Replacements key in confidence votes

The National Assembly Standing Committee yesterday, Dec 12, discussed the implementation of Resolution 35 on holding confidence votes for those who hold positions appointed or approved by the NA or People's Committees.
The NA's Legal Committee suggested that firing or removing someone from office would take effect the following session to make sure there would be enough time to find a replacement.

There were also suggestions on allowing the NA or People's Committees to have flexible time before changing personnel.

According to NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, conducting confidence votes must be taken with the plan that there would be replacement.

Hung said that voting must be based on the basis of representing the interests of citizens first.

According to resolution 35, the National Assembly and People's Committees at all levels will conduct confidence voting in their first sessions, starting in the second year of each term.

The NA is expected to start conducting confidence votes in May 2013 and the people's committees at all level are scheduled to start around June next year.

Vietnam, Laos combat alliance remembered

A meeting to mark the Vietnam-Laos traditional combat alliance was held in Sepon district, Savannakhet Province, Laos on December 12.

Photo: VOV

Addressing the event, Bounhang Vorachit, Vice State President and Head of the National “Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year” Steering Committee, stressed that the friendship year between the two countries has become an important socio-political event in 2012.

It helps educate and train Laos’ carders, Party members and people, especially the younger generation, to have a deeper awareness of the tradition, importance and the need to further consolidate the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, he added.

The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), State and people will continue to protect the special friendship and solidarity fostered by generations of Vietnamese and Lao heroes, soldiers and people. It will be everlasting for the future generations, said Vorachit, who is also Politburo member and permanent member of the LPRP’s Central Committee Secretariat.

Le Hong Anh, politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee Secretariat, affirmed that Vietnam and Laos are two close neighbouring countries, the peoples of which have a long-lasting traditional friendship.

Following the two countries’ total liberation in 1975, Vietnam-Laos relations turned into a new historical page – from an alliance of combat to comprehensive cooperation between two independent and sovereign countries, said Anh, who is also Head of the National “Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year” Steering Committee.

Despite regional and global developments, the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation - founded by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kayson Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong, and nourished by Party and State leaders of the two countries – have continually strengthened in all fields with diverse forms of cooperation, he added.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people are happy to see that under the leadership of LPRP, the Lao people have overcome difficulties and challenges to reap fruitful achievements in politics, economics, culture, security, defence and external relations over the years, especially the implementation of the ninth Party Congress Resolution, Anh said.
At the meeting, Vietnam and Laos historical witnesses recalled memories of their alliance to combat common invaders for national liberation and unification.

The Vietnam-Laos friendship and special solidarity was an important factor in the two countries’ fight for national liberation as well as the cause of national construction and development, they said.

VN presents Laos with 1.1 million-USD school

Vietnam has presented Laos with a 1.1 million USD school on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 35 years of the friendship and cooperation treaty between the two countries.

The handover of the school to local authorities in Sepon district of the Lao southern province of Savannakhet was made on December 11, in the presence of high-ranking Party and State officials of both countries and local residents.

Funded by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), one of the leading commercial banks in Vietnam, the facility houses 12 classrooms to serve more than 500 students.

The school is an illustration of the close fighting alliance, special traditional friendship and solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ Parties, States and peoples in the new era, said Chueang Sombounkhan, Head of the Commission for Propaganda and Training of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee.

Speaking at the event, Politburo member Dinh The Huynh, who is Secretary of the Party Central Committee cum Head of the Commission for Popularisation and Education of the Communist Party of Vietnam, called on Vietnam businesses operating in Laos to continue making contribution to socio-economic development in the host country.

On the occasion, Huynh presented the school with 15 sets of computers, while BIDV offered 3,000 USD and other learning gadgets to the school’s study-encouragement fund.

Vice President of Thai Senate visits Vietnam

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung on December 12 met with Vice President of the Senate of Thailand, Surachai Liengboonlertchai, who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

Hung said he believes the visit will contribute to strengthening and accelerating friendly relations and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand. It will also create new prospects for bilateral ties between the two nations’ legislative bodies as well as regional and international cooperation, he added.

Hung told the Thai guest that at his meetings with Thailand’s Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate during his visit to the country on December 3-4, both sides agreed that the two countries’ relationship is in the finest development phase. Raising the relationship to a strategic level will be an important step to further enhance relations for the benefit of the two peoples, peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Liengboonlertchai said he hopes the friendship and cooperative relations between the two nations’ legislative bodies will further be strengthened.

Sharing similarities, the two nations’ legislative bodies have many opportunities to increase cooperation and parliamentarian exchanges, contributing to facilitating cooperation programmes and projects between the two countries’ Governments, as well as meeting the two people’s expectations, he noted.

On the same day, a National Assembly delegation led by Deputy Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held talks with a delegation from the Thai Senate headed by Liengboonlertchai.

The two sides discussed many important issues relating to ties between both countries. They agreed it necessary to tighten ties for the benefit of the two peoples, peace, stability and development in the region.

They also agreed to increase delegation exchanges between the two nations’ legislative bodies in the near future.

The bodies are ready to cooperate with each other and supervise the implementation of agreements signed by the two countries’ Governments, they stressed.

Deputy PM Ninh receives RoK Deputy Minister

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh met with the Republic of Korea’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Choi Kyonglim, in Hanoi on December 12.

Addressing the meeting, which discussed trade and investment between Vietnam and RoK, Ninh expressed his appreciation of the results from a seminar held in Hanoi to deliberate free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two sides.

He said he was pleased to see the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries developing deeper and broader and believed that both sides will further foster ties in coming years.

Kyonglim briefed Ninh on results of the aforementioned seminar. He said an FTA between Vietnam and RoK could not lean toward any one side. Therefore, practical suggestions are needed to help benefit both nations, he added.

To reach the two-way trade target of 20 billion USD by 2015, relationship breakthroughs among firms from both nations are needed, he noted.

Annual meeting on ASEAN culture and information kicks off in capital

The 47th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN-COCI), the annual meeting that evaluates and ratifies all co-operative projects in the domain, was officially kicked off in Ha Noi yesterday.

The three-day meeting, with the participation of ASEAN members and dialogue countries, will review the effectiveness of on-going projects and approve new co-operative projects proposed by ASEAN nations.

Nguyen Van Tinh, chairman of the National ASEAN-COCI, said that before the meeting started, the ASEAN-COCI Sub-committee on Culture had finalised a draft work plan on co-operation in culture and arts with China, as well as a cultural flagship project in the period of 2013-15 with Brunei and Malaysia.

He said the meeting would be a chance for Viet Nam to show the ASEAN community that it was capable of taking the role of ASEAN Secretary General in the 2013-17 term.

The ASEAN-COCI, established in 1978, has twice held its meetings in Viet Nam.

Legal partnership forum opens in Hanoi

The annual Legal Partnership Forum, themed “Strengthening legal and judicial reform in Vietnam”, took place in Hanoi on December 12.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme, the event was to update the implementation of legal and judicial reforms, the 2012 – 2016 agenda on judicial reform and the amendment to the 1992 Constitution.

Addressing the event, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said Vietnam ’s annual forum will revitalise the framework and cooperation system between Vietnam and international partners.

Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, pledged to continue working closely with Vietnam at policy talks and legal partnership forums, contributing to completing the country’s legal and judicial system.

In the near future, the event will develop into an open dialogue channel to help the Vietnamese Government devise and implement development policies, and provide information on business and investment opportunities for the international business community.

Friendship, cooperation with Japan to blossom

Numerous activities are being held to celebrate the Vietnam-Japan, Japan-Vietnam Friendship Year 2013 and 40 years of diplomatic ties, contributing to further strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

On December 11, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City attended celebrations of Japanese Emperor Akihito’s 79 th birthday at the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City.

Addressing the ceremony, Consul General Hida Harumitsu expressed his pleasure at the strong growth in bilateral relations in recent years on both governmental and lower levels, on the basis of the strategic partnership.

Japan remains the biggest provider of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam with a record 3.3 billion USD in 2011.

The East Asian economic power also accounts for half of the total foreign investment flow into Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year.

In the fields of education and culture, the number of Vietnamese students in Japan in 2011, at 4,000, was the highest among ASEAN countries.

According to the Vice Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, Le Manh Ha, projects using Japan’s ODA capital have helped improve the infrastructure and living standard of people in the city. Japanese businesses invested a total of 2.67 billion USD in 525 projects in HCM City alone.

The same day, the capital city of Hanoi received a gift from Japan, which is 300 cherry trees. The trees were planted in Long Bien district as part of a project to plant 1,000 cherry trees in the capital city. The project kicked off in 2010, when Hanoi celebrated its millennial anniversary.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA