Vietnam News Agency (VNA)

Press Highlights Mar. 25

25/03/2008 -- 9:31 AM

Hanoi (VNA) -

Current Events

· Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung welcomed and held talks with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej (All dailies, page 1).

· Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung: bringing Vietnam – Japan ties up to a strategic, effective and long-term partnership (Nhan dan and Saigon Giai phong, page 1).

· “ Taiwan is an inseparable part of China ,” said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson while responding to the press on Vietnam’s reaction to the outcome of the polling in Taiwan on March 22 (All dailies, page 8).

· An investment economic frame agreement between Vietnam and Serbia will be signed soon. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem held talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).

· For the first time, there will be a question – answer session vis-à-vis the Government at the National Assembly Standing Committee (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).

Socio-economic Affairs

· Gold price dropped sharply, which caused heavy losses to many investors (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).

· Ho Chi Minh City determined to keep the growth rate pace in spite of difficulties. How to combat inflation? (Saigon Giai phong, page 1).

· Price-stabilising fund put into operation: petrol and oil prices will be stable throughout 2008 (Saigon Giai phong, page 2).

· Scientists are mobilized to cope with climate change (Saigon Giai phong, page 7).

· Oil from a sunken ship has been siphoned off (Nhan dan, page 7).

· Vaccine “5-in-1” will be used in the extended vaccination programme as from 2009 (Nhan dan, page 8).

· The northern region under the menace posed by rains and cyclones (Lao dong, page 1).

· VN-Index slid close to the 500-point mark (Lao dong, page 1).

· Prices of essentials edge up everyday (Lao dong, page 3).

· There will be another resort in northern Ninh Binh province’s Non Nuoc beach (Lao dong, page 3).

· It is advisable for Vietnam to accept a short-term recession in its growth. The suggestion was made by the Ha Noi-based ADB Director in an interview (Lao dong, page 6).

· Indochina Capital to invest 45 million USD in building a golf course in Viet Nam (Lao dong, page 7).

· Stabilising petrol and oil market: prices will be raised only when the world prices rise suddenly (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 1).

· Translator Hoang Huu Dan awarded the French Order of Academic Palms, second class (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).

· Property bonds offer a new source of capital for the realty market (Thoi bao Ngan hang [Banking Review], No. 36, page 5). The real estate market showed signs of stand-by because local investors have still been fumbling with new sources of investment in order to fight back foreign investors’ invasion. In this context, many local investors issued property bonds as a new way to tackle their difficulties.

· Vietnamese dong rallies for gain over the US dollar (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam [Vietnam Economic Time], No. 72, page 5).

· Let the foreign exchange market adjust itself (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam, No. 72, page 3. An interview with Dr. Nguyen Dai Lai, Vice Head of the State Bank of Viet Nam’s Banking Development Strategy Department.

· Former Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen: the rising value of Vietnamese dong does not affect largely exports (Dau tu [Investment], No. 36, page 5). Analysing the country’s imports-exports in the first three months, the former trade minister said it is necessary to increase the Vietnamese dong value to contain inflation and that will leave no big impact on exports.

· Many supermarkets increase prices of goods (Dau tu, No. 36, page 8). Petroleum, materials for production and import price hike forced many supermarkets to raise the prices of their goods.

· Bank deposit interest rates overwhelmed securities investment (Thanh nien [Young People], No. 84, page 7). Seeing the 12 percent annum interest rate offered by banks, many investors currently opt to deposit their money in banks rather than investing in securities.

· Trade deficit reached 7 billion USD in the first three months (Tuoi tre [Youth], No. 77, page 1).

· Vietnam ranks 13 th in the world in terms of office space rental (Tuoi tre, No. 77, page 1). The US-based property service consultancy company – Cushman & Wakefield released its survey on March 22 that indicates that Vietnam currently ranks 13 th in the list of countries having expensive office space rental.

International Events

· Western intelligence services made known the identification of the “parents” of Iran ’s nuclear programme (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).

· US death toll in the Iraq war hit 4,000 (Nhan dan and Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).

· Comoro Islands locked in a political crisis (Nhan dan, page 4).

· Civil war escalates in Sri Lanka (Nhan dan, page 4).

· Al Qaeda Vice Chief Ayman al-Zawahri called for resisting Israel and the US (Lao dong, page 6).

· China intensifies its open-door reforms (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).

· Will the FED save the US finance market? (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 7).

· Asia will not escape the US financial crisis fallout (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).

· The Middle East peace course remains a hope only (Ha Noi Moi, page 8).

· The Fatah and Hamas sealed a reconciliation agreement (Nhan dan, page 8).

· Gilani, a key Bhutto aide, was elected Pakistani premier (All dailies, page 8).-Enditem

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