A ground breaking ceremony for border marker 314 was held in Kien Giang province on March 25 according to the friendship borderline agreement signed between the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera Echenique left Ho Chi Minh City on March 25, concluding his official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan left Hanoi on March 25, beginning a week-long official visit to India.

The National Assembly plans to bring in a vote of confidence for its key elected and appointed personnel in the State apparatus, including the State President, the National Assembly Chairman and the Prime Minister.

Vietnam and Argentina will increase bilateral cooperation in the areas of their strength such as politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, energy, oil & gas, health care, agriculture, and science-technology.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning about Vietnamese nationals’ security and safety in the Republic of Mali following a coup d’Etat in this African nation on March 21.

The Vendemiere navy ship of the French Joint Forces in the Indian Ocean began a five-official visit to Ho Chi Minh City on March 23.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr will pay an official visit to Vietnam from March 27-29 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received visiting Argentinean Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and Mayor of New York city Michael Bloomberg in Hanoi on March 23.

On March 23, a Chilean delegation led by President Sebastian Pinera arrived in HCM City as part of its visit to Vietnam from March 22-25.

A four-member Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son attended the ASEAN Awareness Forum which was held in Rome on March 22-23 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria), the largest Italian employers’ association.  

Vietnam considers nuclear security and safety as top priority in developing nuclear power, in addition to supporting every country’s right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi said at a press briefing on March 22.

The Czech Republic always attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam and lists the country among 12 trade priority markets during the 2011-2015 period.  

State President Truong Tan Sang has reaffirmed that Vietnam persists in its foreign policy of independence, sovereignty and openess, thus attaching great importance to developing the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Chile.

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee has sent a message of congratulation to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee on the Lao Party’s 57th founding anniversary.

Vietnam asked China to immediately and unconditionally set free the 21 Vietnamese fishermen and two fishing vessels seized on March 3, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi on March 21.

On March 21, State President Truong Tan Sang received Iraqi ambassador to Vietnam Faris Abdulkarim Zarawi Al-Ani, who paid a farewell visit before ending his term in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese consulate general in Pakse needs to boost cooperation between southern Lao provinces and Vietnamese localities, especially central and Central Highland regions, to accelerate poverty reduction in these Lao provinces.

The Vietnam National Assembly (NA) will do its best to strengthen relations between the two legislative bodies, two governments and peoples, said NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

More needs to be done to ensure that laws address the need of the people and society as a whole, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said at a two-day cabinet meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan met with Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Ranjit Rae in Hanoi on March 20.

State President Truong Tan Sang and his Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein have agreed to increase two-way trade to US$500 million by 2015.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has reaffirmed Vietnam’s policy of assisting Myanmar to fulfill its role as ASEAN Chair in 2014 and work closely with the country in regional and international forums.

Vietnam is willing to assist Japan to reconstruct the country, says Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK) on March 26-27 at the invitation of President Lee Myung Bak.

The Vietnam-Colombia agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders will take effect on March 28, 2012, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first national defence strategy dialogue at the deputy minister level between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) was organised in Hanoi on March 19.

Ho Chi Minh City is set to tighten cooperative ties with Rotterdam and Manila city.

Vietnam and Japan should increase the level of parliamentary relations, said National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong at a meeting with President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Yukio Hatoyama in Hanoi on March 19.

Ministers of Health and Home Affairs will take part in question time at the sixth session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee, which opened in Hanoi on March 19.