President pays respect to nation-founding Hung Kings

President Truong Tan Sang attended a ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on April 28 (the 10th day of the third lunar month).

The ceremony is the highlight of the 2015 Hung Kings Temple Festival from April 23-28.

Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee, Chu Ngoc Anh, delivered an eulogy praising the kings for founding and protecting the nation, both in peace and wartime.

He said the celebration reflects the great unity and patriotism of all groups in the Vietnamese community, adding that the nation always aspires to international peace and solidarity.

President Sang, Party and State leaders, local officials and people offered incenses, flowers and fruits to national founders at the temple. The President and delegates also took the occasion to lay a wreath at the tombs of the Hung Kings and paid tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh and the country’s war heroes.

Following the incense-offering ceremony, millions of Vietnamese from across the country and abroad thronged to the temple complex – a special national relic site – to pay their homage.

The same day, people nationwide worshipped the Hung Kings by performing similar rituals as a mark of respect.

Earlier, other ceremonies were held to commemorate the death anniversary of the Lac Long Quan, believed to be the father of both the country and the Vietnamese people, and to their mother Au Co. Together the pair are said to have founded the nation of Van Lang, the earliest incarnation of Vietnam.

During the Hung Kings Temple festival, a number of cultural and sporting events, such as photo exhibitions, music performances, traditional cooking competitions and a tourism fair attracted over 8 million visitors.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worshipping traditions of most Vietnamese families, which form an important part of their spiritual lives. It was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.-

Religious groups advise followers to lead civilised lifestyles

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has called for continued support from religious groups to spread a cilivised and cultural lifestyle to the public.

Meeting representatives from 38 religious organisations in Ho Chi Minh City on April 27, Dam asked the ministries of Public Health, Education and Training, and Culture, Sports and Tourism to do specific tasks for the cause.

He suggested holding meetings of different religious groups to raise mutual understanding and offer ideas to provide better welfare for the public.

Participants recommended adding transport safety and food hygiene advice into educational curricula, providing study funds to relatives of religious followers, and providing free health check-ups for the poor, among others.

They also discussed initiatives to counter unhealthy social behaviours and spread civilised practices.

Vietnam is currently home to 38 organisations run by 14 certified religions with over 25 million followers, 83,000 dignitaries and 25,000 places of worship, said Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Pham Dung.

Vietnam attends Mekong human trafficking meeting

Vietnam will continue raising public awareness of the fight against human trafficking, a senior official told the 10 th meeting of the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 28.

The country is fine-tuning legal regulations, strengthening the capacity of agencies concerned and spreading sustainable support models for trafficked victims, while increasing multilateral cooperation in the effort, said deputy head of the Ministry of Public Security’s General Department of Crime Prevention and Control, Lieut. Gen Do Kim Tuyen.

He said cooperative efforts within the COMMIT framework are a significant part of Vietnam’s national programme for 2016-2020.

Senior officials from sub-regional Mekong countries, including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, reviewed the progress of their joint crackdown on human trafficking based on memoranda of understanding and agreements adopted by the COMMIT’s senior officials and inter-ministerial meetings.

They also shared experience in launching effective social models to protect those vulnerable to traffickers.

The meeting is scheduled to focus on orientations to launch the fourth stage of a sub-regional action plan on human trafficking prevention, as well as prepare documents for the third COMMIT inter-ministerial meeting slated for April 30 in Phnom Penh.

Asia Group CEO welcomed in Hanoi

Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, received the visiting Chief Executive Officer of the US Asia Group, Nirav Patel in Hanoi on April 27.

At the reception, the host said the visit will help boost the trade cooperation between Vietnam and the US. He added that the Defence Ministry will facilitate the US firm to seek cooperative opportunities with some of its agencies.

For his part, Patel suggested the two sides step up exchange visits to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation.

The Asia Group is a strategy and capital advisory firm based in Washington DC with affiliated offices in Singapore , Jakarta and Hong Kong (China) .

Founded in 2013, the company works with clients to identify, integrate and advance new business opportunities, and also works with existing businesses to navigate the complexities of both established and emerging markets in Asia.

Communist Party of Vietnam steps up ties with Russian political parties

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam has attended an international workshop in Moscow at the invitation of the A Just Russia Party.

The event on April 26-27 drew numerous politicians and social activists and researchers from 35 countries worldwide, discussing urgent global issues, such as climate change, energy security, regional conflict, immigration and the fight against terrorism.

On the sidelines of the workshop, the Vietnamese delegation led by Nguyen Tuan Phong, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, had a meeting with Sergei Mironov, Chairman of the A Just Russia Party and head of the party’s group in State Duma (Lower House).

Mironov affirmed that the A Just Russia Party backs the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam and treasures ties with the Vietnamese Communist Party, hoping that bilateral relations can be elevated to a new height.

He spoke highly of the Vietnamese struggle for independence as well the as achievements made by the Vietnamese people in the four decades since.

For his part, Phong congratulated the Russian people on the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, and hailed the success of the international workshop organised by the A Just Russia Party.

PM attends National Reunification celebration in Hau Giang

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung joined locals in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang in a ceremony on April 29 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975-2015).

Addressing the event, the PM said the great victory in spring 1975 was a glorious page in the country’s history and a significant milestone of the nation, to which soldiers and people of Hau Giang made important contributions.

The locality, which was a gateway to the U Minh revolutionary base, was on the key road to transport soldiers and food from the base to a number of Mekong Delta localities. For this reason, it saw some of the fiercest fighting during the war.

The nation will forever bear in mind and be grateful to those who fought and made the victory, especially the ones that laid down their lives for the liberation of the nation, he stated.

The PM noted that 40 years after the victory and 30 years since the reform cause was launched, Hau Giang has made a number of important achievements in all fields.

He suggested that the locality build on the attainment and continue to make full use of resources for socio-economic development infrastructure, while ensuring social equality and progress.

Earlier on April 28, PM Nguyen Tan Dung also attended a similar ceremony in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

President reflects on historic 1975 victory

President Truong Tan Sang attended a ceremony on April 29 in the Mekong Delta province of Long An to mark the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification Day (April 30), during which he expressed his gratitude to former Party leaders and everyone who fought and made sacrifices for the victory.

He lauded the efforts of Long An in both national defence and construction. The locality, which played a key role in the war due to its strategic position to the west of Saigon , significantly contributed to the spring 1975 victory, he stated.

The State leader said that after four decades, remarkable changes have been seen both locally in Long An, and the country, region and world at large.

Meanwhile, tensions in the East Sea have escalated, while hostile forces continue conducting activities to cause socio-political instability, he warned.

The President said that besides celebrating its achievements, the country should be unafraid to face its shortcomings in order to make swift improvements.

He pointed out that the nation is facing unsustainable economic development with poor competitiveness and an incomplete market economy, as well as poor human resources quality, a badly organised infrastructure system and serious levels of corruption.

He called on the whole Party, army and people to work hard in the spirit of the spring 1975 victory to successfully fulfil all the targets of the nation.

Vietnamese leaders pay tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh

A delegation of leaders from the Party, State, National Assembly, Government and Vietnam Fatherland Front on April 29 laid a wreath of flowers in homage to late President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification (April 30, 1975).

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung attended the ceremony.

The delegation later laid wreaths in tribute to heroic war heroes who lost their lives in the conflict.

On the same day, Secretary of the HCM City Party’s Committee, Le Thanh Hai, led a delegation to offer incense to the late leaders Ho Chi Minh and Ton Duc Thang. The delegation also paid tribute to the city’s war dead.

Many local politicians and officials joined local residents in offering incense and laying wreaths, showing their respect for the sacrifices and contributions made by the country’s great leaders and war heroes.-

Vietnamese diplomat highlights cooperation potential with Kazakhstan

Bilateral relations between Vietnam and Kazakhstan should be taken to the next level, Vietnamese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Nguyen Van Hoa told Vietnam News Agency correspondents on April 27.

The Ambassador highlighted the fact that in the past few years Vietnam and Kazakhstan have supported each other at the international and regional forums, adding that two-way trade in 2014 reached over 213 million USD, doubling the previous year’s figure.

He underscored that numerous agreements, especially the Vietnam- Eurasian Economic Union free trade agreement, will open up new opportunities to develop economic relations between two countries. Kazakhstan is a member of the Union.

However, limitations exist in investment and cultural exchange between two nations, according to the diplomat. Hoa said that Vietnamese enterprises should be encouraged to invest more in agricultural products, food, garments and electronic products, which are favoured in Kazakh markets.

He recommended that the tourism sector needs to coordinate with Kazakh partners to draw more tourists from central Asia to Vietnam.

He especially stressed the need for cooperation to exploit oil and minerals in Kazakhstan, deeming it as a key potential area of collaboration between the two sides to meet the energy demand of Vietnam, which will become an industrial country post-2020.

Hoa praised contributions made by the Vietnamese expatriate community in Kazakhstan to consolidate and develop the traditional relations.-

Chairman of Laos war veterans hails Vietnam’s 1975 victory

Vietnam’s victory on April 30, 1975 reflected the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the late President Ho Chi Minh, as well as the solidarity of the people, said Chairman of the Laos War Veterans Association, Major General Somphone Keominsay.

This was the common victory for the three Indochina countries, namely Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the Major General told the Vietnam News Agency correspondents.

He recalled his thrilling moment when he heard the news on the victory, saying that he felt like it was his own nation’s triumph.

The Lao Major General highlighted the significance of the victory to the independence of Laos, which came later that year.

He also hailed the solidarity among the nations of Indochina during their revolutionary wars.-

Beheiren 50th anniversary held in Tokyo

The 50 th anniversary of the Japan Peace for Vietnam Citizens’ Alliance , also known as the Beheiren movement, was held in Shiba Park in Tokyo, Japan on April 26.

The ceremony allowed those involved to look back at a glorious chapter of a left-wing movement which saw Japanese students and young people protest the United States’ invasion of Vietnam.

The Beheiren movement began its activities on April 24, 1965, two months after the US’s bombing of the north of Vietnam.

Despite having just coming into existence, the movement quickly attracted a lot of attention from the public thanks to the participation of some influential figures, such as writers Makoto Oda and Takeshi Kaiko and the philosopher Shunsuke Tsurumi.

Beheiren continually staged a wide range of activities to protest the war in Vietnam. On June 15, 1969, it organised the biggest anti-war rally in Tokyo, drawing over 70,000 to the streets.

The movement expanded and eventually had 350 groups across Japan. It’s operation had a huge influence on later civil movements and became a model for anti-war movements.

What the Beheiren movement achieved was adding its voice to the media war against the US invasion of Vietnam and support for Vietnamese people’s struggle for liberation.

The memories of the Beheiren movement are the embodiment of noble internationalism and humanitarianism and show the spirit of friendship between Vietnamese and Japanese people.

HCM City, Cambodia boost cooperation

Ho Chi Minh City attaches importance to stronger cooperation with Cambodia and will do its utmost to promote bilateral ties in the coming time, especially in the field of human resources training.

This statement was made by Nguyen Thi Hong, Deputy Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee at a reception for a delegation from the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, led by Minister Phoeurng Sackona, in HCM City on April 27.

She said the city held numerous exchange visits to further cooperation between the two countries in all fields, ranging from politics to economics, culture, education and health care.

For her part, Minister Phoeurng Sackona applauded Vietnam’s achievements in the last 40 years and thanked HCM City for its assistance over the past time.

She also expressed her hope that Vietnam and HCM City in particular will continue providing support for Cambodia in human resources training.

Vietnam, China boost broadcasting cooperation

The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and China National Radio (CNR) have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance communication links, contributing to promoting the friendship between the two nations.

Under the document, inked during the visit of VOV General Director Nguyen Dang Tien to China from April 18-28, the two sides agreed to freely exchange news on issues of common concern, while using news on each other’s websites inclusive of quotations, without any edits.

The two agencies will work together to produce broadcasting programmes on various subjects to mark special occasions and to share their management experience.

Annual meetings between the two sides’ officials will be held in Vietnam and China in turn, with a view to reviewing their cooperation, while arranging exchanges, training courses and workshops to foster experience sharing and improve professional knowledge for both sides’ staff in the field.

With the signing of the MoU, VOV and CNR will officially deploy a wide range of practical cooperation activities, with a view to promoting Vietnam-China relations.

Previously, the VOV delegation had a working session with Tong Gang, Deputy General Director of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, during which Gang suggested a greater links between his agency and VOV.

During their stay, General Director Tien and his entourage visited a number of China’s local broadcasting stations in Yunnan and Shensi provinces.

VNA