Vietnam has successfully concluded its presidential term of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2010, leaving strong impressions on ASEAN friends.

Vietnam has obtained important achievements in the renewal process but still is a poor nation which needs cooperation and help from international friends, including Ukraine, said Chairman of National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong during his talks with visiting Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Volodymyr Lutvyn in Hanoi on December 6.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet reaffirmed commitment to further improving relations with Italy, Britain and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) during his separate meetings with their incoming ambassadors in Hanoi on December 6.

Vietnam’s successful cultural diplomacy in 2010 was reflected in activities dedicated to ASEAN and the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, and the effort to win UNESCO recognition of the country’s cultural heritages.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the HCM City Chapter of Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Association held a ceremony for the 83rd birthday of the King of Thailand and Thailand National Day (December 5) on December 6 in HCM City.

Members of the US congress and the US Department of State have shown their support for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin during a visit to the US by a delegation from the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decision entrusting the Ministry of Finance to extract VND335 billion from the State budget and 8,600 tonnes of rice from national reserves to support 11 provinces stricken by natural disasters.  

Nguyen Van Dua, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee, on December 5 received a visiting delegation of the Communist Party of Russian, headed by Leonist Kalasnicov, Party politburo member, Secretary of the CPR Central Committee.

The National Politics Publishing House organised a ceremony in Hanoi on December 5 to mark its 65th founding anniversary.

Building new rural areas in Thanh Chan commune, in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien is of great significance as a national project, said Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong during his two-day visit to the province from December 4-5.

On December 3, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed Decision No 2188 to appoint Mrs Nguyen Thi Minh as Deputy Minister of Finance.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung met with voters Huong Khe district in the central province of Ha Tinh on December 4, along with a delegation of National Assembly (NA) members.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Hoang Binh Quan, member of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC Commission for External Relations, attended the 6th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP 6) in Phnom Penh from December 1-3.

The third conference on ASEAN – EU relations called “Community-Building, Bilateral/Bioregional relations and economic diplomacy” will be held in Hanoi on December 9 and 10, said a press release of the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation to Vietnam.

Media agencies made important contributions to the success of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2010, said a Foreign Ministry’s official.

Military Zone 7 should cooperate with local authorities to build the whole people’s defense to protect national security and maintain social and political stability, said President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Truong Tan Sang, a Politburo member and standing member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, warmly received Cai Wu, member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Culture of China in Hanoi on December 2.

A nine-member delegation of the Institute of Global Engagement (IGE) headed by Dr. Chris Seiple, arrived in Vietnam on December 2.

Focus should be on controlling and stabilising prices, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the regular government meeting for November which was held in Hanoi from December 1-2.

A ceremony was held in the Hanoi Opera House on December 2 to commemorate the 35th National Day of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

A delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Hoang Binh Quan, a member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for External Relations paid a courtesy visit to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on December 1.

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan expressed his delight of the rapid development in the multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Germany which is shown by the regular exchange of high ranking delegations between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties 35 years ago.  

The Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam (SPPV) and the Lao Supreme People’s Procuracy (LSPP) have agreed to promote the exchange of delegations of senior experts and provincial officials and share information as well as experiences in combating crime.

The leaders of the Party, State, Government and National Assembly have congratulated their Lao counterparts on their 35th National Day (December 2).

Vietnam and Cambodia have put out to tender a project on national border map making between the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem has expressed hope for the exchange of information and experience between regional member countries and nations outside ASEAN to solve technical issues to cope with, adapt to and reduce the impact of global climate change to ensure a prosperous ASEAN.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee began its 36th session in Hanoi on December 1.

A delegation from the Ukrainian Parliament, headed by Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from December 5-8, the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee announced on December 1.

Vietnam will allocate more money for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, considering it an investment in humans and the country’s sustainable development, said Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan at a conference reviewing the 20-yearfight against the epidemic.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet met voters in district 1, Ho Chi Minh City to announce the results of the eighth session of the 12th National Assembly.