Malaysia, Vietnam increase military cooperation

A reception was held at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Senior Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army, who heads the Vietnamese delegation attending the 12th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting February 9-11.

After the reception, General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Bin Mohd Zin, Commander-in-chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, expressed his gratitude that Vietnam was the first country to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 last March.

General Do Ba Ty urged both sides to continue to cooperate on all levels, especially in maritime search and rescue.

Both sides agreed to foster military cooperation based on their “Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Defense Cooperation in 2008”.

The same day, General Do Ba Ty met with Malaysia's Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Hussein. The Vietnamese army, he said, wants to promote its friendship with the Malaysian army with a view to maintaining regional peace, and stability and building an ASEAN security community.

Deputy PM receives Qatar Foreign Minister Assistant

Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on February 10 received the Assistant Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar who is on an official visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

At the reception, the Deputy PM lauded Mohammed Bin Abdullah Bin Mutib Al Rumaihi’s visit and affirmed that Vietnam has always attached great importance to strengthening friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Qatar.

Deputy PM Minh expressed his pleasure at the development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Qatar in recent times.

Minh suggested the two sides should soon realize the cooperation agreements signed during Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Qatar in December of last year.

The Qatari guest, in turn, said he greatly valued the great achievements Vietnam has made in the process of national construction and development.

He expressed his hope that Vietnam would continue to cooperate with Qatar in a multitude of fields, especially noting Qatar’s interest in expanding trade and investment in agriculture and the labour sectors.

Deputy PM pays Tet visit to Quang Ninh coal workers

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited workers at the Ha Lam coal mine on February 10 as part of his tour to the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh in honour of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

Deputy PM Hai expressed his hopeful New Year wishes for the workers and his appreciation for their achievements and diligent efforts.

He said the sector and its workers should take initiative in applying advanced technologies in production to complete the outlined 2015 tasks.

The leader also underlined the importance of strictly abiding by safety regulations and building industrial production methods to ensure the wellbeing of workers and minimize accidents and incidents.

During his working session with leaders from the Ha Lam coal JSC and other subsidiaries of the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (TKV), Hai requested they focus on developing the quantity and quality of human resources and implementing appropriate policies in training and improving workers’ living standards.

With an exploitation depth of 300 metres, Ha Lam is the deepest mine applying modern technologies and the first mechanised mine in Vietnam. The construction of the project began in 2009 and it is expected to achieve a capacity of 2.4 million tonnes of coal annually by 2017.

Nguyen The Phiet, Director of the Ha Lam coal JSC said his company plans to exploit 215,000 tonnes of coal in 2015 and bring worker income up to 9.8 million VND per month.

Representatives from TKV stated that the group will assist Ha Lam JSC to conduct technological research studies to expand the Ha Lam mine’s capacity, adding that TKV will also invest in new mines to augment coal output in the future.

According to the deputy PM, local authorities and the coal sector must make detailed underground infrastructure project plans to ensure sustainable socio-economic development in the locality.-

NA Chairman pays tribute to President Ho Chi Minh

Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung offered incense to the late President Ho Chi Minh at House No.67 in the President Ho Chi Minh relic site in Hanoi on February 10 on the occasion of the upcoming lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

The top legislator expressed profound gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh in remembrance of his great contributions to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

During 45 years of carrying out President Ho Chi Minh’s testament, the National Assembly has fulfilled its task, together with the entire Party, people and army, of making Vietnam a strong, democratic, equitable and civilised nation.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, Chairman Hung praised officials and staff of the site for fulfilling the task of preserving objects, together with President Ho Chi Minh’s life and introducing his thoughts to local people and international friends.

House No.67 is the place where President Ho Chi Minh passed away 45 years ago.

Deputy PM Hai welcomes former Irish PM

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai held a reception on February 10 for a visiting delegation headed by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton who spoke to the Vietnamese official about an investment project in the Bac Van Phong special economic zone in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

According to Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Chien Thang, the province has completed a draft plan on the economic zone to propose to the Government, and has met with strategic investors with experience in developing special economic zones.

Among them, ASA Holding Inc, Browrudnick, Livingston, BCG, and others have conducted studies to complete the proposal to the Government.

The guest outlined the results of studies for a free trade area in Bac Van Phong and a legal framework for the establishment and operation of the free trade area.

"Vietnam welcomes investment co-operation from international groups and enterprises in Vietnam on the basis of mutual benefit in line with national development planning," the deputy PM told the delegation.

Ha Tinh province to step up agricultural restructuring

The central province of Ha Tinh should forge ahead with its economic restructuring, especially in agriculture, while creating a favourable investment environment in order to maximise integration opportunities, President Truong Tan Sang said in his visit to the locality’s Duc Tho district on February 10.

Once a predominantly agricultural district, Duc Tho has rapidly changed its economic structure to agriculture holding only 36 percent and the service industry comprising over 51 percent. Per capita income is estimated at 30.7 million VND (1,442 USD), and the rate of poverty-stricken households is 4.96 percent.

The district has satisfied up to 60 percent of the criteria of the national programme on building new-style rural areas over the last four years, with many farming and centralised-production models implemented to help improve local living standards.

These are just the initial outcomes, the President cautioned, adding that local authorities should concentrate on poverty alleviation, designing an agenda for market-oriented economic development, and shifting investment to competitive farm produce.

He underlined production as the root for sustainable farming economic development, with livestock and cultivation as the centrepieces.

He asked the provincial Party committee and administration to fulfil its 2015 socio-economic tasks and organise Party Congresses at all levels in preparation for the 12 th National Party Congress.

The State leader took this occasion to present gift packages to welfare beneficiaries and urged local authorities to provide any necessary amenities in honour of the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

He also studied several projects being carried out at the Vung Ang economic zone, extending his New Year blessings to officials and workers at the construction sites and suggesting businesses invest in modern technology to create high-quality products.

During his tour, the President laid wreaths and offered incense to commemorate late Party General Secretaries Tran Phu, Ha Huy Tap, and Le Duan, as well as soldiers who laid down their lives for the national revolution.-

Party founding anniversary celebrated in Khabarovsk

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Vladivostok and the Vietnamese community in Khabarovsk have recently held a meeting to celebrate the 85th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic ties, and the Lunar New Year.

At the event, the attendants reviewed the 85 glorious years of building and developing the political organisation and highlighted the comprehensive achievements made by the Vietnamese people during the country’s 30-year renewal process under the leadership of the Party.

A Consulate General representative underscored the significant role of Vietnamese and Russian diplomatic relations in the two nations’ revolutions, adding that the bilateral relationship was elevated to a new height.

The event also featured performances by Consulate General officials and representatives from the Vietnamese expat community.

Vice President meets ethnic group representatives

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan met with 39 representatives from five ethnic minority groups with populations below 1,000 people in Hanoi on February 10.

The delegates were village heads, patriarchs, and artisans of the Si La, O Du, Brau, Ro Mam, and Pu Peo ethnic groups, who primarily reside in the mountainous border areas of Ha Giang, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces in the north, Nghe An province in the central region, and Kon Tum in the Central Highlands.

They are facing numerous socio-economic difficulties and decaying traditional culture which has not been preserved appropriately, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan reported at the meeting.

Extending her New Year greetings to the ethnic groups, Vice President Doan reiterated that the Party and State continually appreciate the role of ethnic minority groups in the country’s revolutionary process.

A number of specific policies have been designed to improve their livelihood and preserve their traditional identities, she said, adding that village heads, patriarchs, and artisans play a particularly vital role in encouraging their communities to uphold their culture.

The VP also asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to actively develop and carry out measures protecting and promoting the traditional cultural values of Vietnam’s ethnic groups.

Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, the majority of which are Kinh with roughly 87 percent of the nation’s 90.5 million population.

VNA