The southernmost province of Ca Mau needs to make a major breakthrough in boosting production, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung during his visit to the province on March 7.

Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh is paying an official visit to Laos from March 7- 9. At the meeting in Luang Prabang on March 7, Thanh and his Laotian counterpart, Senior Lieutenant General Douangchay Phichith signed a cooperation plan for the year 2011.

The Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee (VFFCC), Nguyen Van Pha, received a delegation from the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) led by Vice President Buavone Onchahom in Hanoi on March 7.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai received a Republic of Korea (RoK) delegation led by former Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung in Hanoi on March 7.

Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, received Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Sun Gouxiang in Hanoi on March 7.

A delegation of German parliamentarians had a working session with the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin recently.

By March 6, all Vietnamese workers in Libya, estimated at 10.334, had left the unrest-ravaged country, said a labour official.

Party Politburo member Truong Tan Sang has visited Tan Thong Hoi commune in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, which is considered a bright example for other communes to follow.

A Lao delegation of cadres and students has visited a historical site which is connected with the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) during their socio-economic fact-finding tour of Vietnam’s northern Hoa Binh province.

A conference was held in Hanoi on March 5 to carry out the Government’s Resolution 11 on major solutions to curb inflation, stabilise the national economy and ensure social welfare.

The climate change strategy must be based on the principle of adapting and coping with the situation for survival and development. Focus should be on ways to deal with the matter now and in the future.

Two-way trade between the two countries increased from US$300-400 million in the 1990s to US$2.4 billion in 2010.

Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong has urged ambassadors and heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to excellently fulfill all tasks entrusted to them by the Party, State and people.

Labour and Friendship orders and medals were presented to Russian citizens on March 3 in recognition of their contributions to developing Vietnam's oil and gas sector and enhancing cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.  

The VOV Traffic channel, which specializes in traffic information and guidance, will extend its  coverage to the entire country in 2011, said an official of the radio programme run by Radio Voice of Vietnam on March 4.

Vietnam wants to promote strategic partnership with the UK, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a reception for newly accredited UK Ambassador Antony Stokes in Hanoi on March 3.

The Vietnamese legislative body will work closely with the Indonesian House of Representatives to make a contribution to the development of the bilateral friendship and comprehensive cooperation in the future.

A national conference reviewing Vietnam’s dissemination of international information on sea, islands and land border demarcation and devising tasks for 2011 was held in HCM City on March 3.

The President of the Republic of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo Mendez, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from March 8-12, the Foreign Ministry announced on March 3.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan received a delegation of the German Parliament’s ASEAN Committee led by Thomas Gambke in Hanoi on March 3.

On March 3, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai chaired an online conference to review the 2010 activities against smuggling, fake goods and trade fraud, and devise tasks for 2011.

Lieutenant General Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Minister of Public Security, received Romanian ambassador to Vietnam Dumitru Olaru on March 2.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged cabinet members to take all necessary measures to curb inflation and bring guest workers back home from Libya.

The Nokia group should be confident in Vietnam’s fruitful investment prospects based on the effective cooperation between Vietnam and Finland, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 2 received the Chairman of China’s Bank of Communications (BOCOM) Hu Huai Bang, who is on a working visit to Vietnam. 

State President Nguyen Minh Triet received ambassadors from Thailand, Belarus, Ghana, Paraguay and Portugal, following the presentation of their credentials in Hanoi on March 2.

The Party Committee of the State President’s Office on March 2 held a ceremony to bestow the 50-year Party membership insignia to former State President Tran Duc Luong.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet sent a message of congratulation to Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov on March 2 to celebrate the Republic of Bulgaria’s National Day (March 3, 1878 - March 3, 2011). 

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will provide Vietnam with 42 million euros to help the country achieve its socio-economic goals for the 2011-2015 period.

The Lao News Agency, Khaosan Pathet Lao (KPL), ran an article on March 1 highlighting the country’s new Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong’s official visit to Vietnam from February 28 to March 2.