After months of thorough preparations and with all-out efforts made by the Vietnamese Government, ministries, sectors and people, the 14th APEC Week has begun in Hanoi with the Concluding Senior Officials Meeting. With approximately 10,000 foreign delegates converging in the capital city, APEC 14 is considered Vietnam’s most important diplomatic event this year.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and State President Hu Jintao will pay an official visit to Vietnam from November 15-17 while attending the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Hanoi. This will be his fourth visit to Vietnam, and second in his capacity as the Party General Secretary and State President of China.

Vietnam became an official member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on November 7, marking a major step in Vietnam’s international integration process.

According to economic experts, Vietnam needs an overall strategy for developing service sectors which will be most affected by the WTO accession process.

Currently, nearly 80 percent of the Vietnamese population live on agricultural production but redundancy in rural areas is increasing as a result of economic restructuring. Developing rural crafts and services through small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is considered an effective solution for unemployment in rural areas.

Vietnam is preparing to join the World Trade Organisation – a big playground which requires domestic enterprises to grasp international rules if they do not want to lose out and be left behind in tough competitions.

With nearly 80 percent of the population living on agricultural production, Vietnam is considered a potential market for enterprises involved in agricultural insurance services. However, after the failure of some pilot models, this market remains almost inactive.

The friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and Thailand have constantly developed since the two countries established their diplomatic ties on August 6, 1976, particularly after Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July 1995.

The process of integration into the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will help Vietnam quickly develop tourism industry. Reality shows that the increasing number of international tourists to the country has raised its earnings from US$2.834 billion in 2004 to US$3.07 billion in 2005.

In recent times, a group of persons who claim to be acting in the name of patriotism have disseminated documents containing their wrongful views on democracy and human rights issues in Vietnam.