VNA
Over 32,000 visit Uncle Ho's Mausoleum during holiday
More than 32,000 foreigners and Vietnamese people paid tribute to President
Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum during September 1 and National Day, September
2.
The number of people visiting President Ho's Mausoleum reached 20,000 on
September 2 alone.
During September 1 to 3, many cultural, arts and sports activities took
place in Hanoi and localities nationwide attracting the attendance of
millions of people in the capital and from outside.
****
President works in Vinh Phuc
State President Tran Duc Luong paid a working visit to Vinh Phuc province on
September 4.
The president worked with leaders of the province, who informed him about
the provincešs socio-economic situation in the last eight months, especially
its orientations and measures to effectively implement the resolution of the
Ninth Party Congress.
President Tran Duc Luong made suggestions to the province and analysed the
advantages of the province in land area and labour resource with educated
and skilled work force. He also pointed out challenges faced by the country
in general and the province in particular. He discussed with the provincešs
leaders measures to effectively exploit the locally available resources,
gradually raising the industrial portion and paying attention to farm
produce and forestry processing projects. Vinh Phuc must strive to become a
major urban city. To that end, the province must successfully implement
socio-economic targets set by the province. The president also asked the
provincešs leaders to pay attention to the implementation of other targets.
During his stay in Vinh Phuc, the president also called at some production
establishments in the province.
****
Students nationwide start school year
Localities nationwide held their 2001-2002 new school year inaugurations on
September 5, which is also chosen as the Whole Country Take Children to
School Dayš.
Nearly 650,000 pupils, from pre-school pupils to university students,
including 98,000 pupils of private schools started their new school year in
Hanoi.
* Teachers and pupils of Viet Duc, Xuan Dinh and Tran Phu senior secondary
schools warmly welcomed Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, Deputy Prime
Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Hanoišs Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Phu
Trong who came to attend their the new school year-opening ceremonies.
* Over 226,000 pupils of Tuyen Quang province began their new school year.
* Over one million pupils at all levels of Thanh Hoa province started their
new school year on September 5. The province has 470,000 primary pupils,
365,000 junior secondary pupils, 115,000 senior secondary pupils, 7,000
students and 85,000 students of vocational training schools.
* Nearly 1.5 million teachers and pupils of 1,500 schools of Ho Chi Minh
City began their new school year. The city has invested over VND 480 billion
to build 900 more classrooms and complete 1,570 others this year.
* Over 400,000 pupils of Can Tho attended the new school year-opening
ceremonies of 543 schools. Most of schools started the academic year as
scheduled, except for some in lower-lying areas, which are being threatened
by the current flood.
* Fifty two out of 53 schools in An Phu district, An Giang province held
ceremonies on September 5.
* All 74 schools of Kien Luong district, Kien Giang province started the new
school year on September 5.
* Over 233,000 pupils of Da Nang city, 600,000 pupils of Dak Lak, 351,197
pupils of Dong Thap and nearly 300,000 pupils of Ca Mau also began their
academic year on September 5.
****
PM urges Quang Tri to boost rice production
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on September 5, asked central Quang Tri
province to promote rice production by using new strains of high quality
rice in order to boost rice export and enable local rice producers to
command higher prices.
Mr Khai, who is leading a government delegation to the province, urged Quang
Tri to make better use of its potential for stronger development, saying,
"The province should devise a master plan for its socio-economic growth as
well as detailed plans for development of each region in the locality in
line with the economic development of the central region and the whole
country as well."
Prime Minister Khai also called on the local leaders and people to give
investment priority to the province's western region in a bid to better tap
its potential and improve the living conditions of ethnic minority people
there.
He also reminded the province to enhance unity among the provincial Party
Committee, increase democracy, act against corruption and negative
phenomena, and strive to successfully carry out the resolution of the Ninth
National Party Congress.
Quang Tri has historically been a strategically important province for
Vietnam, particularly in the country's recent resistance wars. Quang Tri
province today still has an important role to play in the country's
renovation process. Last year, it recorded a total food output of 217,000
tonnes, or 40,000 tonnes higher than 1996. In addition, the province now has
about 10,000 hectares of rubber, 5,000 hectares of coffee, more than 1,500
hectares of hot pepper, and 3,000 hectares of ground nuts.
Its industrial and handicraft production has registered an average annual
growth of 13.6%. Last year, Quang Tri exported US $21.4 million worth of
goods, while its population growth rate was reduced to 1.68%. (VNA)
****
Vietnam takes over AIPO presidency
Vietnam's National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Van An took over the ASEAN
Inter-Parliamentary Organisation's (AIPO) presidency from Thailand at the
closing session of the 22nd AIPO General Assembly on September 5.
Speaking on this occasion, Nguyen Van An, who is also head of Vietnam's NA
delegation to the 22nd AIPO meeting held in Bangkok from September 3-5,
expressed his honour to welcome law-makers from ASEAN and its dialogue
partners to Hanoi for the 23rd AIPO General Assembly, scheduled for
September 8-13 next year.
Chairman An said he believed that with the Vietnamese people's dynamic
tradition as well as support and experience from other AIPO member
countries, Vietnam's National Assembly would make the 23rd AIPO meeting in
Hanoi a success.
He also thanked heads and members of the legislative bodies as well as the
governments and people of the other ASEAN countries for their help to and
co-operation with Vietnam's National Assembly since it joined AIPO six years
ago.
Mr An expressed his belief that with their tradition of unity, all ASEAN
countries would work together to overcome every difficulty and seize every
opportunity to make South East Asia a stable region of economic prosperity,
thus contributing to peace, co-operation, and development of the world
people.
On the same afternoon, Chairman An and the heads of other delegations of
AIPO member states were received by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Chairman An conveyed best regards from Vietnam's Party General Secretary
Nong Duc Manh, State President Tran Duc Luong, and Prime Minister Phan Van
Khai to His Majesty the King of Thailand.
Mr An expressed his pleasure at the fine development of Vietnam-Thailand
friendship and co-operation, saying "Now is the best time to develop
Vietnam-Thailand ties."
The Thai King shared this with his guest and said that the two countries
should continue to promote their bilateral co-operation and mutual
assistance in order to further develop these ties.
Nguyen Van An was also reported to have received Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the Indonesian Legislature Akbar Tanjung and President of
the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association Sombune Prahome, who came to
congratulate him on his taking of the 23rd AIPO presidency.
Earlier, Mr An visited the AMATA industrial park in Chonburi province. AMATA
now has two investment projects in Bien Hoa and Quang Ngai of southern
Vietnam. (VNA)
****
Deputy PM wishes to boost Vietnam-Finland ties
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his wish for further
development of co-operation and friendship between Vietnam and Finland while
receiving the visiting Environment and Development Co-operation Minister of
Finland, Ms Satu Hassi, on September 5.
Deputy Prime Minister Dung said he highly appreciated the Finnish people's
co-operation with and assistance to Vietnam in its past struggle for
national liberation as well as in its current national construction.
Finland-assisted projects have operated with high efficiency and
considerably contributed to the country's socio-economic development, he
said.
Mr Dung informed the guest of the national renovation process over the past
15 years and the Party and State's policies on socio-economic development in
the years to come.
Minister Satu Hassi expressed her admiration for the Vietnamese people's
achievements in their renovation process.
Earlier, President of the Vietnam Women's Union Ha Thi Khiet received
Minister Satu Hassi and her entourage. The two sides exchanged views on
issues relating to the improvement of children's and women's lives. (VNA)
****
Flood claims 35 lives in Mekong delta
Floods in the Mekong delta have killed 35 people including 31 children,
inundated nearly 90,000 households, 405 schools, 31 clinics, 44 head offices
and damaged more than 3,000 hectares of rice and subsidiary crops as of
September 4, reported the Southern Flood and Storm Control Sub-committee.
Floodwater has submerged 21 districts of An Giang, Dong Thap and Long An
provinces and two districts of O Mon and Thot Not of Can Tho province,
threatening 23,500 hectares of ripening rice crops. Floodwater also damaged
13 hectares of aqua-culture in Long An and 843 fish breeding ponds in An
Giang.
Also as of September 4, over 73 kilometres of highways, and 570 kilometres
of inter-district and inter-commune roads were flooded. Floodwater also
damaged 75 bridges and eroded four kilometres of dyke.
More than 10,000 households in flood-hit areas have been evacuated to safer
places. The local authorities are still helping over 11,000 other households
in flooded areas to move to higher ground and about 1,200 others to move out
of places being threatened by landslide.
The Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee has sent emergency relief
aid to flood victims in An Phu district of An Giang province and Hong Ngu
district of Dong Thap province, each with VND 100 million. The committee has
also presented each poor family benefiting from priority policy with VND
100,000 and given VND 400,000 to four families whose members were killed by
the floods.
The National Committee for Flood and Storm Control, on September 5, sent an
official document to the committees for flood and storm control of Quang
Ninh, Haiphong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An
provinces and the Ministry of Fisheries and Transport and Communications,
asking them to inform fishermen and ships and boats owners now still
offshore about the coming bad weather so that they can find a safer place to
shelter. Under the document, no more ships and boats are allowed to go to
sea during this time. Local authorities must be on duty round-the-clock so
as to promptly deal with any possible bad consequences caused by the
tropical low pressure.
A tropical low pressure brought along strong wind of six to seven grade on
the Beaufort scale and rough sea in the Tonkin Gulf. Strong wind also hit
coastal regions from Quang Ninh to Ninh Binh provinces.
****
US helps train officers in munitions disposal
Fourteen Vietnamese technicians are following a month-long training course
of using DSS, a system supporting dynamite disposal transferred by the
United States government to Vietnam.
The system includes office information equipment in support of clearing
bombs and mines.
During the course, which will last until September 29, officers and
technical experts from Batallion 96 in charge of civil issues under the US
Pacific Command will introduce information about bombs and mines, disposal
techniques in mine clearance, emergency medical treatment, and precision map
making. (VNA)
****
EC finances audio-visual project
The European Commission (EC) will provide a grant of EUR 950,000 (US
$823,000) for three years to an EC-Vietnam audio-visual co-operation
project.
The signing ceremony of a financing agreement for the EUR 1.5 million
project was held in Hanoi on September 5, witnessed by Frederic Baron,
ambassador, head of the European Commission delegation in Vietnam.
The Audio-Visual Media Marketing Initiative Europe (AMMIE), a European
implementing organisation of the project, will contribute EUR 450,000 to the
project, and the Vietnamese government, the remainder.
The project aims to upgrade and enhance the professionalism of Vietnam
Television (VTV) through the provision of in-country and overseas training
and to promote the exchange of experience and encourage mutual awareness and
understanding of television companies' activities, thus increasing
Vietnamese take-up of European industry output and vice-versa.
It is also designed to raise awareness of opportunities in the television
sector and to develop links leading to mutually beneficial
business-to-business co-operation with a high involvement of television and
non-television industry. (VNA)
****
Norway helps in oil-gas environmental protection
Vietnam and Norway are continuing work to promote safety and environmental
standards in Vietnam's oil and gas industry.
Co-operation contracts named 'Development of Management System on Safety and
Working Environment and Pollution Control in Petroleum Industry' and
'Development of Environment Pollution Control System' were signed in Hanoi
on September 5, by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam),
Norway's oil and gas Department, and the Norwegian Environmental Pollution
Control Agency.
These contracts aim to implement phase two of the agreement signed on August
14, between Vietnamese and Norwegian governments, under which Norway will
provide NK 20 million (US $2.2 million) as non-refundable aid to Vietnam for
the purpose of promoting safe and environmentally friendly oil and gas
extraction in the country.
The first phase of the project was carried out after the two governments
signed the agreement in October, 1996, with Norway providing NK 25.36
million. As a result, PetroVietnam has successfully completed the programme
for personnel training, technology transfer, and application of Safety
Management Regulations in its oil and gas industry.
The second phase aims to promote the results recorded during the first phase
and continue developing PetroVietnam's capacity to operate safety in order
to prevent accidents which may cause serious losses in lives and property as
well as environmental damage, thus contributing to the sustainable
development of Vietnam's Petroleum Industry. (VNA)
****
Finland finances child health care project
The Finnish government has decided to grant a non-refundable aid of 16.4
million Finnish marks (US $2.378 million) to the second phase of a project
on children's health care in central Nghe An province.
An agreement to this effect was signed by Hoang Ky, vice chairman of the
Nghe An People's Committee and Satu Hassi, Environment and Development
Co-operation Minister of Finland, in the province on September 4.
The work, lasting until 2004, has a total cost of 18.2 million Finnish marks
(US $2.638 million) with the Vietnamese government contributing VND 4
billion. It will focus on training medical workers to carry out children's
health care activities in the province, particularly in the six mountainous
districts of Nghia Dan, Tan Ky, Quy Hop, Quy Chau, Tuong Duong and Con
Cuong. The project will also help educate mothers about children's health
and provide medical facilities for district-level hospitals and infirmaries.
The project's first phase, running from 1997-2000, helped upgrade facilities
for the Nghe An Paediatrics Hospital. (VNA)
****
500 ethnic people to gather in Hanoi
The 55th founding anniversary of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and
Mountainous Areas (CEMMA) will be held in Hanoi on September 8 with the
participation of 500 representatives of 54 nationalities in the country.
This was announced by CEMMA deputy head, Doctor Be Truong Thanh in a press
conference held in Hanoi on September 5 on the committee's 55th founding
anniversary (September 9, 1946 - September 9, 2001).
Mr Thanh explained about the process of the 55 years of foundation and
development of the former Bureau for Ethnic Minorities and the present
Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas.
At the founding anniversary meeting, they will praise ethnic minority people
for their contributions to the national construction and defence, evaluate
the implementation of the Party and State's policies for mountainous areas
and people of ethnic minority groups and assess the operation of those in
charge of ethnic and mountainous area work.
_________________________________________________
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