The Police General Department under the Ministry of Public Security and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) liaison office in Ho Chi Minh City have jointly held a training course on drug crime prevention for police forces in southern provinces.

Vietnam will be an official member of the International Association of Dermatologists starting in 2010.

The Vietnam Electricity Telecom Company (EVN Telecom) on November 6 launched the trans-Asia submarine cable system (IACS), making it the country’s second telecom company after VNPT to operate a modern this type of optical cable network.

Ha Van Nui, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, congratulated Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers at Quan Su pagoda in Hanoi on November 6 on the 28th anniversary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS).

A national conference on urban development was held in Hanoi on November 6 to work out measures for sustainable urban development in close connection with rural development.  

Vietnam confirmed the 39th fatal case of A/H1N1 flu on November 5.

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) has provided 800 containers of goods, 50 tonnes of rice, 400 barrels of fresh water and VND350 million in relief aid for flood victims in Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh provinces.

The Executive Committee of the World Peace Council has adopted a declaration in support of the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and chosen the 10th of August as “the Day for Vietnamese AO Victims”.

A seminar was held in Hanoi on November 5 to gather opinions on a set of principles for best media coverage of HIV/AIDS prevention and control in Vietnam.

The Steering Committee 127/TW has reviewed the current mechanisms in an effort to iron out snags in combating smuggling and trade fraud.

The world’s leading information technology group - IBM - held its first ever seminar in Hanoi on November 5 to introduce its cutting-edge technologies to Vietnam’s telecommunications sector.

Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Luon Kim Khuon has reaffirmed the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments’ pledge to create the most favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation in economics, culture, communications and tourism development.

Len Aldis, Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society (BVFS), says he will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in their lawsuit against US chemical companies until justice is done.

The 2041 Organisation, responsible for selecting participants for the International Antarctic Treaty Expedition (IATE 2009), has announced the names of 6 Vietnamese who will travel to the Antarctic as part of the expedition.

The Operation Smile Vietnam (OSV) has launched a new programme called “20 years of Smile – a Journey of Miracles” to mark its 20th anniversary.

The Vietnam-Laos Joint Committee for Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting has conducted a bilateral survey to define the exact position that national border marker No 460 should be planted at the Thanh Thuy International bordergate in central Nghe An province’s Thanh Chuong district.

Tropical storm Mirinae, which hit the south-central province of Phu Yen on November 2, killed at least 65 people and left 16 others missing, said local officials.

The Canadian government has decided to provide US$850,000 in humanitarian aid to help Vietnam’s central region affected by storm Ketsana in September.  

The Japan Government has agreed to provide ODA for a “medical equipment project” in Khanh Son district in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Thirty-six youths from the Republic of Korea (RoK) took part in volunteer activities in the two northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang from October 27 to November 4.

The Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on November 3 confirmed more cases of bird flu infection in northwestern Dien Bien province.

Tropical storm Mirinae has left 34 people dead, 52 others injured, and 8 missing and in the south-central region.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) held a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on November 3 to deploy the 2009-2010 child injury prevention plans for 32 southern and central localities.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Huu Hao attended the 2009 Pacific Energy Summit in Tokyo, Japan, on November 3.

Vietnam will host its first ever international moot court competition for the first time, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from November 12.

Vietnam will tighten exit and entry of people under suspicion of being involved in transnational drug-related crime in the wake of a recent rise in cross-border transportation and trafficking of illegal narcotics.

Vietnamese border guards on November 3 rescued 12 foreign crewmembers from a sinking Cambodian cargo ship off the My Khe coast near Da Nang city.

Tropical storm Mirinae, which slammed into the south-central region on November 2, has left at least 21 people dead and 3 others injured in Phu Yen province.

Vietnam was named among one of the most peaceful nations in the world at a Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations held in Washington, DC, from November 1-3.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is about to set up a centre to promote Vietnamese tourism in France and other European countries, said Minister Hoang Tuan Anh.