Governmental officials and representatives from think-tanks and businesses in the Southeast Asian region gathered in Hanoi on May 5 to discuss how to speed up regional connectivity for benefits of member countries and people in the region.

Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong received International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy General Director Naoyuki Shinohara and Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Hanoi on May 5.

Vietnam strongly supports the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) initiative for the goal of a poverty-free Asia and will actively take part in these activities, said Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam’s senior leaders always look forward to strategic cooperation with France, the Vietnamese minister for Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh has affirmed.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on May 4 separately received French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Christine Lagarde and Director General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Suleiman Jasir Al Herbish, who are attending the 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Hanoi.

The embassies of ASEAN member countries in Germany hosted a culinary festival on May 3 to raise money for Japanese victims of the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Vietnam wants to join South Africa in raising two-way trade to US$1 billion in the next few years, said Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan.

Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has told Vietnam’s new Ambassador Bui Quoc Trung that he is committed to promoting all-around bilateral cooperation with Vietnam.

The Governor-General of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce, and her husband will pay a State visit to Vietnam from May 8 – 14.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Nguyen Duc Kien is on a working visit to Russia from May 3-7.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has praised the commitment the Japanese Government   and Japanese international organisations have made to maintaining ODA funding for Vietnam despite the country facing difficulties caused by natural disasters.

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan assured South African investors of good conditions to gain success in Vietnam at a business forum in Johannesburg on May 3.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Tran Dac Loi, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, attended the 7th ASEAN People’s Forum (APF-7) opening in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 3. 

A number of symposiums were organised in Hanoi on May 3 as part of the ongoing 44th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors. 

Vietnam opposes terrorism and condemns terrorist activities in any form, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga.

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) gave 1,000 television sets to the Lao government at the Lao Prime Minister’s office in Vientiane on May 2 to help poor local people access information.

The 32 sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts who had died in Laos were handed over and reburied at a cemetery in Huong Son district of Ha Tinh province on May 3.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 18th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 7-8.

A trip through Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh cities has given a group of US congressional staffers worthwhile experiences to learn more about Vietnam. 

The 2010 Vietnam-France trade revenue of EUR$2.1 billion is not on par with both countries’ potential, said French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry Christine Lagarde.

International newspapers have highlighted Vietnam’s remarkable developments 36 years after national reunification and over 25 years of renewal (Doi Moi).

Concerned countries and parties should be calm, cautious and restrained so as to seek a peaceful solution to the Syria issue. 

A high-ranking delegation led by State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan left Vietnam on April 29 to pay an official visit to South Africa.

Ho Chi Minh City held a grand meeting on April 29 to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the liberation of the south and national reunification (April 30).

The legislative leader of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea has reiterated its firm stand on traditional relations with Vietnam amidst complex developments in the world.

Vietnam acclaims a reconciliation deal signed between Fatah and Hamas and reiterates its support for the solidarity and national unification of the Palestinian people.

A two-day workshop was held in Dien Bien province on April 28-29 to disseminate information about the planting and upgrading of border markers along the Vietnam-Laos boundary.

Vietnam wants to further cooperation with the US, especially in investment, education, training, science, technology, and labour.

The Vietnamese Government has successfully reformed its organisational structure by reducing the number of ministries and agencies from 50 in the subsidized period to the current 23.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung presided over a cabinet regular meeting on April 28 and 29, which focused on the effectiveness of the government’s Resolution 11 implemented over the past two months and emerging problems that need addressing.