Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to extend the 2004-2006 development co-operation agreement between Vietnam and Sweden.

Ninh Thuan province has earmarked VND1.5 billion from its budget to help 6,000 poor households enjoy the Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), which will fall on February 17.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has praised Vietnam for its efforts to finalise its policy and legal system related to women, according to Ha Thi Khiet, Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Committee for the Advancement of Women.

Women organisations of Vietnam and Cambodia will closely join programmes to promote gender equality, boost poverty reduction efforts, improve women's health, and prevent maltreatment to women and children.

An estimated 370,000 foreign tourists visited Vietnam in January, according to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism.

The 8th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiatives (HYLI) forum concluded in Hanoi on January 25 after putting forth eight proposals with a view to promoting economic development in Asia and ensuring a clean living environment.

The number of bird flu affected communes nationwide by January 25 has decreased by seven compared to three days before, according to the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

French Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) group and the Vietnam-Pacific Development Institute (IDVP) will cooperate in protecting and developing precious medicinal plants in Cat Tien National Park in the southern province of Dong Nai.

In the Mekong Delta, Hau Giang province has finished the supplemental vaccination for more than 420,000 fowls, most of which are ducks. The Red Cross Society in Tien Giang province has been implementing the second phase of the project to prevent avian influenza in humans.

The community-based model for drug abuse control will be finalized and multiplied during the 2007-2009 period to make residential quarters free from drugs.

The two ministries of science and technology of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have pledged to boost cooperation in radioactive medicine during the 2007-08 period.

Denmark will provide US$770,000 for Radio the Voice of Vietnam to broadcast education programmes on HIV/AIDS to raise public awareness of the disease.

In the early days of 2007, the northern border province of Lai Chau continues to make drastic changes by tapping into its great potential and playing to its strength in order to free itself from poverty. The following interview was conducted by a Voice of Vietnam Radio reporter with Vuong Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Lai Chau provincial People’s Committee.

Bird flu has shown signs of abating in the Mekong Delta with Tra Vinh province being declared to be free from the disease, said Head of the Veterinary Department Bui Quang Anh at a regular meeting of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control held in Hanoi on January 23.

APL-NOL Vietnam Company presented 2,200 helmets to teachers and students at the Ho Ha Primary School in Binh Thach District, Ho Chi Minh City on January 23.

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai will spend more than VND8 billion aiding the local armed forces, families of policy beneficiary, ethnic minority people and poor people to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

With a VND7,000 billion cash injection, vocational training will be comprehensively renovated to improve the quality of the labour force to better prepare it to meet market demands and the international economic integration process.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at all levels granted young people in rural areas in 2006 with credit loans worth about US$44.5 million in total to help them set up businesses.

By 2020, the transport network of Ho Chi Minh City will be upgraded to help turn the city into a national hub and a large trade and service centre in Southeast Asia.

The Samsung Vina Electronics Company will provide US$300,000 for the second phase of a charity programme, which will run till 2011 to give free surgery to Vietnamese children affected by congenital heart defects.

Bird flu has been reported in eight provinces and cities of the Mekong River Delta with an increasing number of new outbreaks in each locality. If drastic measures are strictly implemented, the spread of bird flu will be contained soon.

Vietnam’s becoming a full member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) provides opportunities but also poses challenges for the country. The biggest challenge is fiercely growing competition in the rapidly developing global market economy. In the face of competition, advantages will pertain to nations with highly skilled human resources.

According to the Veterinary Department, bird flu occurs in 42 communes across 19 districts of the seven Mekong Delta provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang and Can Tho City.

The Dutch Government will provide more than 7.4 million EUR to a water supply system project in southern Binh Duong province.

The number of Vietnamese people spending their holidays abroad has increased to 26.4 percent, compared to 10 percent in 2006, according to a recent survey on around 2,000 customers by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

UNODC Chief Representative in Vietnam Narumi Yamada highlights the Vietnamese Government’s drug control efforts and calls on nations and international organisations to join action for a safe world free from drugs, crime and terrorism.

The Vietnam Fund for Sponsoring Children (VFSC) in coordination with Samaritan’s Purse, a non-governmental organization from Canada, has presented 1000 gifts to disadvantaged children in central Vietnam on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will provide nearly US$2.25 million for a project to help Vietnam increase its supervision and assessment capacity.

Bird flu has spread to Can Tho City in the Mekong River Delta after serum samples taken from 30 dead ducklings of a local breeding farm tested positive for the deadly virus H5N1, according to the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has set a target of generating 1.6 million jobs in 2007, including 1.52 million jobs for domestic workers and the rest for guest workers.