Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting the friendship and cooperation with Turkey, especially in economics and trade, said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

The Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee, Nguyen The Thao, has paid a working visit to Kracow city in the Polish province of Malopolska - the final leg of his trip to France and Poland.

Construction of the Nhon Trach 2 thermoelectric power station started in southern Dong Nai province on June 27.

Alderman Ian Luder, Lord Mayor of the City of London, will lead a group of leading financial and service businesses to visit Vietnam from July 1-6.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Pham Van Mai, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, attended the 6th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY VI), which was held in Bangkok, Thailand on June 25-26.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked the nation’s largest economic hub to speed up infrastructure construction and human resource training to attract more foreign direct investment and utilise the resource more effectively.

A Vietnamese army delegation led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khac Nghien, chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, concluded a four-day visit to Malaysia on June 27.

The Vietnam-Russia Oil and Gas Joint Venture Enterprise (Vietsovpetro) was awarded Ho Chi Minh Order at a ceremony in Vung Tau City on June 26 to mark its 28th anniversary.

Vietnam has requested that China release the remaining Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen it seized when they were fishing in the waters of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dung said on June 26.

The education and training sector needs to look at overall academic results and their shortcomings in a serious and efficient manner to effectively implement all the resolutions adopted at the second congress of the Party Central Committee, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan.  

An army delegation led by Sen. Lieu. Gen. Nguyen Khac Nghien, commander in chief of the Vietnam People’s Army, paid an official visit to Indonesia from June 21-24 at the invitation of General Djoko Santoso, commander-in-chief of the National Defence Forces (TNI).

The June 15 statement made by the spokesman for the US Department of State regarding the arrest of Le Cong Dinh was groundless and interfered in Vietnam’s internal affairs, said an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The entire Party, Army and people should get together to build up the Vietnam People’s Army and turn it into a regular and elite force capable of fulfilling all of its assigned talks. This would contribute to the country’s achievements, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam wants to strengthen links with Panama and Austria, said National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong while receiving the two countries’ outgoing ambassadors in Hanoi on June 24.

The whole Party and people must work harder to tackle difficulties caused by the global economic downturn, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh told voters in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on June 24.

Vietnam welcomes the support by concerned parties for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East region, based on the vision of two independent States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on June 24 conferred the insignia “For peace and friendship among nations” on John Thomas Hoy, director of Irish Aid Vietnam in recognition of his contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland.

A Cambodian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, who is the chairwoman of the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development (CWPD) visited the southern province of Binh Duong on June 24.

Vietnam’s ambassador to Egypt, Pham Si Tam, presented his credentials to the country’s President, Hosni Mubarak, on June 23.

The arrest of Le Cong Dinh is of Vietnam’s internal affairs and in accordance with Vietnamese and international laws, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dung. 

Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting cooperation with Austria – an important member of the European Union, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung while receiving ambassador Johannes Peterlik in Hanoi on June 22.

The governments of Vietnam and Romania will sign an agreement on economic cooperation during the upcoming visit to the European country by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet handed certificates to Prize A winners at the National Press Prix held at the Opera House on June 21, showing the State’s high respect for journalists’ role.

Vietnam should learn from the Republic of Korea (RoK) about planning and developing industrial sectors and building industrial parks, said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai during his working visit to Jeju province on June 20th as part of his tour of the RoK for the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2009.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khac Nghien, chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, left Hanoi on June 21st for Indonesia and Malaysia.

Vietnam is eager to hear ideas on ways to boost its investment environment, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia on June 19th.

The fifth regular Political Consultative Conference between foreign ministries of Vietnam and Singapore was held in Hanoi on June 18.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung on June 19 received a delegation of the Bangladeshi State Commission on Privatisation, led by its chairman Mirza Abdul Jalil.

Ambassador Bui The Giang, Deputy Permanent Representative for Vietnam to the UN Security Council (UNSC), reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to making practical contributions to the reconstruction of Iraq during its current, critical period of transition.

National Assembly chairman Nguyen Phu Trong has called on the Vietnamese people, including those residing abroad, to unite and make a greater effort to overcome any difficulties and seize the chance to reach the targets for 2009 and the 2006-2010 period.