Ha Noi (VNA) -
Current Events
· Viet Nam and Laos further trade ties. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Lao Industry and Commerce Minister Nam Viyaketh ( Nhan dan and Saigon Giai phong, page 1).
· National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong concluded his Japan visit. Viet Nam and Japan signed an investment agreement worth 90 million USD (Nhan dan, page 1; and Saigon Giai phong, page 7).
· Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mirek Topolanek will begin his official visit to Viet Nam today (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).
· The Lao Government presented the Health Ministry with the Issara (Freedom) Order (Nhan dan, page 8).
· Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman: The Tibet issue is China ’s internal affair (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).
· Viet Nam stresses the necessity to respect Myanmar ’s independence and sovereignty (Nhan dan, page 8).
· More than 4,500 foreign delegates will join the UN Day of Vesak – 2008 in Viet Nam (Nhan dan, page 8; and Saigon Giai phong, page 1).
Socio-economic Affairs
· The Government is determined to maintain the stock market growth (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).
· Ireland ’s Deputy Prime Minister Brian Cowen visited, and presented gifts, in central Quang Tri province (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).
· Warnings for Viet Nam ’s network security this year: more than 80 percent of websites in danger of being attacked (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).
· Viet Nam ’s first petrochemical complex to be built (Saigon Giai phong, page 2).
· Exports dropped while imports reached record high in the first quarter of the year (Saigon Giai phong, page 3).
· Around 300 persons participated in a Vietnamese H5N1 vaccine test (Saigon Giai phong, page 7).
· The US and Viet Nam held discussions on a trade and investment frame (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).
· The USD keeps depreciating (Nhan dan, page 8).
· Education support given to areas in special difficulties and ethnic minority-inhabited areas (Nhan dan, page 7).
· Viet Nam – Laos two-way trade will reach 1 billion USD by 2010 (Lao dong, page 1).
· The Government’s Anti-Corruption Steering Committee carries out an investigation into an 8-million USD swindling case (Lao dong, page 1).
· Ho Chi Minh City signed an MOU for the 6-trillion VND elevated road No. 4 (Lao dong, page 3).
· The road map to raise minimum salary level will be speeded up (Dau tu [Investment], No. 34, page 1): consumption price index increase means a lower income from salaries. This makes policymakers to re-consider the salary increasing road map.
· A new step to help overseas Vietnamese own a house in their homeland (Dau tu, No. 34, page 3). The Ministry of Construction has proposed to the Government a draft of amendment and supplementation of regulations related to housing policy for Vietnamese people residing abroad. An interview with Ta Nguyen Ngoc, Head of the Department of Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese of the Foreign Ministry.
· Which is the “remedy” for trade deficit? (Dau tu, No. 34, page 4). The trade deficit figure in the first three months of this year recorded the highest so far. Without synchronous measures to boost domestic production, this year’s figure will be very big.
· Investment flows to consumer goods production (Dau tu, No. 34, page 4).
· The Nghi Son oil refinery complex prepares for a joint-venture contract (Dau tu, No. 4, page 12). Dinh La Thang, Chairman of the Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), said the contract is scheduled to be signed in early April. Three foreign partners include the Idemitsu Corp and Mitsui Chemical Inc of Japan and the Kuwait National Petroleum Company.
· The prices of construction materials skyrocket. Builders are on the verge of bankruptcy (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam [Viet Nam Economic Times], No. 68, page 1). Prices of a bevy of construction materials are increasing, pushing many projects to a standstill and the builders would rather accept fines. A seminar to deal with the situation was held by the Viet Nam Contractors’ Association on March 18.
· Seven methods for vocational training (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam , No. 68, page 3). An interview with Dam Huu Dac, Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.
· Vietnamese products on the way to find foothold on the Japanese market. The products must meet quality and environment standards (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam , No. 68, page 6).
· An anti-cancer element is found in broccoli in Viet Nam (Tien phong Vanguard], No. 79, page 15). By 2009, several functional foods for cancer prevention made from Vietnamese vegetables of the broccoli family will be introduced to the market.
· Hundreds of items of goods raise prices: sweaty at supermarkets! (Tuoi tre [Youth], No. 73, page 1). Supermarkets unanimously raised prices of hundreds of items, by 5-10 percent, or even up to 30 percent. The price increase is forecast to prolong as suppliers still continue asking to put the prices up.
· One more foreign pickpocket is arrested (Tuoi tre, No. 73, page 4). The police force of Tan Binh precinct, Ho Chi Minh City , has arrested Ahamadi Morteza, an Iranian citizen, who is allegedly one of members of a foreign gang swindling money by legerdemain in Ho Chi Minh City .
· Measures to fight traffic jams fail! (Thanh nien [Young People], No. 79, page 3). After a short break, traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City return over the past week.
· Shocked by the high prices of old apartments! (Thanh nien, No. 79, page 10). Cranky, even cracked with blistered-off paint layers, that is a messy appearance of the old buildings located in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City . But the sky-high prices of apartments in these buildings caused shock to their residents.
International Events
· Iraq war: A costly war (Editorial by Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8; and Lao dong, page 6).
· Lingering controversies on the Iraq war (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).
· Protests in US mark the 5th anniversary of Iraq war (Nhan dan, page 8).
· Thailand gives priority to stabilizing situation in the south (Nhan dan, page 8).
· Russia restores air link with Georgia (Nhan dan, page 8).
· Serbia condemns violence in north Kosovo (Nhan dan, page 8).
· 105 rioters surrender to police in Tibet (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).
· Pakistani Assembly elects first woman speaker (Ha Noi Moi, page 8).
· Gene study suggests China source of H5N1 virus (Ha Noi Moi, page 8).
· US Embassy in Yemen came under attacks (Lao dong, page 6).-Enditem
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