A second hearing on Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims was held successfully by the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment on June 4 (Hanoi time).

The Vietnamese and Cambodian customs departments have signed an agreement to jointly check goods at the Bavat-Moc Bai border gate, the largest border gate along the common border between the two countries.

The United Nations and participating countries have agreed that Vietnam’s periodic review on human rights was well prepared, involving many State agencies and socio-political as well as professional organisations, said Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Focusing on controlling the macro economy to ensure an economic balance is one of the government’s major socio-economic priorities from now until the end of the year, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a monthly cabinet meeting in Hanoi.

Vietnam and the US held their fourth dialogue on Agent Orange/Dioxin in Washington DC on June 2 (local time) to address outstanding issues related to the harmful effects of the toxic chemicals on Vietnamese people and the environment.

The importance of auditing State financial and monetary management was emphasised by the National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong when receiving Lao and Cambodia State audit delegations in Hanoi on June 2.

President Nguyen Minh Triet has praised patriarchs and village leaders in northern Thai Nguyen province for their contributions to the province’s economic development.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit held on Jeju island from June 1-2, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak.

The leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries and the Republic of Korea (RoK) on June 2 discussed measures to effectively overcome global and trans-national challenges at the second session of the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit on Jeju island.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on June 1 sent a message of condolence to his Bulgarian counterpart, Sergey Stanisev, over a road accident in Iambol city in southern Bulgaria on May 28.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on June 1 had separate meetings with the Brunei King, the Filipino President and the Myanmar Prime Minister on the sidelines of the ASEAN-RoK Commemorate Summit on Jeju island.

Vietnam and ASEAN attach great importance to strengthening ties with the Republic of Korea (RoK) bilaterally and multilaterally, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the opening ceremony of a Commemorative Summit between ASEAN and the RoK on Jeju Island on June 1.

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have discussed a mechanism for long-term cooperation between their state audit agencies and reviewed their implementation of agreements on bilateral cooperation in this field.

A high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation led by Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh attended the 8th unofficial Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-la Dialogue, in Singapore from May 29-31.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called on ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (RoK) to enhance mutual trust and build a firm foundation for sustainable development so as to boost investment and trade.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Republic of Korea (RoK) to expand its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Mitsuo Sakaba, on May 29 presented his country’s Order of the Rising Sun to two former Vietnamese officials, Vu Mao and Vu Khac Lien.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has called on domestic and foreign businesses to invest in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh to help it reduce poverty.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) attaches great importance to developing the friendly and cooperative ties with Vietnam, President Lee Myung-Bak told Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in a meeting in Seoul on May 30.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet granted the First Class Independence Order to the National Academy of Public Administration at a meeting held in Hanoi on May 29 to mark its 50th anniversary.

Vietnam wants to develop the friendly and cooperative ties with Thailand, said National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong while receiving Paijit Sreenwarakan, the Chairman of the Thailand-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, in Hanoi on May 29.

Transport officials from 10 ASEAN member countries and their three dialogue partners - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea – held their 27th ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting in central Da Nang City on May 27-29.

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have agreed to lift their comprehensive relationship in the 21st century to a strategic cooperative partnership for prosperity of each country and for peace and stability in the region.

On May 29, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received leaders from the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) leading groups, attended Vietnam-RoK business forum and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between businesses from both countries.

The Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences held a seminar in Hanoi on May 27-28 to discuss China’s open-door policy, reforms in Vietnam and both countries’ experiences of economic development in the context of the global financial crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong received a delegation from the executive board of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam led by its head Pastor Thai Phuoc Truong, in Hanoi on May 28.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika received Vietnamese Former State Vice President and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fund for Peace and Development Nguyen Thi Binh in Algiers on May 27.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was received at a military base in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK), on May 28 with the attendance of a deputy foreign minister and many other senior officials of the RoK Government.

The Prime Minister has approved a list of members for the National Council for Sustainable Development, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Vietnam will make every effort to boost friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Belarus, especially in the fields of national defence and military strategy, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.