The Government Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) is finalizing projects and implementing incentive policies to improve the living conditions of the ethnic minorities.

The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) said its central, provincial and municipal associations have presented Tet gifts to Agent Orange (AO) victims.

The cruise ship Legend of the Sea, carrying 1,500 passengers and crew, docked in Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh on February 9. The ship is owned by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

A delegation of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) visited Laos from February 4-10.

A contract, part of a project to increase safety on the North-South railway, was signed between the Vietnam Railway Corporation and a group of contractors in Hanoi on February 9.

The Binh Phuoc provincial People’s Committee on February 8 granted an investment license to the Binh Phuoc Entertainment Company Limited to build an international standard racetrack.

Vietnamese fishermen have rescued five Philippine citizens from a sinking boat off the coast of Binh Dinh province, according to the provincial border guard force.

The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa met on February 8 with students, overseas Vietnamese and representatives of Vietnamese offices to celebrate the Tet holiday.

Although unemployment insurance was first implemented in 2009, many provinces still do not understand that workers are supposed to contribute 1 percent of their wages to the unemployment insurance fund.

Various charitable activities have been launched to help poor people and social policy beneficiaries enjoy a happy New Year (Tet).

Bird flu is now spreading rapidly in many provinces after a long period of containment, the Department of Animal Health (DAH) said on February 8.

The Netherlands will provide EUR18 million to help Vietnam improve its higher education system in the next four years.

A recent survey by the German Immigration Office indicates that 68 percent of second generation overseas Vietnamese in Germany passed the national secondary graduation examination with high grades to enter university.

A cold spell is expected to hit northern provinces on February 13, putting an end to the current unusual hot weather, according to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre.

British cruise ship Spirit of Adventure docked at Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City on February 8, bringing 800 passengers and crewmen, mostly the British, to Vietnam.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh visited Bach Mai General Hospital in Hanoi on February 8, calling on all medical staff to raise their moral standards in order to protect people’s health and effectively follow the Party’s and State policies regarding the health sector.

Various activities were held on February 7 by the Vietnamese embassies in Thailand, Cambodia and Bangladesh to celebrate the coming lunar New Year (the Year of the Tiger).

From Ha Giang to Ca Mau, there will be firework displays in 63 cities and provinces nationwide on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland held a get-together in London on February 7 to welcome the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Thousands of Vietnamese nationals and international friends attended a special programme at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on February 6 to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

The Unitel company, a joint venture between Unitel Vietnam Group and a Lao telecommunication company, has awarded 10 sets of computers and a system for connecting to the internet to the Udomsay Provincial Boarding School.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Canada hosted a reception on February 6 to welcome lunar New Year festival (Tet).

President Nguyen Minh Triet has highlighted Vietnam’s important achievements in 2009, attributing them to the strong resolve and constant efforts by all Vietnamese people, including those residing overseas.

The healthcare sector underlines the need to enforce food hygiene and safety rules throughout the production process not only just with regard to finished products.

About 1,000 overseas Vietnamese who have returned for lunar New Year celebrations offered incense at the Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi on February 6.

A local company in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa put a hot air balloon into operation on February 6 in an effort to attract visitors to the tourist province.

Overseas Vietnamese in Kazan, the capital of Tartastan, Russia, recently organised a meeting and art performance to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year.

Nearly 1,000 students from 32 universities and colleges in Ho Chi Minh City took part in the launch ceremony for the Spring Volunteer campaign organised by the City Students’ Association on February 6.

The Prime Minister has decided to provide 4,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve to Ha Tinh and Binh Dinh provinces which were heavily affected by natural disasters in 2009.

The Ho Chi Minh City National University signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Hiroshima University on February 6.