Vice State President Truong My Hoa conferred the friendship medal on President of SOS International Children Village Helmut Kutin in Hanoi on January 5.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong received a visiting delegation of the Lao National Assembly's Economy, Planning and Finance Committee led by Chairman Khamsing Sayakone on January 4.

Leaders of the People's Army of Vietnam and the Royal Armed Forces of Thailand have decided to maintain and develop the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two militaries in various fields.

The Prime Minister has approved an agreement on joint oil exploration offshore the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf, which was signed last year by the Vietnam Petroleum Corporation (PetroVietnam) and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee held a conference in Hanoi on January 4 to discuss the implementation of the legislature’s law-making programme in 2007.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked ministries, sectors and localities to solve pending issues related to the construction of the Son La Hydro-electric Power Plant, including resettlement of local people and budget estimates, to ensure the project will be completed on schedule.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has urged the National Defence Academy to modernise its technical facilities, enhance the capacity of cadres and lecturers and renew its curricula and teaching methods to meet the requirements of training military officers in the new situation.

The Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics met in Hanoi on January 3 to review the results of its personnel work and patriotic movements in recent times.

One of the key tasks of the judiciary work in 2007 is to strengthen legal education dissemination with the aim of raising people’s awareness of the need to abide by the law in the context of building a law-governed state for international integration.

2006 was considered a successful year for Vietnam’s diplomatic sector following the country’s organisation of the APEC Year and the 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The success of the meeting has helped elevate Vietnam’s prestige and role in the international arena.

The HCM City Securities Trading Centre has had 106 enterprises and two Development Funds listed on the bourse with a total capitalisation of US$9 billion making up 15.36 percent of the country’s total GDP, an increase of 74 enterprises from a year earlier.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has asked the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan to identify its strength and make the best use of it for sustainable and steady economic growth.

Vietnamese Party, State and government leaders have congratulated Fidel Castro, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party Central Committee on Cuba's 48th National Day.

Vietnamese and Lao officials have held an annual meeting in Vientiane to discuss border issues.

Vietnam is set to obtain a GDP growth rate of between 8.2-8.5 percent and an export growth rate of 17.4 percent in 2007. These are among major targets approved by the National Assembly at its recent 10th session in Hanoi.

2006 has been a year of great significance for Vietnam’s socio economic-development process, marking an important step towards the country’s international integration. The following are ten major domestic events selected by Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The Ministry of Defence held a conference in Hanoi on December 30 to review the development of national defence-economic zones over the past eight years and set out tasks for the coming years.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and its Ho Chi Minh City chapter on December 30 jointly organised a mass commemoration of the late Most Venerable Thich Duc Nhuan, former Head of Sangha Raya Council on his 13th death anniversary.

US President George W. Bush on December 29 signed a proclamation formally extending full US-Vietnam trade ties and paving the way for Vietnam to receive US aid – a key step towards normalising bilateral ties.

The Institute of International Relations (IIR) has completed a five-day course on improving multilateral development diplomacy capacity for foreign relations officers of 30 northern and central provinces and cities.

The bird flu epidemic is expected to spread to other provinces in the Mekong River Delta following recent outbreaks in Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Hau Giang provinces leading to the subsequent culling of thousands of poultry in the past week.

The Special Working Boards of the Lao and Vietnamese Governments should boost cooperation to fulfil tasks entrusted to them by the two Parties and States, says Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavath Lengsavath.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Pham The Duyet has congratulated local Muslims on their Raya Eidil Adha Festival and expressed his wish that the Vietnamese Islamic community will make more contributions to the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem presided over a year-end meeting with representatives from Vietnamese media agencies and reporters on December 28.

Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal foundation to reaffirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, says Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dung.

The US Government provided the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence’s Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal Technology (BOMICEN) on December 27 with nearly one million dollars worth of equipment to locate and clear landmines as well as unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The judicial agencies should be well-equipped with strong staff and a sound legal system to meet their duties when the country enters a new phase of development and further integration.

Vietnam should obtain a GDP growth rate of 8.5 percent, accelerate administrative reform and intensify the fight against corruption in 2007, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at the regular Cabinet meeting in Hanoi on December 26-27.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has praised Vietnam’s achievements in recent years and considered Vietnam a model for developing countries like Sri Lanka to follow.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has asked the Presidential Office to renew its organisation and operation, increase the number of researchers and pay attention to personnel training to perfect its performance.