The Vietnamese government on April 11 issued a decree on the application of information technology (IT) in government agencies.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the World Bank has signed an agreement on funding Vietnam’s avian and human influenza control and preparedness project in Hanoi on April 12.

In the face of unreasonable increases in drug prices, the Ministry of Health has decided to set up inspection groups and has asked inspectors from local health services to focus on examining the implementation of regulations on controlling drug prices at production and distribution units in Hanoi and HCM City.

A meeting to mark the 32nd anniversary of Truong Sa (Spratlys) Liberation Day (April 29) has been held in Truong Sa Island District off the central coastline of Khanh Hoa province.

Health workers have a perilously high chance of catching blood diseases, including HIV, because of safety limits at Vietnamese hospitals and clinics, according to a recent Government report.

Veterans from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) who once stood on opposing sides of the American war more than thirty years ago, are now cooperating in an effort to aid the victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin sprayed in Vietnam by the US army.

The contest aims to improve and enhance the quality of educating primary school children who are facing difficult circumstances.

More than 400 Vietnamese students studying in France took part in a number of activities in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. The event was held on the sidelines of the Vietnamese Student Football Tournament in France on April 8-9.

The Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) held a conference in Hanoi on April 10 to review the implementation of Resolution 36 of the Party Politburo regarding overseas Vietnamese and the Government’s action programme to implement it.

Vietnam’s VINASAT satellite system will be launched into the 132 degree east orbital slot, 36,000 km from the Earth, in April 2008. The event is expected to give impetus to the Vietnam telecommunications sector during its integration into the region and the world.

Currently, more than 400,000 Vietnamese labourers are working in 40 countries and territories throughout the world. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is striving to increase the number of guest workers to export 100,000 labourers a year as from 2010. It set the target of having 1 million regular labourers working abroad every year as from 2015. Can the target be fulfilled?

Over the past years, many local enterprises have become fully aware of the importance of Public Relations (PR) activities. More and more young people pursue this new career. However, they are not receiving proper training.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong has asked the Ministry of Public Security to look into the shortcomings of the fight against the trafficking in women and children and how to adopt effective measures to put a stop to this kind of crime.

A ceremony marking the birthday of the Goddess of Mercy was held in Central Da Nang City on April 6 as the main part of the Quan The Am Festival.

Vietnam is mobilising all resources to prevent bird flu in human, improve public awareness of the disease, and store enough medicines for possible outbreaks, said Minister of Health Tran Thi Trung Chien at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 6 to mark the World Health Day (April 7).

The People's Supreme Court in central Da Nang city on April 5-6 opened an appeal court in Dong Hoi city, central Quang Binh province, for a transnational drug trafficking ring, led by Nguyen Minh Tuan.

An executive of a US-funded competitiveness increase project has expressed his willingness to share experiences in institutional reform and how to facilitate the development of trade and investment.

The Department of Survey and Mapping, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, has officially launched a map of Vietnam on the Internet. According to the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM), Vietnam is one of the first 30 countries to finish uploading its map on the Internet.

More than 1,000 Youth Union members and Hanoians attended a meeting in response to Voluntary Blood Donation Day (April 7) in Hanoi on April 5.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will launch a US$18.1 million programme on controlling the quality of agricultural materials, agro-forestry products and food safety until 2010.

According to official statistics, more than one-fifth of Vietnamese land was planted with bombs and explosives during the war. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence claimed that the country had approximately 600,000 tonnes of bombs and explosives.

Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society, Len Aldis, has sent a letter to thank those engaged in supporting Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO) victims in a struggle for justice against US chemical companies.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has called on the entire people to take part in a humanitarian blood donation campaign, which is part of activities to mark Voluntary Blood Donation Day, April 7.

Bird flu is likely to abate in the coming time but the danger of epidemic recurrence remains, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Bui Ba Bong at a meeting held by the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control in Hanoi on April 3.

Construction of the Vietnam-Korea training center will begin on April 4 in northern Vinh Phuc province.

The Institute of Space Technology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology made its debut in Hanoi on April 3. This is the country’s biggest technological event in 2007, aiming to implement a strategy on the research and application of space technology by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has lauded Vietnam’s extended vaccination programme and pledged his continued support for the programme and the fight against infectious diseases and HIV.

More than 60 customs officers, economic policemen and market managers from southern localities have sought ways to protect local trademarks at a five-day workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on April 2.

Vietnam’s gender imbalance in children, especially newborns, has become more serious and may lead to a decrease in the number of young girls in the future, said population experts at a seminar in Hanoi on April 1.

In order to help children, especially adolescents gain a full understanding of reproductive health education issues, parents and teachers should show sympathy and responsibility towards sex education.