Vietnam and Cambodia will open three border gates including Vietnam’s Xamat, Tay Ninh to Cambodia’s Trapeang Phlong; Tinh Bien, An Giang to Takeo and Ha Tien, Kien Giang to Lork Kam Pot in late September and early October.

On September 25 the General Department of Vocational Training, under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, held a press conference to announce some activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its establishment with a music festival on October 6-7 and a meeting on October 8.

The Lawrence S. Ting Community Support Fund on September 25 handed over scholarships worth VND3.68 billion (over US$206,000) to 436 students at high schools and universities nationwide.

Foreign donors have pledged to continue their support for Vietnam’s efforts to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on its rural water supply and environmental sanitation.

The Vietnam National Fund for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) and the Research Foundation – Flanders of Belgium (FWO) will each dole out an annual budget of €300,000 for joint research projects.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) on September 25 signed an agreement on providing information to overseas Vietnamese to promote their patriotism.

A workshop was held in the central city of Da Nang on September 25 to share information and raise awareness about the Global Convention Network of Vietnam (GCNV).

Phan Van Mam, a 17-year-old student from the northern province of Nam Dinh, has won a special prize at the 2009 National Creativeness Competition for Children and Youth for his two hand-made robots that can pick up and move objects.

The Ministry of Health on September 25 confirmed two more deaths from the A/H1N1 flu, bringing the country’s total fatalities to 12.

Radio the Voice of Vietnam and the Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs signed in Hanoi on September 25 a cooperative agreement on improving information and propaganda for Vietnamese nationals living abroad.

The National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control has asked central coastal provinces to brace themselves for a tropical low pressure system which is expected to strengthen into a storm in the East Sea on September 26.

Although there are only 10,000 Vietnamese people in Africa and most of them are now resident in Angola, they have made a great contribution to the development of their host countries in many different fields.

By the middle of September Vietnam had seen nearly 58,000 cases of dengue fever, including 44 fatal cases, according to a report from the Ministry of Health.

The 11th fatal case of A/H1N1 flu was confirmed on September 24 by Gia Dinh People’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnamese embassy staff and students in Holland have taken part in the 2009 International Culture and Leisure Fair for the first time to highlight Vietnam’s land and people.

More than 600,000 people on the poverty line in the Mekong Delta have been granted US$1.5 million to buy optional health insurance thanks to a regional healthcare project.

The Health Ministry and the National Hospital of Endocrinology held a conference in Hanoi on September 24 at the start of a national diabetes prevention project.

Representatives of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries - Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam - signed a cooperation agreement in Bangkok on September 24 on compulsory insurance for cars in transit.

The Ministry of Health on September 24 confirmed a 10th fatal case of A/H1N1 flu three days ago.

State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has asked relevant ministries and agencies to create social welfare policies for Agent Orange/dioxin victims to ensure they enjoy better lives.

Vietnam is a leader in disaster relief said Jesper Morch, the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, at a high level meeting on coping with natural disasters held by the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in Hanoi on September 24-25.

Saigon Invest Group (SGI) on September 24 granted 98 scholarships worth US$2 million in total to Lao students who have recently passed entrance exams for Hung Vuong University in HCM City.

A sea turtle weighing over 120kg was released to the sea off Tuy Hoa City, central Phu Yen province on September 24.

Thua Thien-Hue provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on September 24 signed a contract with Singapore’s Akitek Tenggara Group for a tourism development project to be carried out in two years at a total cost of US$470,000.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the results of negotiations between the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) for a US$500 million loan from the ADB to help Vietnam cope with the global economic downturn.  

The European Union (EU) will support the transfer of disaster prevention experience to Vietnam said the Charge d’ Affaires and Acting Head of the European Commission Delegation to the country Willy Vandenberghe on September 23 at a consultative meeting held by the Vietnam Central Committee for Storm and Flood Control and the EC Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO). 

Vietnam’s health care sector has been making every effort to prevent the A/H1N1 flu virus from flaring up and causing more fatalities, said Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu at the 60th conference of the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific. 

Vietnam’s Health Ministry has not yet confirmed a tenth death from the A/H1N1 flu although the victim tested positive for the virus at the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute.

Vietnam confirmed 194 more cases of A/H1N1 infection on September 23, raising the country’s total number to 7,636 with 10 fatalities. 

Vietnam and Japan will work together to implement the second phase of a telecommunications technical training project for third countries from 2009-2011.