Press and news agencies of Vietnam and China need to promote information sharing as well as enhance delegation exchange to boost the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples, said press officials of both countries. 

The view was shared by Thuan Huu, member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), deputy head of the PCC’s Communication and Education Commission and Editor-in-chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, and Rui Wei, head of the China Radio International (CRI)’s representative office in Vietnam at their meeting in Hanoi on April 26.

The two sides informed each other on the exchange of delegations and cooperation between Nhan Dan Newspaper and Chinese press.

They agreed that the Vietnamese and Chinese Parties and States attach much importance to bolstering the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, including collaboration between press and news agencies of both sides.

Thuan Huu congratulated the CRI on the opening of the CRI’s representative office in Vietnam and expressed his hope that Nhan Dan Newspaper and the CRI will carry out cooperation in the fields of information and professional training.

He suggested the CRI share with Nhan Dan Newspaper articles in Chinese featuring the culture and people of China.

Meanwhile, Rui Wei underlined that the establishment of the CRI’s representative office in Vietnam shows China’s respect for the ties with the Southeast Asian nation. He also expressed his wish to step up collaboration with Nhan Dan Newspaper.

HCM City event marks 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Netherlands ties

The Dutch Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony on April 26 to mark the birthday of Dutch King Willem Alexander (King’s Day April 27) and the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (April 9).

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang expressed his delight at the strong development of bilateral relations across the fields, especially in the exchange of high-level delegations and cooperation in water management, climate change adaptation, culture, education and tourism.

Speaking highly of the role of the Consulate General in boosting collaboration between Ho Chi Minh City and the Netherlands, Mang affirmed that the city is willing to create the most favourable conditions for the Consulate General to carry out diplomatic events and cooperative activities in order to tighten the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Consul General Carel Richter stressed that the Netherlands maintains its position among the largest foreign investors in Vietnam and biggest European trade partners of the country.

The bilateral partnership has flourished over the past 45 years, particularly in water management and climate change response, he stated.

He confirmed that the Netherlands wants to help Ho Chi Minh City cope with flood challenges and further promote cooperation in agriculture, education and tourism.

The country is also willing to implement a programme to increase the capacity of the State and private sectors in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Last year, trade between HCM City and the Netherlands hit 1.2 billion USD. The Netherlands is now running 132 investment projects in Vietnam’s southern economic hub with a total capital of nearly 1.9 billion USD, ranking eighth out of the 95 countries and territories pouring capital into the city. Many Dutch-funded projects on the environment and agriculture are being carried out in Ho Chi Minh City.

Former Vice President meets Vietnamese expats in Australia

Former Vice President Truong My Hoa, who is also head of the club “Vi Hoang Sa - Truong Sa than yeu” (For beloved Hoang Sa – Truong Sa), had a meeting with Vietnamese expats in Sydney, Australia on April 26, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) battle.

Hoa praised the national pride and patriotism of overseas Vietnamese people, particularly those in Australia, who have actively participated in fundraising events for the club “Vi Hoang Sa - Truong Sa than yeu”. 

The Vietnamese expats in Australia have taken a number of trips to Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos and donated money to build schools for children of local soldiers and provide support for people there, she said.

According to the former Vietnamese leader, members of the club have been travelling to many localities in Vietnam and foreign countries, such as the Republic of Korea and Germany, to hold memorial services in commemoration of 64 soldiers who laid down their lives in the Gac Ma battle three decades ago.

Hoa and members of the club will work with Vietnamese people in Sydney (New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria) and Perth (Western Australia) to prepare for similar events in Australia.

She took the occasion to hand over the club’s group and individual membership cards to Vietnamese in New South Wales.

Vietnamese PM meets with scientists, intellectuals in Singapore

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 26 had a meeting with scientists and intellectuals in Singapore to learn about their experience in applying advanced technologies in building a constructive government as part of his official visit to the country. 

The experts lauded the Vietnamese Government’s and the PM’s care about impacts of the fourth industrial revolution and emphasised the need to adopt cloud-based computing technology, artificial intelligence, big data and 3D technology in the fields of health, agriculture, industry, building of smart cities and e-government, and corporate governance. 

They suggested training workforce to tap opportunities arising from the revolution, including issuing mechanisms to attract domestic and foreign scientists and intellects and enhancing training on automation, robotics and nano materials. 

In order to fuel innovation, the experts suggested the Vietnamese Government issue policies to connect innovation ideas with businesses to put them into life. 

According to them, the world will use cloud-based computing technology and Internet-of-Things that will make changes in many countries. With a young population and presence of the world’s major hi-tech groups in the country, it will be easier for Vietnam to successfully apply new technologies, they said.

PM Phuc, for his part, said Vietnam is building a strategy on the implementation of the fourth industrial revolution and wished that experts would help Vietnam adopt smart technologies in health care to offer cheaper and better services to patients. 

He said Vietnam recommended three cities to join the ASEAN Network of Smart Cities proposed by Singapore, adding that he wants to continue listening to valuable experiences of Singaporean and Vietnamese intellectuals in national construction. 

The leader also committed all possible favourable conditions for Singaporean hi-tech firms to invest in Vietnam and support Vietnamese start-ups. 

In the afternoon of the same day, PM Phuc visited the Government of Technology Agency of Singapore and study Singapore’s plan on building a smart country and digital government. 

Meeting the Vietnamese embassy’s staff and Vietnamese nationals in the country, the PM briefed them about the outcomes of the talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, the meeting with President Halimah Yacob and working sessions and the signing of agreements with Singaporean agencies and businesses. 

He wished that young Vietnamese intellectuals in Singapore will partner with domestic and foreign partners to create collective power to bring the home country forward during the fourth industrial revolution.

Hanoi, Havana share experiences in city development

During the talks with his Havana counterpart Tatiana Viera, Tuan introduced Hanoi’s development in recent years, the capital’s challenges and measures applied to develop the city.

Congratulating Cuba on its recent successful general election, Tuan expressed his belief that the traditional relations between the two countries in general and the two cities in particular will further thrive with the expansion of new cooperative projects.

Meanwhile, Tatiana Viera updated the Vietnamese guest on Havana’s achievement in the social welfare affairs, especially in the fields of education and health, wishing that both localities will have more cooperative projects in the fields of their strengths like health and tourism.

During their stay in Cuba, the Vietnamese delegation paid tribute to Cuban hero Jose Marti and late Cuban leader Fidel Castro. They also laid a wreath at President Ho Chi Minh’s statue and visited some cultural and economic establishments in Havana.

Vietnamese, Czech localities step up cooperation

 

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan has expressed his hope that leaders of the Pardubice region will pay due attention to seeking opportunities for cooperation with Vietnamese localities and the Vietnamese Embassy stands ready to connect collaboration between both sides.

The Vietnamese diplomat made the statement while meeting with Governor of the Pardubice region Martin Netolicky on April 25, during which Tuan highlighted the fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and the Central European country in the past time.

The cooperative ties have been consolidated after visits of the two countries’ senior leaders, he said, adding that the successful organistion of the 6th meeting of Vietnam-Czech Republic inter-government committee in Hanoi in mid-April also contributed to bilateral relations, especially economic and trade bonds.

At the meeting, Tuan introduced Tuyen Quang province’s strengths and cooperation potential to the Pardubice region’s leaders. He noted that the Vietnamese mountainous province wishes to cooperate with the Czech partner in the fields of agriculture, food, environment and healthcare.

Martin Netolicky, for his part, said that he wants to set up partnerships with Vietnamese localities based on potential and interests of both sides and via specific projects.

Pardubice is in need of some 500 highly-skilled workers in industrial production, he said.

Both Tuan and Netolicky lauded the Vietnamese people community’s integration and their significant contributions to the host country.

Netolicky affirmed that he will introduce a representative from the community to the local ethnic minority council.

Pardubice region will continue to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people to stabilise their livelihoods and preserve their cultural identity, he affirmed.

Pardubice region is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic with a total population of 500,000 people. It holds advantages in agricultural and industrial production like manufacturing, garments and chemical industry.

NA leader: Vietnam always treasures relations with Cambodia

Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Tong Thi Phong has affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and gives top priority to consolidating and enhancing its traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia. 

During her meetings with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen, and newly-reelected President of the Senate Say Chhum in Phnom Penh on April 26, Phong informed them about the outcomes of the hand-over of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) chairmanship to the Cambodian NA, the talks with Second Vice President of the Cambodian NA Nguon Nhil, the talks between General Secretary of the Cambodian NA Leng Peng Long and Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA’s Committee for External Relations. 

She said the visit aims to strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and the two legislatures in particular.

The Party, State, NA and people of Vietnam are deeply grateful to valuable and effective support and assistance that Cambodia has offered to Vietnam, she said, adding that Vietnam will do its best, together with Cambodia, to push forward the effective and practical development of bilateral ties in all areas, and help Cambodia fulfill its role as APPF Chair. 

The Cambodian leaders asked Vietnam to help Cambodia successfully host the 27th annual meeting of the APPF (APPF-27) in January 2019. 

They expressed gratitude to the Vietnamese Party, NA, Government and people for their assistance to Cambodia in the struggle to topple the Pol Pot genocide regime, as well as in the current cause of national construction and development. 

The Cambodian leaders also expressed delight at the growing ties between the two countries, especially the two legislatures, thereby helping to improve their positions in the regional and global arenas. 

During their talks, Vietnamese NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong and newly-reelected First President of the Senate Nay Pena agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Cambodian enterprises to do business in the two countries, and offer mutual support to fulfill each side’s role and successfully hold the APPF-27. 

In the morning the same day, the Vietnamese delegation offered incense and laid wreaths at the Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Monument. 

In the afternoon of April 26, the Vietnamese legislators left Phnom Penh, concluding their two-day working visit to Cambodia.

Vice President urges women to foster economic connectivity

Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh has urged women to take the lead in fostering economic connectivity and international cooperation and equip themselves with new skills and knowledge so that they are not left behind in the digital era and the fourth industrial revolution.

Vice President Thinh made the remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Global Summit of Women in Sydney, Australia, on April 26.

She highly spoke of what the Global Summit of Women has done over the last three decades to promote the role of women in all spheres of life, particularly in economy, and to strengthen connectivity between women business leaders around the world.

Thinh reiterated the importance of strengthening regional and global connectivity, saying it is an irreversible trend which has brought enormous opportunities to countries and businesses to fully tap their potential in the global value chain.

She also mentioned Vietnam’s contributions to creating shared values of the global economy, particularly through its initiatives within the framework of the APEC Year 2017.

Women have played a key role in promoting global governance, inclusive and sustainable development and creating economies of shared value, the Vietnamese leader said.

She highlighted Vietnamese women’s contributions to the national economy as they make up 48 percent of the workforce and about 25 percent of CEOs or members of boards of directors in the country.

Joining in regional and global connectivity has given Vietnamese women better access to sustainable development models as well as the world’s latest technologies and knowledge, Thinh noted.

On the other hand, Vietnamese women are facing many difficulties, including access to loans and new skills to keep up with the rapid transformation of the global economy, she added.

Thinh went on to emphasis that promoting gender equality and empowering women should always be a key pillar of the national policies and women should be provided with better conditions to get access to resources, to expand production and to do business.

The 2018 Global Summit of Women is taking place from April 26-28 under the theme “Women: Creating Economies of Shared Value”. The event has gathered more than 1,200 delegates from over 65 countries and territories, including government leaders, CEOs and executive leaders, business leaders and entrepreneurs from all parts of the world.

On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation participated in the Ministerial Roundtable on “Public/Private Sector Partnerships Advancing Economic Opportunities for Women and Girls”, Mayor’s Forum, and a session about “Doing Business with Australia”

The Vietnamese delegation also had a roundtable with Australia on gender equality, in which the two sides shared experiences in promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls and discussed ways to encourage the women’s leadership in business.

The Global Summit of Women has been held annually for over 27 years. It aims to expanding women’s economic opportunities globally through exchanges of working solutions and creative strategies forged by women leaders in different parts of the world.  It is a business summit, whose ‘business’ focus is women’s advancement in the global economy.

Vietnam wants to boost cooperation with Bangladesh: Vice President

Vietnam is keen to develop friendship and cooperation with Bangladesh and the two countries can share experience in economic development, poverty reduction and gender equality promotion.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh made the statement at a meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the 2018 Global Summit of Women in Sydney, Australia, on April 27.

She congratulated Bangladesh on its remarkable achievements gained in 2017, especially the realisation of some millennium development goals of the United Nations on children and women.

The Vice President wished Bangladesh would reach its target of becoming an upper-middle income nation in 2021. 

PM Sheikh Hasina said Vietnam is a source of inspiration for Bangladesh in the fight for independence in the past and a model of national building and economic development at present.

She recalled the good impression of her official visit to Vietnam in 2012.

The PM expressed her pleasure at the growing relations between the two countries after their establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago across politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, agriculture and education.

There is plenty of room for expanding bilateral cooperation, she said, adding that she highly values the outcomes of the State-level visit to Bangladesh by President Tran Dai Quang in March this year.

The Bangladeshi PM agreed to increase meetings among high-ranking officials and promote people-to-people exchanges between Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Vice President Thinh suggested Vietnam and Bangladesh deploy specific measures to meet the set target of 2 billion USD in two-way trade by 2020 and create favourable conditions for the two countries’ business communities to share information and promote trade connectivity and mutual assistance in the fields of agriculture and seafood.

She recommended enhancing cooperation in education and tourism, and soon opening a direct air route between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums, including the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.   

Bangladesh took note of Vietnam’s request for support of its candidacy to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.

ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting opens in Singapore

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) opened in Singapore on April 27 ahead of the 32nd ASEAN Summit.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh is leading the Vietnamese delegation to the event.

The AMM will discuss progress in implementing the region’s key initiatives and review the process of building the ASEAN Community along with future orientation for the work.

Ministers will also look at the pace of blueprints on carrying out the ASEAN Community Vision to 2025 and adopt the agenda of the 32nd ASEAN Summit along with the list of documents to be submitted to the bloc’s leaders.

Ministers will debate ASEAN priorities under the Singaporean-sponsored theme of Resilient and Innovative, including an idea on building a network of smart cities in the region.

Relevant regional and international issues of common concern, including the East Sea, new developments on the Korean peninsula, terrorism and extremism, maritime security and some other non-conventional security matters, are also on the AMM’s agenda.

Also on April 27, several important events will take place, namely the 17th ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Council meeting and the 21st ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting.

To ensure safety for the ASEAN Summit and related meetings, host Singapore has tightened security around all meeting venues and the country’s entry gates.

Singapore is the Chair of ASEAN in 2018. The bloc groups 10 Southeast Asian nations, which are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnam looks to foster cooperation with Bulgaria

National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu has suggested Bulgaria promote cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of its strength such as agriculture, processing industry and food production. 

The Vietnamese legislator made the suggestion at a meeting with Speaker of Bulgaria's National Assembly Tsveta Karayancheva on April 26 on the occasion of Luu’s ongoing working visit to Bulgaria to further enhance the relations between the two countries and their legislative bodies. 

Luu expressed his joy at the increasing development of the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship in recent years, saying that the two countries can learn from experience of each other in tuning legal documents and judiciary, building the rule-of-law State and anti-corruption law. 

Regarding the education bond, the Vietnamese official asked Karayancheva to urge Bulgaria’s Government and education ministry to increase scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the country. 

Bulgaria helped Vietnam train many officials and experts, and many of them became high-ranking leaders of Vietnam such former NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and former Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, he noted.

Luu called on the Bulgarian side to continue supporting Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2020-21 tenure.

He expressed his hope that as the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), the Bulgarian NA will soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); and further promote the implementation of cooperation agreements signed by the two countries, especially the organisation of the 4th meeting of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Committee.

Karayancheva, for her part, agreed with Luu’s opinion, saying that through meetings, the two sides need to find solutions to difficulties in their trade, investment and education cooperation. 

Bulgaria wishes to become a bridge connecting Vietnam and Europe, she stressed. 

She also revealed that her country has been amending some laws and building an e-parliament.

On the same day, the NA Vice Chairman had a meeting with Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Yotova, during which Luu said he hopes his visit will contribute to further pushing the multifaceted relationship between the two nations, especially between their legislatures.

Yotova stressed that the two sides should discuss long-term plans on investment and trade cooperation, and work closely to organise business forums, towards making it easier their firms, especially small and-medium-sized enterprises to seek and set up partnership. 

Bulgaria is willing to share experience with Vietnam in processing farm products, and agricultural production in line with the European standards, she said. 

For education bond, she suggested the Vietnamese Government devise specific plans to promote the teaching and learning of Vietnamese language at high schools in Bulgaria, saying that this will help preserve Vietnam’s culture. 

Earlier the same day, the Vietnamese official met with Ddannail Kirilov, Chairman of the Justice Committee of the Bulgarian National Assembly. 

The two sides debated the amendment of the penal code and laws relating to combating corruption.  

As scheduled, NA Vice Chairman Luu will leave Bulgaria on April 29, and visit Macedonia from April 30-May 1 and Rumania from May 2-5.

HCM City’s official receives Ukrainian parliamentarians

Friendship parliamentarians’ groups of Vietnam and Ukraine should promote their role in connecting Ukrainian enterprises with Vietnamese counterparts, including those in Ho Chi Minh City, a municipal official has said.

Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Truong Thi Anh made the suggestion at a reception for visiting Chairwoman of the Ukraine-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group Yurynets Oksana Vasylivna in the city on April 26. 

During the meeting, Anh briefed the guest on the southern hub’s socio-economic development and activities of the People’s Councils at all levels in the city. 

She expressed the hope that HCM City and Ukraine will bolster information sharing and support each other for mutual development.

Yurynets Oksana Vasylivna, who is also Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Regional and Cross-Border Cooperation between Ukraine and the EU Countries of Committee on European Integration, showed her impression of the strong and dynamic development of Vietnam and HCM City in particular. 

She stressed that the similarities between Vietnam and Ukraine in their history of fighting foreign invaders for national independence are a favourable foundation for enhancing their friendship and cooperation in many fields such as education, science and technology. 

She hoped Vietnam and Ukraine would carry out more activities to promote all-level cooperation in the fields of their common concern and in potential domains.

Senior officials review preparations for ASEAN Summit in Singapore

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung attended a meeting in Singapore on April 26 to review preparations for the 32nd ASEAN Summit which will take place in the island country on April 27 and 28.

The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting approved the summit’s schedule, agenda and a list of documents that will be submitted to leaders of ASEAN member states at the 32nd ASEAN Summit. 

The officials highly spoke of excellent preparations of the host Singapore, saying they expect that this year’s summit will map out important directions to promote the bloc’s solidarity and unity, improve self-resilience and foster innovation-driven development in the ASEAN in the face of new opportunities and challenges.

Additionally, the ASEAN senior officials exchanged views on issues of intra-ASEAN cooperation and cooperation between ASEAN and its partners. To effectively implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, they agreed to strengthen coordination at both regional and national levels and promote the role of ASEAN coordinating and functioning bodies. They will also ramp up communication campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of the ASEAN Community among their people.

They discussed the implementation of cooperation with partners in the time ahead with a focus on improving the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanism and forums and enhancing cooperation on areas that are ASEAN’s priority. They emphasized the need to maintain a common stance between ASEAN member states and consolidate ASEAN’s centrality in cooperation with these partners.

The 17th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC) Meeting and the 21th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) Meeting will take place on April 27, on the threshold of the 32nd ASEAN Summit.

Diplomat affirms Vietnam’s commitment to promote peace

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to promote peace and security in the region and the world during the UN General Assembly’s High-level Meeting on Peace Building and Sustaining Peace in New York on April 24 and 25. 

In her speech, Nga said amidst current complicated and uncertain challenges, the UN needs to take a comprehensive approach and put humans in the central position to prevent and deal with disputes in line with the UN Charter and international law, neither use nor threat to use force, respect political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country. 

Vietnam welcomed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s reform initiatives with a view to fulfilling the UN’s mission in peacekeeping and helping member states achieve development goals, she said. 

The ambassador reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of peacefully settling disputes, including the East Sea issue, in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and in respect of legal and diplomatic process towards achieving a Code of Conduct(COC) in the East Sea. 

She revealed that Vietnam is accelerating preparations for the launch of a level-2 field hospital in South Sudan. 

In his opening remarks, President of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak called on member states to give priority to preventing conflicts, building and maintaining peace, upholding the UN’s leadership in strengthening global peace and security, promoting sustainable development and ensuring human rights. 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted the need to support member states, especially those hit by conflicts, and called for brainpower, science-technology and budget resources to the UN’s activities to prevent conflicts, maintain peace and deal with immigration and refugee crises. 

Participants emphasized the necessity to deal with root causes of conflicts, uphold the role of intermediaries, and encourage the involvement of women and young people. 

They agreed to enhance the UN’s leadership role, support the UN Secretary General’s reform initiatives to improve the efficiency of the organisation’s activities, increase collective efforts and partnership, and pool necessary resources for peace maintenance and sustainable development.

As scheduled, the UN General Assembly and Security Council will adopt a resolution on April 26, requesting the UN Secretary General to submit next reports on the implementation of recommendations regarding peace building and maintenance.

Party chief urges construction sector to master modern technologies

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has asked the construction sector to acquire and master advanced construction technologies and enhance Vietnam’s construction capabilities.

The Party leader made the request while attending a ceremony to mark the sector’s 60th founding anniversary on April 27.

He also called for stronger growth in the construction materials industry, especially in the development of new and high-quality materials.

In his remarks at the function, Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha underlined the sector’s contributions over the past 60 years, stating that Vietnam’s urbanisation rate has risen to 37.5% with over 800 towns and cities throughout the country.

He emphasised that Vietnamese engineers can now undertake highly sophisticated projects in all areas from civil to industrial construction.

A number of prominent projects include the Son La and Lai Chau Hydropower Plants, the Dung Quat Refinery, the Ho Chi Minh Highway and the Hai Van Tunnel.

General Secretary Trong praised the construction sector’s achievements over the past six decades but noted that it needs to take greater efforts to ensure urban development goes according to the approved planning.

He stated that the construction authorities should fine-tune the legal framework to guarantee the stability and transparency of the property market.

The Party chief also asked for more attention to be given to affordable housing as one of the pillars of Vietnam’s social security policy.

At the ceremony, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung awarded the Labour Order, first class to the construction sector for its contributions to Vietnam’s national construction and development.

Vietnam People’s Navy ship visits Cambodia

A sailing ship of the Vietnam People’s Navy with 116 crew members from the Vietnam Naval Academy is docking in the Sihanoukville port in West Cambodia for a four-day official visit to the country from April 25-28.

Colonel Nguyen Duc Nam, Vice Director of the Vietnam Naval Academy, who is also head of the Vietnamese delegation, said that this is the second time the Vietnam People’s Navy send a ship to Cambodia for friendly visit.

The visit aims to further foster the traditional friendship, solidarity and mutual trust between the Vietnam People’s Army and the Cambodian Royal Army as well as the naval forces of the two countries in particular, he said.

Nam noted that the Vietnam Naval Academy has contributed to the development of ties between the two naval forces by training officers for the Cambodia Royal Navy and sending its officials to Cambodia to help design naval officer training programmes.

He expressed his belief that in the coming time, the partnership between naval forces of the two sides will continue thriving through the implementation of agreements, thus contributing to strengthening relations between the two countries and building a peaceful and stable environment in the region.

During their stay, the crewmembers laid flowers at the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument in Sihanoukville city and visit the Vietnamese Consulate General in Preah Sihanouk province. They had a meeting with senior Cambodian naval officials and joined a number of cultural and sports exchange activities, while sharing experience in operation on board of naval ships with their Cambodian peers.

The sailing ship, coded HQ-286 and named Le Quy Don, belongs to the training ship fleet of the Vietnam Naval Academy. It was designed by Poland’s Choren Design & Consulting and built by Marine Projects in 2014. The ship was launched in June 1, 2015.-