The Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee organised a joint session in Hanoi on February 11 to review what Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung declared “practical and effective coordination” in 2014.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed initiatives to foster friendly bilateral cooperation over the phone on February 11, in honour of the approaching Lunar New Year (Tet) and the 65th anniversary of Vietnam - China diplomatic ties. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has hailed the World Bank (WB) for its assistance in reforming the financial and banking sector in Vietnam, and pledged to hold the sector to international practices and standards. 

Vietnam will host the 14th Assembly of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) in 2018, become a member of the ASOSAI Governing Board in the 2015-18 tenure, and chair the organisation from 2018-2021.

The Hanoi People’s Committee and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs organised a New Year programme for about 100 Vietnamese expatriates in Hanoi on February 10.

President Truong Tan Sang urged the authorities in the central province of Nghe An to accelerate its economic restructuring to generate additional jobs and improve local incomes.

A conference on Vietnamese-Russian relations and methodological issues was held in Hanoi on February 10.

Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Do Ba Ty had bilateral meetings with defence leaders of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Brunei on the margin of the 12th ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM-12) in Kuala Lumpur on February 10.

Construction to expand part of the Da Nhim hydropower plant began on February 10 in central Ninh Thuan province.

With global rubber prices continuing to fall after a rout last year, things are expected to remain very difficult for the industry, the State-owned Vietnam Rubber Group has warned.