Hanoi is to pay greater attention to external relations activities in 2015 with an aim of enhancing ties with partners and accelerating international integration, said a senior municipal official.

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and LaoVietBank, a joint venture between BIDV and Laos’ BCEL, will finance the construction of a five-star hotel and office complex in the Lao capital of Vientiane.

The Party, the Government and the people of Vietnam are wholly committed to lifting the country’s comprehensive strategic partnership with China to a new high, considering it a top and consistent long-term priority, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho.

The maritime sector is leaving no stone unturned in efforts to reduce the number of Vietnamese vessels detained at foreign ports and thereby take Vietnam off international maritime blacklists.

The first Global Youth Summit (GYS) Winter to be held in Vietnam was inaugurated in Hanoi on January 15.

An investigation team on collapsed Da Dang-Dachomo hydropower plant incident in late December last year in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has been set up.

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Singapore want to expand cooperation in agro-fishery processing, electrical home appliances, medicine, and fast food industries.

President Truong Tan Sang was informed about the latest efforts to preserve and restore Hoa Lu ancient capital, a historical and cultural site of great value in the northern province of Ninh Binh, during a working session with local authorities on January 14. 

President of the Vietnam-US Association Nguyen Tam Chien welcomed the US left-wing activist Rennie Davis in Hanoi on January 14. 

Poverty rates in mountainous and ethnic regions were reduced by 2-4 percent last year, with most rapid decreases seen in the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Yen Bai, and Son La, and the southern Soc Trang, it was reported at a conference in Hanoi on January 14.