During a one-day meeting in Danang on August 16, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC) reviewed the implementation of the ASCC Blueprint and its priorities for 2010.

The 4th meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC) opened in the central city of Danang on August 16, including representatives from ten ASEAN countries.

The ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) is an important milestone in the bloc’s defence cooperation, said Vietnamese Defence Deputy Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh.

A congress on patriotic emulation in the 2006-2010 period was held in Hanoi on August 15 by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.  

The Meeting of the Senior Officials’ Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC) wrapped up in Danang city on August 15. The result of the meeting will lay an important foundation for the fourth meeting of ASCC also scheduled to take place in Danang city on August 16.

The establishment of Tuyen Quang city was announced in Tuyen Quang province on August 15. The city has an area of nearly 120 km2 and will include 13 administrative units.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has reiterated the Government’s policy to restructure Vinashin which is on the verge of bankruptcy and make shipbuilding the core of the national sea strategy to 2020.

The fourth meeting of the Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (SOCA) opened in Da Nang City on August 14 with the participation of representatives from 10 ASEAN member countries.

Vietnam and Russia agreed to maintain a mechanism for strategic dialogues at their third annual dialogue meeting in Hanoi on August 13.

Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China need to adopt action plans and enhance their connectivity to fully exploit the benefits of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA).

With a total of more than 12 million cooperative members, the cooperative economic sector makes up 5.45 percent of the nation’s GDP.

The delegates to the 9th Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) on August 12 passed amendments to the statutes of the Association, focusing on 7 major tasks.

Ho Chi Minh City should maintain its sustainable development and lead the country in the modernisation and industrialisation process in order to become a large economic, financial and trade centre, not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia.

Journalists need to expand their knowledge, create a broader social consensus and encourage people from all walks of life to engage actively in bringing the Doi Moi (Renewal) process to success.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Transport Le Manh Hung attended the fifth Pan-Beibu Gulf (PBG) Economic Cooperation Forum, which opened in Nannning China, on August 12.

A conference was held in the central province of Quang Ngai on August 12 to promote disseminating information on Vietnam’s islands and seas in 2010.

The Party Political Bureau had working sessions with the Party committees of Can Tho city and Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Long An and Tien Giang provinces to give comments on draft documents and personnel plans for the municipal and provincial Party congresses in the coming term (2010-2015).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 11 sent a message of condolence to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, over the devastating landslides in China’s Zhouqu county, Gansu province.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked Tay Ninh province to review its infrastructure works and mobilize all sources of investment, take better care of human resources, especially farmers, and boost public administration reforms to attract more investors.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to allocate 7,100 tonnes of rice from national reserves as relief aid to four provinces, which were hit by drought early this year.

Vietnam is having discussions with the US on negotiations about a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.

The Vietnamese and Lao embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on August 10 held a meeting of  ASEAN women working in Malaysia to boost solidarity and mutual understanding.

The Granma newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba on August 9 ran an article entitled, “Hanoi, the City of the Past and Future” written by famous female reporter Marta Roja on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of Vietnamese People’s Army (VPA) Nguyen Khac Nghien on August 10 received Sam Sa-rin, Commander of Artillery High Command under the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) on his working visit to Vietnam.

Binh Duong needs to create an open investment environment and favourable conditions for investors to engage in all economic sectors, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during his visit on August 10.

Vietnam’s active role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has grabbed the headlines in Qatar.

Representatives from the Consulate General of Vietnam in Luang Prabang and officials from Vietnam’s Son La province and Laos’s Hua Phan province attended a ceremony for the planting of border marker 211 at the Chieng Khuong border gate on August 9.

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee has decided to set up a steering committee in charge of assisting the country’s largest shipbuilder Vinashin to settle its operation and financial problems as soon as possible.

A Vietnamese delegation of inter-ministerial officials visited the USS George Washington aircraft carrier which is floating offshore the central city of Da Nang on August 8. 

Vietnam and fellow members of ASEAN have organised a variety of activities to celebrate the association’s establishment.