A woman and a child have died of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the country’s total fatalities to 26 out of 10,268 cases of infection, according to Nguyen Huy Nga, Director of the Preventive Medicine and the Environment Department under the Ministry of Health.

The Party and Government of Laos have decided to present 1,000 cubic metres of wood to help Vietnamese people in the central region overcome the aftermath of tropical storm Ketsana.

The US is willing to provide lecturers and training manuals for Vietnam to build a training network for officers enforcing the Intellectual Property Law, a US District judge has affirmed.

The Italian government has decided to allocate US$298,000 for relief programmes to support victims of storm Ketsana which struck central Vietnam, causing loss of life and great damage to the infrastructure.

The VinaCapital Group and the Vietnam Fund of Germany’s Deutsche Bank will invest more than US$20 million in the Hoan My Medical Group to develop medical projects under an agreement announced on October 20. 

Hoi An town in the central province of Quang Nam is building a VND2 billion tourism promotion plan between now and 2010. 

Three Vietnamese female scientists have won scholarships worth VND100 million (US$5,600) each under the L’oreal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science programme.

October 20 is observed annually as Vietnamese Women’s Day to highlight their role and status in the struggle for the nation’s revolutionary cause as well as its Doi Moi (Renovation) process.  

By Oct. 19, the Vietnamese community in Thailand had mobilised nearly US$44,000 to support flood and storm victims in their homeland.

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) on October 19 received over 211,000 Euros from Germany as relief aid to Ketsana storm victims in the three hardest-hit central provinces.

ASEAN is the top priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy and the assumption of the ASEAN chairmanship in 2010 will be of great significance to the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

The Assemblies of God of Vietnam - a Protestant sect - on October 19 received an operating licence - the first step in completing its organisation, personnel and orientations before becoming officially legal.

A visit by a delegation from the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS is expected to help consolidate and strengthen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Russia in general and between the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and ITAR-TASS in particular.

Less than 20 days after tropical storm Ketsana hit the central region, local people are still suffering from heavy flooding.

With Vietnam Women’s Day approaching, many people are seen flocking to either supermarkets or small shops to buy gifts for their beloved ones.

The 46th annual Conference of the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP) opened in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on October 19.

A movement launched by the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) has raised almost VND54 billion to build 4,590 charity houses for poor women across the country over the past year. 

The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia has raised US$42,000 to assist people affected by recent floods in Central Vietnam.

Three female collectives and ten individuals were awarded the Vietnam Women’s Prize at a ceremony held in HCM City on October 18 to mark the 79th anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union (October 20).

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will continue to assist northern mountainous areas of Vietnam in the research of improved rice varieties and other support programmes to ensure food security.

The Health Ministry on October 17 confirmed one more death from the A/H1N1 influenza, raising the total fatalities from the disease in the country to 24 so far, of which five were pregnant women.

Vietnam has been acknowledged internationally for its extraordinary efforts to reduce poverty over the past years. However, there remain challenges ahead and a greater effort should be made to ensure the success of the national poverty reduction programme.

The Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control has asked central and Central Highlands provinces to be well prepared for a tropical depression which is moving along the central coast and bringing heavy rain to the region.

Dutch officials have expressed their desire to increase cooperation in development, as well as charitable and humanitarian issues with Vietnam.

More than 200 policy makers and leaders of educational organisations from Vietnam and Britain gathered in Hanoi on Oct. 16 for a meeting on tertiary education.

The A/H1N1 epidemic is showing signs of waning in Vietnam as 20-30 new cases are discovered per day compared to hundreds of patients during its peak, the Health Ministry said on Oct. 16.

A press conference was held in Nghe An province on October 16 to announce a memorial service and culture exchange programme in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Day Vietnamese volunteer troops and experts were sent to help Laos.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has decided to give priority to providing aid to five Asian nations, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Sociologists gathered in Hanoi on October 15 to discuss appropriate models of social development that fit in well with the new political and economic situation in Vietnam.

The number of A/H1N1 patients in Vietnam has hit 10,156, including 23 fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health.