Receiving a delegation from the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group led by President Christine Deroche in Hanoi on February 23, Doan expressed her delight at the French Government’s decision to carry out bilateral cooperation mechanisms, which will focus on boosting links in economics, culture, health and the environment with Vietnam. Doan used the occasion to thank the Senate for its recent support for Vietnam and its approval of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement ( PCA ), saying that if the French National Assembly considers the early ratification of the PCA, the Vietnam-EU cooperation in general and Vietnamese-French relations in particular will grow further. She applauded France’s successful organisation of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris last year, and called on French firms to further invest in green development in Vietnam. Doan said she hopes the … [Read more...]

HCM City (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 19 held a meeting with 55 representatives from religious organisations nationwide to listen to religious followers’ opinions and proposals, aiming to better implement the law on belief and religions. According to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Vietnam has recognised and granted licenses to 39 religious organisations which groups over 24 million followers, or 27 percent of the country’s population, nearly 53,000 dignitaries, and 28,000 worshiping facilities. Religious dignitaries at the event agreed that despite their differences in doctrines and orientation, all religions shared the motto of closely attaching to the nation. The religious organisations have contributed to preserve and promote cultural and humanity values that have positive influence to the society. They have acted as important channels contributing to realising Party and State’s policies and law. Representatives from … [Read more...]

The Hanoitimes - A Vietnamese delegation led by Advisor to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh attended the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Developing and Emerging Economies recently held in Berlin, Germany with the theme “Shaping an inter-connected world”. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. Vietnam was invited to the event given it will play the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Vietnam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year 2017 as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. Themed “Shaping an inter-connected world”, the G20’s agenda during the German presidency focuses on building … [Read more...]

Viet Nam was invited to the event given it will play the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Viet Nam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year 2017 as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. Themed “Shaping an inter-connected world”, the G20’s agenda during the German presidency focuses on building self-reliance, improving sustainability and assuming responsibility. Based on the agenda, the Sherpa meeting discussed a number of economic and global development issues such as promoting world economic growth, trade and investment; climate change, energy, financial … [Read more...]

Berlin, December 14 (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation led by Advisor to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh attended the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Developing and Emerging Economies in Berlin, Germany on December 12-13. Vietnam was invited to the event given it will play the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Vietnam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year 2017 as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. Themed “Shaping an inter-connected world”, the G20’s agenda during the German presidency focuses on building self-reliance, improving sustainability and assuming … [Read more...]

Hanoi (VNA) - An arts festival dedicated to the unique and diverse culture of ethnic minorities in Vietnam will take place at Hoan Kiem Lake fountain (Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square) on December 11 morning from 9:30am. The festival will gather over 100 members of different groups nationwide, including Khmer, Tay, Gia Rai, Pa Co, Muong, Pa Then and Mong. All dances and songs are rehearsed, curated, and performed by ethnic people themselves, just as they do in everyday life. Following the huge success last year, the fourth festival, themed "Indigenous knowledge - Spring of life", aims at the practical values of indigenous knowledge, a complete system accumulated and refined after thousands of years. The event is organised by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE). The festival will also take place on December 13 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, 77 Hao Nam, Hanoi, with exhibitions, traditional games, performances and interactive activities. Entrance … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - An arts festival dedicated to the unique and diverse culture of ethnic minorities in Việt Nam will take place at Hoàn Kiếm Lake fountain (Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square) on Sunday morning from 9:30am. The festival will gather over 100 members of different groups nationwide, including Khmer, Tày, Gia Rai, Pa Cô, Mường, Pà Thẻn and Mông. All dances and songs are rehearsed, curated, and performed by ethnic people themselves, just as they do in everyday life. Following the huge success last year, the fourth festival, themed "Indigenous knowledge - Spring of life", aims at the practical values of indigenous knowledge, a complete system accumulated and refined after thousands of years. The event is organised by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE). The festival will also take place on Tuesday at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music, 77 Hào Nam, Hà Nội, with exhibitions, traditional games, performances and interactive activities. … [Read more...]

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The ninth plenary of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA-9) adopted the Siem Reap Declaration and 19 resolutions on political, socio-economic, and cultural issues and sustainable development at the closing session in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap on December 1. Themed “Promoting peace and sustainable development in Asia”, the three-day APA-9 brought together 207 delegates from 23 member parliaments, observers and APA’s international partners. The declaration expressed deep concern over serious issues such as terrorism and violence extremism which have hurt security and peace, which form the foundation for sustainable development in the region and the world. It called for countries’ active cooperation in response to climate change and delivery of commitments in the Paris Agreement adopted by the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Underscoring the importance of the United … [Read more...]

Each year, environmental pollution causes Việt Nam an economic loss of 5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and the figure is expected to rise, said Dinh Duc Truong, deputy head of the Economics and Environment Faculty under Viet Nam's National Economics University. Firms with foreign direct investment (FDI) account for 60 per cent of the total enterprises that exceed waste discharge standards, the online Dan tri newspaper quoted the GSO as saying. Another study on business environmental behaviour, by the Central Institute for Economic Management, shows that 23 per cent of foreign-invested firms discharged waste exceeding the allowable standards. Viet Nam has signed 15 free trade agreements (FTAs), which could have negative repercussions for the environment while providing new opportunities. The garment and textile, steel and paper sectors, which have attracted high levels of FDI, could cause environmental pollution with several big projects from China and Taiwan. Dang … [Read more...]

Largest auto show to open in HCMC By Quoc Hung - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - Vietnam Motorshow 2009, the largest show of its type to be held in the country, will take place in HCMC from November 19 to 23 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway in District 7. With the topic Enrich Life, Vietnam Motor Show 2009 will cover 15,000 square meters and display nearly 100 car models of 11 members of VAMA. A highlight of the show will be the appearance of ten concept and special cars from leading brand names. Along with the trend of future protection, the auto industry has been applying advanced, green technology friendly to the environment. The show will display cars that use Hybrid technology, cars which use economical and environment friendly engines with Euro 3, 4, 5 exhaust emission systems and electric engines. Application of the latest technologies and improvements in engines are appealing to automobile manufacturers in general and VAMA … [Read more...]

Cocoa growing area expansion carries multiple risks By Trung Chanh - The Saigon Times Daily CAN THO – The total area under cocoa cultivation has been expanding strongly in recent years, but farmers are facing increasing risks of oversupply and falling prices, experts said at a seminar in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on Tuesday. Cocoa farms are being developed rapidly in the Mekong Delta, and farmers there are replacing other crops by this new agricultural produce. The Mekong Delta has the largest cocoa area accounting for 60.3% of the country’s total. Rapid expansion Although Vietnam has encouraged cultivating cocoa only in recent years, the overall cocoa area has increased rapidly to 20,100 hectares now from just a few thousand hectares five years ago, said Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy director of the Cultivation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The cocoa volume has continuously increased from a mere 35 tons of cocoa beans in 2005 to … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Participants at a seminar held last week expressed their concerns about the draft Law of Associations, arguing that it was "a step backward" from existing law and some of its articles were illogical or unclear. They urged authorities to delay passage of the proposed bill, which is set to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration tomorrow. Some experts speaking at the seminar, entitled "Formulating Law on Associations in line with Việt Nam's international integration strategy", even claimed the draft legislation was inconsistent with the policy of international integration Việt Nam is pursuing. Some suggested that a number of provisions are unconstitutional. Too many restrictions burdening the associations' establishments The definition of "association" as well as organising principles in the draft requires that all associations register with authorities and receive permission to establish and operate. Lã Khánh Tùng of the School of Law at Việt … [Read more...]

Hanoi youth shake it on the streets for love Several hundreds of Hanoi's young people took part in "Dance for love", which was held around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on October 16, to honour love, freedom and gender equality on the occasion of the upcoming Vietnamese Women's Day. Six teams of Vietnamese youth danced and sang on Dinh Tien Hoang walking street, informing passers-by about gender equality and freedom of choice. Attracted by the joyful dance and songs, many local inhabitants and tourists joined the teams by singing and dancing with them. "Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20 or the International Women' Day on March 8 shouldn't be only the occasion to honour women. But I think that they are an occasion to honour love, respect and mutual support between family members, friends and lovers. Let's make this day meaningful for both women and men," said Vu Phuong Thao, Deputy Director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE), the organising … [Read more...]

Hanoi (VNA) - Several hundreds of Hanoi's young people took part in "Dance for love", which was held around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on October 16, to honour love, freedom and gender equality on the occasion of the upcoming Vietnamese Women's Day. Six teams of Vietnamese youth danced and sang on Dinh Tien Hoang walking street, informing passers-by about gender equality and freedom of choice. Attracted by the joyful dance and songs, many local inhabitants and tourists joined the teams by singing and dancing with them. "Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20 or the International Women' Day on March 8 shouldn't be only the occasion to honour women. But I think that they are an occasion to honour love, respect and mutual support between family members, friends and lovers. Let's make this day meaningful for both women and men," said Vu Phuong Thao, Deputy Director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE), the organising committee. "This event was organised to … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Several hundreds of Hà Nội's young people took part in "Dance for love", which was held around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hà Nội yesterday, to honour love, freedom and gender equality on the occasion of the upcoming Vietnamese Women's Day. Six teams of Vietnamese youth danced and sang on Đinh Tiên Hoàng walking street, informing passers-by about gender equality and freedom of choice. Attracted by the joyful dance and songs, many local inhabitants and tourists joined the teams by singing and dancing with them. "Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20 or the International Women' Day on March 8 shouldn't be only the occasion to honour women. But I think that they are an occasion to honour love, respect and mutual support between family members, friends and lovers. Let's make this day meaningful for both women and men," said Vũ Phương Thảo, deputy director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE), the organising committee. "This event was … [Read more...]

HÀ NỘI - Agricultural credit policy in rural areas of Việt Nam is inadequate so that 86 per cent of ethnic minority farmers in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) region are borrowing "black" credit to develop production. This is the finding of a research team of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE) presented at the seventh Việt Nam Agriculture Policy Forum yesterday. "Black credit" refers to a practice of borrowing from individuals at high interest rates agreed on between borrower and lender, wiithout collateral and with only the borrower's signature. Dr Hoàng Cầm from the iSEE research team said most ethnic minority farmers in Tây Nguyên had to borrow large sums in black credit for three reasons: they fear regular banking procedures, can borrow bigger sums of money and think individual lenders easily extend deadlines while banks can confiscate assets if they can't pay the money back. Lê Đức Thịnh, deputy director of the Rural Development and … [Read more...]

Hanoi (VNA) - A contest with the theme “Community-based Sustainable Poverty Reduction Initiatives” was launched in Hanoi on August 2. The contest is part of the Poverty Reduction Policies and Programme Project (PRPP) carried out by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam. It aims to promote the participation of community, particularly among ethnic minority women in sustainable economic and environment development activities in their localities. According to MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Trong Dam, the event is expected to contribute to developing policies on sustainable poverty reduction in the 2016-2020 period.-VNA … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is expected to continue the shift of investment flows into industries of high pollution risk in Vietnam like textile-dying, paper, iron and steel. Economic and environment specialists say that Vietnam’s regulation and monitoring of wastewater treatment are still loose, with many gaps, so investors can dodge the law. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has asserted that once pollution occurs, the local government must be responsible. “Giant” projects In Vietnam, many textile-dying projects, paper, and steel projects have been reported polluting the environment. The Chinese-invested Mei Sheng Textiles Co. Ltd Vietnam in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau has been suspended seven times since 2010 for illegally discharging waste into the environment. This company built a dyeing enterprise with an annual capacity of 1,100 tons per year. This plant discharged untreated wastewater to the Da Den Lake, … [Read more...]

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 17 for Professor Fredmund Malik, Head of the Malik research institute in Switzerland. Nhan praised the professor’s work in the arena of cybernetics, adding that some of his projects have been applied in Vietnam’s northern city of Hai Phong, yielding sound outcomes. Vietnam hopes to collaborate further with Professor Malik and his institute to boost cybernetics development in the country, he said. For his part, Malik noted he is committed to supporting Vietnam’s scientific improvement. He said he want to continue cooperating and sharing experience in cybernetics to replicate world successful models in the field, which can contribute to Vietnam’s sustainable growth in economics and environment, among others. Fredmund Malik, the founder and chairman of Malik, is an acclaimed international management expert and scientific thinker. Malik … [Read more...]

HA NOI (VNS) — Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan hosted a reception for a visiting delegation of the France-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group led by President Christine Deroche in Ha Noi yesterday. The Vice President highlighted the great contributions made by the Senate of France in promoting relations between the two countries' legislative bodies, noting that the two sides had built close all-round ties over the last four decades. She expressed her joy at the French Government's decision to deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms, which would focus on boosting links in economics, culture, health and the environment with Viet Nam. She said this showed enhanced political trust and further co-operation prospects between the two countries in the future. The host took the occasion to thank the Senate for its recent support for Viet Nam and its approval of the Viet Nam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement ( PCA ), saying that if the French National Assembly considered … [Read more...]