Deputy PM meets new Brazilian, Russian ambassadors

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met the new Ambassadors of Brazil and Russia to Vietnam in Hanoi on April 23.

Brazilian Ambassador Marco Antonio Diniz will take over Vitoria Alice Cleaver for the next tenure.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich will replace Andrei Kovtun to take charge of day-to-day affairs at the embassy in Hanoi.

Deputy PM hosts Lao economic commission head

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed Bouasone Bouphavanh, Head of the Lao Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Development Strategy Research, in Hanoi on April 23.

He congratulated Laos on its important achievements in both domestic and foreign affairs, saying that they are significant to the country’s building and safeguarding cause and towards consolidating the special solidarity between Laos and Vietnam and maintaining peace and stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Vietnam will work tirelessly with Laos to nurture bilateral relations, considering it a strategic task essential to the security and development of each nation, he said.

He continued by asking both sides to effectively implement agreements signed during the 37 th meeting of their inter-governmental committee, affirming that the Vietnamese Government is willing to coordinate with Laos in carrying out trade agreements and signing new deals.

The two sides should also intensify cooperation within the ASEAN framework and at regional and international forums, he added.

The guest informed the host of the outcomes of his working sessions with Vietnamese agencies.

Experience shared during the visit will contribute importantly to the development of Laos, he affirmed.

Party chief highlights Cao Bang economic potential

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted potential untapped by the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang during his working session with local authorities on April 23.

Cao Bang should review its strengths beyond agriculture and forestry. With a 330 kilometre borderline with China, the province is well-positioned to develop cross-border trade, he said.

He also cited special national relic sites like Pac Bo, Tran Hung Dao forest and Phat Tich Truc Lam Ban Gioc pagoda as a promising source of tourism revenue, which has soared over 230 percent from 2010.

He suggested that infrastructure should be one of the three strategic methods to bring about economic prosperity, hand in hand with reducing poverty and expanding successful business models.

To that end, it is imperative to fine-tune policies, utilise resources for development and gather a pool of officials qualified for the new global context, he said.

The Party chief underscored that economic development is a central task, Party building is crucial and national defence-security is a regular and significant mission, pointing to the fact that personnel work is vital and leaders should be exemplary, upright, capable and able to unite officials and Party members.

He asked the locality to boost regional connectivity and make thorough personnel preparations for all-level Party Congresses.

Looking back on the past five years, Cao Bang has recorded an annual economic growth of 9.2 percent with an average income per capita of 878 USD.

The total yearly food output averaged 250,000 tonnes while agriculture yielded 35 million VND (1,670 USD) per hectare. The poverty rate has reduced by over 4 percent annually to the current 20 percent.

In the morning on the same day, the leader offered incense and planted trees at a memorial dedicated to the late President Ho Chi Minh inside Pac Bo relic site in Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district.

During a working session with communal senior officials, he asked for increased attention to building the Party and a strong and healthy political system while continuing a campaign on studying and following the moral example of late President Ho Chi Minh.

On the occasion, he also visited and presented gifts to war hero relatives in the district.

NA Vice Chairwoman hails RoK association operations

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has hailed the contributions by the Association of People Loving Vietnam in the Republic of Korea (VESAMO) towards consolidating and promoting friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Welcoming a VESAMO delegation in Hanoi on April 23, Ngan asked the two countries’ friendship associations, including the VESAMO, to continue organising exchange activities to further enhance bilateral ties.

VESAMO President Chang Ho Ick said that his visit, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification and the 20-year partnership between Busan and Ho Chi Minh City, also aims to promote the bilateral friendship.

During their stay in Vietnam, the delegation intends to present gifts to impoverished students and Agent Orange/dioxin victims in several localities.

On April 22, the association presented 30,000 USD to AO victims in the northern localities of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Hanoi.

Founded in 2002, the VESAMO is a non-profit organisation whose members are primarily artists, journalists, lawyers and businessmen from southern Korean cities, such as Bussan, Ulsan and Kyeongnam.

The association has provided support to Vietnamese brides, guest workers and students in the RoK, besides disadvantaged people living Vietnam.

Party delegation visits European trio

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, Hoang Binh Quan led a delegation to pay a working visit to Poland , the Czech Republic and Hungary from April 16-23, with a view to strengthening political relations.

The Vietnamese official held talks with representatives from Poland’s Democratic Left Alliance, the Czech Republic ’s Communist Party, and members of the ruling Fidesz party, the Socialist Party and the Workers’ Party in Hungary. Quan also met with leaders from the three countries’ parliaments.

During the meetings, the guest and hosts discussed measures to promote relations between Vietnam and the three countries.

Quan expressed hope that the countries’ parties will support solutions to step up bilateral ties with Vietnam in the coming time.

The hosts hailed their cooperation with Vietnam over the last 65 years, saying that this is a strong foundation and impetus to forge further links in the time ahead.

Together with Quan, they compared notes on regional and global issues of common concern, including the East Sea issue.

The Vietnamese official asserted Vietnam’s consistent policy in addressing East Sea disputes through peaceful means with respect to international law, including the 1982 United Nations on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

During his stay in the Czech Republic, Quan spoke at a workshop which reviewed Vietnam’s great achievements in its 30-year renewal process, and explored Vietnam-Czech relations over the last 65 years.

He also visited the Vietnamese Embassies and met with overseas Vietnamese people living in the three countries.

Czech PM appreciates ties with Vietnam

The Czech Republic always treasures its traditional friendship with Vietnam, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has proclaimed while receiving Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Truong Manh Son.

He went on to express his contentment at the achievements the two nations have enjoyed together, including the great contribution the Vietnamese expatriate community has made to the Czech Republic’s socio-economic growth.

Ambassador Son declared that stimulating trade affiliation between the two countries is the top priority during his tenure.

He urged his host to provide further support for his fellow countrymen to build their lives and careers in the country.

Both sides reached a consensus to boost delegation exchanges and cooperation in sectors in which they excel.