Prime Minister to visit Laos

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, accompanied by his wife, will begin a two-day visit to Laos on Friday at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thoongsin Thammavong, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dung will co-chair the Viet Nam-Laos investment conference during his stay.

President urges safety for fishermen

State President Truong Tan Sang has asked Military Zone No 4 to ensure safety for fishermen, prevent foreign vessels from illegally encroaching on Vietnamese territorial waters and join hands with other forces to protect the country’s marine sovereignty.

Photo: VOV
Mr Sang stressed during his September 6 visit to Nghe An province that the armed forces of Military Zone No 4 must enhance their political stance and combat-readiness to safeguard the country’s territorial integrity.

In addition, the zone should pay due attention to maintaining social order and political stability in the context of some unsettled lawsuits and an increase in illegal strikes.

Located in the northcentral region, Military Zone No 4 is a strategic area covering six provinces with a land borderline stretching over 1,200km, seven border gates and a coastline of more than 720km.

Argentina, Vietnam to hold third intergovernmental committee session

The Prime Minister has agreed to allow the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) to coordinate with other ministries and the Argentinean side in holding the third session of the Vietnam-Argentina Intergovernmental Committee in Hanoi in November.

The PM has also appointed MIT Deputy Minister Tran Tuan Anh in charge of the Vietnam section in the committee.

The second session of the committee took place in the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires from May 6-8 to discuss economic, cultural and technological cooperation.

Bilateral trade has increased by 13 fold in the past decade, hitting over US$424 million in 2010, which is still not on par with the two countries’ potential, according to the website of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry.

Vietnam and Argentina established diplomatic relationship in October 1973. Since then they have signed nearly 30 agreements and documents for cooperation in various fields.

Dien Bien urged to focus on poverty reduction

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a working session with leaders of Dien Bien province on September 6 to examine the implementation of the Party Politburo’s Resolution 37 on the northern midland region’s socio-economic development.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Lo Mai Trinh reported that since 2005, Dien Bien has achieved an average annual economic growth rate of 11.62 percent, which is higher than the target set in Resolution 37. Income per capita is estimated at VND11 million per year, he said. Dien Bien has also expanded its ties with northern Lao provinces and China’s Yunnan province.

However, Deputy PM Phuc pointed out there remain some outstanding issues such as poor infrastructure, high percentage of poverty, and potential threats to local security and defence.

He urged Dien Bien province to uphold the spirit of patriotism and solidarity among ethnic minorities and focus on poverty alleviation, taking synchronous and drastic measures to prevent the spread of drug addiction, drug-related crimes and HIV/AIDS.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA