VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday, Jan 27, paid a Tet visit to officers and soldiers at the High Command of Border Guards in Ha Noi.

Dung praised the border guards' achievements in maintaining national border sovereignty and expressed his wish that they would continue promoting traditions and fulfilling their assigned tasks to a high standard in the Year of the Cat.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan yesterday, Jan 27, also paid a Tet visit to the Bac Ninh Province, some 30km north of Ha Noi.

At the headquarters of the Bac Ninh Transport Police Department, Doan commended their efforts to ensure political security, social law and order and transport safety in the province despite many difficulties and challenges.

She asked the police to be vigilant against any scheme of the enemy and uphold their tradition "For the homeland, the people's police are willing to sacrifice even their lives and ready to serve the people".

During the day, Doan also visited and presented gifts to 11 lonely old people and 41 homeless children living in Phat Tich centre, in Tien Du District.

Before leaving the province, Doan had a meeting with provincial leaders, senior officials and staff to review the province's achievements last year and their plan for this year, particularly the preparations for the Lunar New Year festival.

Last year, Bac Ninh scored a GDP growth rate of 17.96 per cent, its highest figure so far, of which the industry and construction sectors accounted for 66.2 per cent while agriculture dropped to 10.2 per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited the central province of Ninh Thuan yesterday.

He said he highly appreciated the achievements of the province last year in socio-economic development and in maintaining social security and political stability.

At a meeting with provincial leaders, Hai asked them to give priority to infrastructure development, including transport, irrigation schemes and the resettlement of people affected by the building of two nuclear energy plants, one in Phuoc Dinh Commune, Thuan Nam District, and the other in Vinh Hai Commune, Ninh Hai District.

During his one-day stay in the province, Hai visited Nguyen Thi Don, a Vietnamese Hero Mother, whom he presented with gifts.

Also on the visiting trail was Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Secretary of the Party Central Committee. Ngan went to Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta.

Last year, Soc Trang scored more than 10 per cent in economic growth and a per capita income of almost VND20 million (more than $1,000).

Though Soc Trang is a province with diverse topography inhabited by various ethnic groups, particularly the Khmer people under the leadership of the Party and Government, social law and order and political security were well maintained last year.

"This is a big success for the province," Ngan said.

The minister asked provincial leaders to make the best use of lessons learned last year to achieve socio-economic targets this year and the five-year plan for 2011-15.

She also visited two Hero Mothers in Soc Trang City whom she presented with gifts and extended new year greetings.

On the occasion, Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation Ha Thi Khiet presented 100 Tet gifts to underprivileged families in northern Bac Kan Province yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem also met with ambassadors to Viet Nam and representatives of diplomatic corps in Ha Noi on the occasion of Tet.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News