The Ministry of Planning and Investment has met with Dak Lak provincial People Committee to organise two conferences for the development triangle.

Vietnam supports cooperation proposals between the Vietnam National Defence Academy and the Kaysone Phomvihane National Defence Academy in training officials and teachers as well as exchanging experiences in building training programmes for Laos. 

A proper nutrition regime, including breastfeeding immediately after birth, will maintain brain development during the first three years of life, according to local and international leading pediatric nutrition experts.

Japan has granted US$9.3 million to rebuild the customs facilities at Hai Phong Port. 

Australian Navy warship HMAS DARWIN will pay a diplomatic visit to Vietnam to strengthen the goodwill and relations between the two countries, according to the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.

Legislators responsible for the ethnic minorities have heard proposals for better care for the targeted population in the areas considered as the poorest to help lift them out of poverty as soon as possible. 

A delegation from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), led by vice head Hoang Thi Diep, will pay a working visit to France from September 21-26.

The Ministry of Education and Training held a ceremony at Radio the Voice of Vietnam’s (VOV) theatre on September 21 to honour 11 excellent pupils who scored 30 points out of 30 at the recent college entrance exams.

A workshop on biotechnology was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 21 by the HCMC Biotechnology Centre and the US Embassy in Vietnam.

The Saigontourist Travel Service Company welcomed the Costa Allegra cruise liner at Navi Oil Port in Ho Chi Minh City on September 21.

A Vietnamese American girl, Paulina Nguyen from Santa Catalina in California, US, has created her own charity fund by collecting shoes for Vietnamese orphans, according to the Monterey County Herald newspaper.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has provided half a million US dollars for a project to develop ecological tourism in Cat Tien National Park in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Since the beginning of September, dozens of children with hand, foot and mouth disease have been admitted to hospital in Ho Chi Minh City everyday.

Forty Vietnamese and Republic of Korean trainees began a course on Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) at the Francophone Institute of Informatics (IFI) in Hanoi on September 21.

Two patients with symptoms of swine flu died at the weekend in general hospitals in Central Highland Dak Lak Province and southern Binh Phuoc Province.

The Hanoi Construction Department on September 20 broke the ground on high-rise dormitories which are capable of housing 7,400 students once they are completed in the next two years.

Vietnam’s 2009 Clean Up the World campaign was launched on September 20 in Viet Tri, City in the northern province of Phu Tho.

The Vietnam-Russia International Ophthalmology Hospital (VRIOH) on Sept. 20 provided free-of-charge eye treatment and consultancy for children of the Hanoi SOS village, beginning its humanitarian campaign to mark World Sight Day (Oct. 9).

More than 5,000 people in HCM City’s district 1 participated in a charity walk on September 20 to raise funds for poor children.

An international torch and flag relay advocating the use of environmentally friendly fuels has arrived in Vietnam.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on September 19 urged central provinces to build more vocational training establishments to meet the increasing demand for high-quality human resources.

Food hygiene and safety is a hot issue for consumers and producers alike. Inefficient controls over food hygiene and safety are attributed to unclear regulations and poor public awareness of the problem. Meanwhile, the draft law on food hygiene and safety is not quite specific about the responsibilities of relevant ministries and agencies.  

Some 230,000 people have registered to donate blood in the Red Blood Drops Summer Campaign 2009, and organizers have collected over 143,000 units of blood for medical treatment.

Two child patients died of hand, foot and mouth disease at the Children’s Hospital No2 in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, reports the Dong Nai provincial Preventive Medicine Centre.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Vietnam on September 17 signed a US$151 million loan to help the country expand and improve electricity services in poor and remote communities by using renewable energy.

Da Nang City Health Department Deputy Director Nguyen Ut on September 17 confirmed the first death caused by A/H1N1 flu in Da Nang City, the 7th fatal case in Vietnam so far.

A new United Nation (UN) Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in Vietnam was launched on September 17 in Hanoi.

A financial agreement worth nearly 16.7 million euro to help Vietnam improve its heathcare services was signed in Hanoi on September 18 between the Minister of Health, Nguyen Quoc Trieu, and Willy Vandengerghe, a representative of the European Commission.

Vice Minister of Industry and Trade Bui Xuan Khu has called upon businesses to promote technology transfer, economic cooperation and investment in producing electricity from renewable energy sources.

The 2009 ICT awards ceremony will be held in late March next year, announced the Ministry of Information and Communications at a press conference held in Hanoi on September 18.