The bill on food safety should clarify the specific role and responsibility of State management agencies when dealing with violations of the law for the sake of people’s health, say National Assembly deputies.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decision approving the Russia-Vietnam agreement on mutual legal assistance.

Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh on May 31 had a working session with Head of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Commission for External Relations, Jorge Marti, as part of his current visit to the Latin American nation.

The mid-year meeting of the Consultative Group for Vietnam will be held in Rach Gia City in southern Kien Giang province on June 9.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has received a delegation of children from Yen Phong district, Bac Ninh province, encouraging them to build on the nation’s traditional will and studious spirit.

National Assembly (NA) deputies focused their discussions on three draft laws, including the Law on Environmental Protection Tax, the revised Law on Inspection, and the revised Law on Minerals on May 31.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations, the Vietnam-Italy Friendship Association and the Italian Embassy in Vietnam co-organized a meeting in Hanoi on May 31 in celebration of Italy’s Republic Day (June 2, 1946).

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga on May 28 rejected wrongful remarks by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) on the execution of human rights in Vietnam.

Most deputies agreed that the Government has devised suitable measures to reign in inflation and stabilise the macroeconomy but the economy still remains a complicated issue.

The Party and State always pay attention to offering equal treatment and taking care of the living conditions of people with disabilities.

Vietnam’s Son La province and the Lao province of Luangphabang have planted 13 markers along their 32-km common border.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong has expressed the hope that the US inter-religious delegation will hold more activities to help Vietnam address the aftermath of war.

On May 28, State President Nguyen Minh Triet received a business delegation from the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry which is on a visit to Vietnam to seek opportunities for economic, trade and investment cooperation.

The Navy’s High Command held a ceremony in Vinh city on May 27 to present 21 pieces of coral from the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago to the central province of Nghe An, the birthplace of the late President Ho Chi Minh, as a sign of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the islands.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has hailed the efforts made by the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) to become the country’s spearhead export sector.

Speeding up multi-faceted cooperation with Saudi Arabia, especially in oil and gas, agriculture, investment, trade and labour, is one of Vietnam’s priorities in its foreign policy towards the Middle East.

The Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Henry Jenkins, has applauded bilateral relations between Australia and Vietnam, as well as between their legislative bodies during a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Hoang Vinh Thanh in Canberra.

The strategic partnership and cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will strongly develop for the prosperity of the two countries’ people, said deputy head of Vietnam’s legislative body and head of the RoK visiting delegation.

The freedom of religion and belief is respected and ensured by law in Vietnam and numerous religious organisations have been recognised in the country.

National Assembly (NA) deputies spent all day on May 27 discussing the Government’s report on the implementation of socio-economic development tasks and the spending of the State budget in 2009 and the first months of 2010.

The spokeswoman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Seventeen out of a total 26 markers have been planted along the 240-km border between Vietnam’s Binh Phuoc province and the three Cambodian provinces of Mondulkiri, Kratie and Kampongcham.

Stabilising the marcoeconomy, containing inflation and controlling the trade deficit and trade balance are essential if the economy is to boost development in the future.

A high-level delegation from the General Political Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held talks with their Vietnamese counterparts at the Ministry of Defence’s headquarters in Hanoi on May 26. 

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for Inspection has paid a working visit to Laos.

The Vietnamese Party, Government and people will do its utmost to constantly develop the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with the Party, Government and people of China. 

The northern border province of Lang Son should focus on building a border gate economic zone with priority given to transport infrastructure, check-points and export processing zones, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. 

The Group of African Ambassadors hosted a banquet in Hanoi on May 26 to celebrate the 47th anniversary of African Day (May 25), marking the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) (now the African Union). 

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong has praised signed agreements between Vietnam and Palestine and named them an important boost for ties of traditional friendship and co-operation.

The relative merits of the various forms of capital punishment - firing squads, lethal injections or even the electric chair - were debated by National Assembly deputies on May 24 morning.