to a new height. They affirmed to increase exchanges and dialogues to seek strategic cooperative contents in the short-, medium- and long-term, in the interest of the two people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development of ASEAN and the whole region. 

Both hosts and guests agreed to boost cooperation within ASEAN and accelerate the building of ASEAN Community in 2015 on schedule. They held that with its increasing role and prestige in the region and the world, ASEAN should make more efforts to overcome challenges and ensure its centrality in the evolving regional architecture. 

The two sides spoke highly of ASEAN efforts in dealing with East Sea issue, including the acceleration of the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and affirmed to work with other ASEAN countries and China to speed up the compilation of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC). 

Singapore voiced support for Vietnam’s negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. 

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries and agreed to maintain such political consultations.

The seventh political consultation will be held in Vietnam next year.

President praises army cadets

President Truong Tan Sang highlighted the contributions of generations of Vietnamese junior army cadets to national defence and construction at a meeting yesterday, Jan 5.

History had proved the sound decision and strategic vision of late president Ho Chi Minh and the Party to establish junior army cadet schools, he said.

Sang also expressed his respect for the lecturers who had devoted their lives to teaching generations of cadets, mostly teenagers, over the past 60 years and said he hoped they would uphold their traditions to make further contributions.

The State leader also asked the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and relevant agencies to co-operate with each other to expand this training model to meet the demands of national development. The first junior army cadet group was set up in May 1946.

Yesterday, Sang also received more than 60 representatives of young army people who were honoured for volunteering for movements such as natural disaster relief.

Meeting marks 40th anniversary of Vietnam-India ties

Vietnam is a special friend and holds a strategic position in India’s foreign policy.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E.Ahamed made the statement at a meeting in HCM City on January 5 to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the Vietnam-India strategic partnership.

He said the traditional long-lasting friendship between the two countries founded by late President Ho Chi Minh and late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has become a valuable asset for both peoples.

Over the past 40 years, the friendly relationship and multi-faceted cooperation between India and Vietnam have developed strongly in all fields, including politics, national defence, security, investment, trade, culture, tourism and human resource development. Two-way trade value increased by 14 times over 10 years and by more than 48 percent in the first 10 months of 2011. It is estimated to total US$3.5 billion in 2011.

Huynh Thanh Lap, President of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, expressed his hope that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and India in general and between Ho Chi Minh City and Indian localities in particular will further develop based on the firm foundation of mutual trust and traditional ties.

On the same day, Chairman of the City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan met with Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E.Ahamed.

Quan hoped that the fine development of diplomatic ties and bilateral trade cooperation between the two countries, and between HCM City and Indian localities, will be further strengthened and that a direct air route between HCM City and Bombay will open soon.

E.Ahamed said that he invited Secretary of the City Party’s Committee Le Thanh Hai to visit India to boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries and between their localities in line with their potential.

Vnews to broadcast news in French, Spanish

The Vietnam News Agency Television Channel (VNews) will launch weekly news broadcasts in French and Spanish as of Jan. 8.

Broadcast on Sundays, the French and Spanish bulletins will cover outstanding events in the week, Vietnamese cultural highlights and activities of the French and Spanish communities in Vietnam.

Started operating in August 2010, VNews is the first channel specialising only in news provision in Vietnam, broadcasting 24 hours a day.

After nearly one year of operation, the channel launched news in English and Chinese.

The channel’s coverage has reached 63 cities and provinces nationwide via digital satellite and nearly 40 cities and provinces via cable television network.

VNews programmes could be also watched online via the Internet and on mobile phones.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA