National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong paid visits to central Thanh Hoa province and northern Nam Dinh province on February 3 to honour the approaching Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

Meetings to mark the 77th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) took place in provinces and cities throughout the country on February 3. State President Nguyen Minh Triet attended a meeting to mark the event in northern Vinh Phuc province.

A series of important reports will be presented at the 47th session of the 11th National Assembly Standing Committee, scheduled to take place from February 27-March 8.

Legal experts in economic cooperation from Cambodia, China, France, Laos and Vietnam gathered in Hanoi on February 2 to discuss a legislative framework for economic activities in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) should better play the leading role in promoting the strength of not only 84 million Vietnamese citizens but also more than 3 million others overseas to turn challenges into opportunities and integrate well into the world, says Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and moral example have been a driving force behind the country’s revolutionary cause, which always reminds all Party members and people to study and follow in the new stage of national development and provides fresh impetus for them to bring the 10th Party Congress’ resolutions to life.

During their recent meetings with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Pope and the Vatican Prime Minister highly valued Vietnam’s policy on religious freedom and the current religious situation in the country. The Vatican Prime Minister suggested that the Vatican and Vietnam establish diplomatic ties.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet will make official visits to Laos and Cambodia in February, Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Le Dung announced at a press briefing in Hanoi on February 1.

Libya wants to further promote friendly cooperative ties with Vietnam in all fields, particularly in trade, investment and labour, affirmed Libyan Secretary of Asian Affairs Mohammed Omar Al Barani.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem will pay an official visit to India from February 25-28 and co-chair the 13th meeting of the Vietnam-India inter-government committee.

The book includes three chapters, highlighting President Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts on religion and belief, the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on religion and belief and the results of implementing the Vietnamese State’s legal policies on religion and belief.

At separate receptions for five Ambassadors from Ireland, India, Greece, Qatar and Cyprus, State President Nguyen Minh Triet has expressed his thanks to their countries’ for supporting Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2008-2009 term.

Police must be a core force in the fight against corruption, said Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh at a working session with the Ho Chi Minh Police on February 1.

The Foreign Ministry will discuss measures with Russian relevant authorities to assist the Vietnamese community after the host country enacted a new law on immigrant labours, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phu Binh has said.

By joining the WTO, we should persist in the socialist orientations, and international economic integration should serve the nation’s interests and help maintain national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, says Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

There are three key tasks to be executed for an economic growth rate of 8.5 percent in 2007 and the government has to focus on raising the competitive edge of the economy, continuing administrative reform and combating corruption.

The ministries, sectors and businesses of Vietnam and Pakistan should adopt specific measures for increasing bilateral trade value in the coming years to be on par with their potential.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked relevant agencies to intensify the supervision of securities activities to ensure a stable and sustainable stock market and turn it into an important channel to mobilize capital for the national economy.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung emphasizes the need to synchronously implement 12 key tasks with a focus on perfecting institutions in line with market mechanisms, accelerating administrative reform, intensifying the training of human resources and promoting infrastructure development;

The Party and State will adopt more incentive policies towards foreign investors to do business on a stable and long-term basis in Vietnam, State President Nguyen Minh Triet assured foreign investors in Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in central Quang Nam province.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has received First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jabor Al-Thani who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

A regular meeting of the Government was held in Hanoi on January 30 with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in the chair to review the country’s socio-economic development and import-export activities in January and to work out measures for boosting socio-economic development in the coming months.

Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung has stressed the importance of administration reform in accomplishing better growth rate as well as better serving the people and enterprises.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has suggested that Tien Giang province should strengthen its advantageous geographical position in the southern key economic region to make greater achievements.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem has promised best available conditions for Qatar-invested projects to operate profitably.

In 2007, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs will focus on effectively implementing its law dissemination project and intensifying propaganda activities relating to the Party’s stance and policies on religion and State laws towards religious people.

The fourth conference of the sixth Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee opened in Ho Chi Minh City on January 29 to review VFF activities in 2006 and draw up its action plans in 2007.

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea should boost cultural exchange and enhance mutual understanding between their people apart from promoting cooperation in trade and investment, Deputy PM Pham Gia Khiem told the visiting Chairman of the Korea Tripartite Commission, Cho Sung-joon, during a reception in Hanoi on January 29.

The Presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the World Economic Forum in Davos marked a new stage of development in the country’s international integration process and left a fine impression on international friends of the strong development of the newly emerging ASEAN member’s dynamic economy.

Switzerland will continue to grant official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam, particularly in education and training, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-rey told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during a meeting in Davos on January 27.