Vietnam News Agency (VNA)

Press Highlights Mar. 29

29/03/2008 -- 7:24 PM

Hanoi (VNA) -
Current Events

· Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung instructed that prices of 10 essential good items be kept from increasing (All dailies, page 1).

· The first answer-question session was held at the National Assembly Standing Committee. Prices will be stable in 2009 (All dailies, page 1).

· Vietnam ’s envoy at the UN Security Council called on concerned parties in Nepal to refrain themselves from violence (Nhan dan, page 8).

· A Communist Party of Vietnam delegation left for the 20 th congress of the Communist Party of India (Quan doi Nhan dan, page 8).

· Prime Minister of Qatar Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber Al Thani will pay an official visit to Vietnam (All dailies, page 1).

Socio-economic Affairs

· Australia assists in developing infrastructure in the Mekong Delta (Nhan dan, page 8).

· VNPT purchases 6,000 Microsoft’s Office 2007 licences ( Saigon giai phong, page 2).

· As many as 60 million doses of foreign-made bird flu vaccines will come to Viet Nam on March 29 (Saigon Giai phong, page 3).

· Education and training development needs a new reform (Nhan dan, page 5).

· The launch of Vinasat satellite is postponed to April 19 (Saigon Giai phong, page 3).

· Central Nghe An province will invest 4,2 trillion VND in building the Hua Na hydro-power plant (Nhan dan, page 1).

· Viet Nam and Taiwan ( China ) enter the final round of the 2008 Asia Women Football Championship’s qualifying round (Saigon Giai phong, page 5).

· The US accounts for almost half of Vietnam ’s processed timber export value (Saigon Giai phong, page 6).

· Two French citizens donate King Minh Mang’s poem book (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).

· List of Vietnamese enterprises appears in Japanese language (Saigon Giai phong, page 8).

· As many as 1.3 million foreign tourists have come to Viet Nam (Ha Noi Moi, page 1).

· The 21st Asia Trade Promotion Forum to be held in Viet Nam (Lao dong, page 3).

· Trade deficit record high increase. Imports surge in almost main commodities and products (Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam [Vietnam Economic Times], No. 76, page 4). Trade deficit and inflation will be big economic problems in the second quarter of 2008. The depression of trade deficit, therefore, will be one of eight focal solutions for the coming time that were proposed at the Government’s March meeting.

· Coffee sector facing a new opportunity: Priority needs to be given to sustainable development (Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam , No. 76, page 5). Vietnam in 2007 earned an export turnover of 1.8 billion USD from coffee, staying firm at its second place after Brazil . Moreover, the country is likely to speed up export as the world’s coffee output has been on strong decrease.

· Economy recedes, but tourism still thrives. The revenues from the non-smoke industry this year will record a 3 percent increase year-on-year (Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam , No. 76, page 14). The global economy decreases due to the impacts from the US economy and the hike of petroleum prices. However, the world’s tourism industry still maintains its rapid growth and generates more jobs. It is expected to earn a revenue of 8 trillion USD this year, and to represent 10.9 percent of the global GDP by 2016.

· Hope is pinned on the mainstays of the economy (Dau tu [Investment], No. 38, page 1). The socio-economic developments in the first quarter of 2008 have been going in a different way as compared with the same period of 2007.

· Can Tho city calls for investment in 38 projects in various fields (Dau tu, No. 18, page 1).

· An effective measure to control prices is under consideration (Dau tu, No. 18, page 4). The domestic prices are skyrocketing due to not only the world price increase and the poor local production, but also the way to manage and control prices.

· A fund for stabilising petroleum price is expected (Dau tu, No. 38, page 5). The domestic prices of petroleum will be stabilised for a period as the fund will operate to make up the retail prices once a price fluctuation happens on the world market.

· A satellite urban area of Hanoi will be built (Dau tu, No. 38, page 8). A new urban area in Ha Tay neighbouring province is necessary to reduce the pressure on the overloaded social and technical infrastructure in the capital city.

· A small fluctuation in securities trading constrains short-time investment (Thanh nien [Young People], No. 88, page 7). The blue colour continued to cover the bourses on the March 27 trading session, but the increases were small as the fluctuation band for the Hanoi Securities Trading Centre and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange were reduced to 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

International Events

· Arab summit: A number of dirrerences still exist (Saigon Giai Phong, p8)

· US airlines cancel more flights for safety inspection (SGGP, p8)

· Democratic People Republic Korea test-fires missiles (Saigon Giai Phong, p8; Ha Noi Moi, p8)

· Iraqi PM extends deadline for arms handover to April 8 (Nhan Dan, p8)

· Asia 's 2008 economic growth reduced to 7.6 percent (Nhan Dan, p8)

· Court clears Suharto in civil suit (Nhan Dan, p8)

· Pentagon: Inventory ordered of all US nukes (Ha Noi Moi, p8)

· Thailand 's Prime Minister Samak warns of coup plot (Ha Noi Moi, p8; Quan doi Nhan dan, p8)

· Russia warns Georgia against using force to deal with regional conflicts (Ha Noi Moi, p8)

· Puerto Rico governor surrenders on corruption charges (Lao Dong, p6)

· Rising price of rice triggers concern in Asia (Lao Dong, p6)

· Japan , ASEAN sign free trade accord (Quan doi Nhan dan, p8).-Enditem

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