New project launched under Vietnam-Cambodia defence cooperation deal

The construction of an office building and a military barrack for Cambodian army non-commissioned officers school commenced on February 23 in Kampong Chhnang, about 100km from Phnom Penh.

The facilities are funded by Military Region 7 of the Vietnam People’s Army as part of its cooperation agreement with the Royal Cambodia Army’s Special Region.

The project marks another step forward in the defence ties between the two military regions and the two countries’ armies in general, General Prum Din, Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodia Army and Commander of the Special Region said at the event.

Earlier on January 22, the two military regions signed a memorandum of understanding on their cooperation in 2015. They agreed to share information, exchange delegations and hold joint training courses, while collaborating in health, medical military, humanitarian aids, and search for the remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who died in Cambodia during wartime.

Party chief visits Hanoi hi-tech park

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a Lunar New Year (Tet) visit to the growing Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi, including participating in a tree planting festival, on February 22.

Hoa Lac, one of three national hi-tech parks, was designed to become a satellite city specialising in scientific activities and attracting foreign investment.

Addressing park staff, the General Secretary hailed development progress in the park, noting that the Party and State considers science-technology development a driving force for socio-economic advancement and national protection.

During the visit, the Party chief took part in a Tet tree planting festival, an annual activity initiated by late President Ho Chi Minh in 1959. He said he hopes the tree planting is held and maintained by the park and its staff, beyond being merely a ceremonial formality.

On the occasion, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the Hoa Lac-based FPT Software Company and the FPT University.

The Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, approved in 1998, covers nearly 1,590 hectares in Hanoi’s outlying districts of Thach That and Quoc Oai. By mid-August last year, it housed 70 projects with a total investment of more than 56 trillion VND (2.67 billion USD).

President pays New Year visit to Tay Ninh, Binh Duong

President Truong Tan Sang paid visits to the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Binh Duong on February 20, the second day of the Lunar New Year festival.

Meeting with the Standing Board of the Tay Ninh provincial Party Committee, he suggested improving the output of potential farm produce such as sugar cane, peanut and rubber, and making thorough preparations for the Party Congresses at all levels.

Visiting Vietnam Moc Bai JS Company, an affiliate of Taekwang Group based in the Republic of Korea, the President proposed producing more leather shoes for export and embarking on the 100ha dying industrial plant in the Moc Bai border economic zone.

Vietnam is working to speed up the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, which will offer advantages to exporters, including those working in leather, textile and garment, he said.

Paying tribute to the late Party and State leaders at a relic site of the Party Central Committee’s Southern Bureau, the State leader extended his best New Year wishes to all of the staff and asked them to urgently upgrade more works within the site in celebration of the 40th anniversary of southern liberation and national unification (April 30).

While in Binh Duong, the President was happy to hear that its economy grew by 13 percent in 2014 and attracted over 1.6 billion USD in foreign direct investment, running a 4 billion USD-trade surplus and adding more than 32 trillion VND (1.5 billion USD) to the State budget, up 8 percent.

He expressed wish that Binh Duong will grow into a modern industrialised province on the back of massive foreign investment and technological advances, as part of efforts to realise its 2011-2015 plan, and thoroughly prepare for the all-level Party Congresses.

Former prisoners of war meet to review revolutionary tradition

State President Truong Tan Sang attended a gathering of the Vietnam Liaison Committee for Former Prisoners of War and representatives from its provincial counterparts in Ho Chi Minh City on February 22.

The function, held at the War Remnants Museum, was designed to highlight the unyielding spirit of former prisoners against invaders.

President Truong Tan Sang, who was jailed himself in the Phu Quoc Prison during the American War in Vietnam, said he hopes former prisoners will educate their descendants on the revolutionary cause and give their honest opinions on the Party and national building.

He emphasised that national sovereignty is sacred and asked former prisoners and the nation to put their trust in the Party and State’s related guidelines and policies.

He also assured them that the Party has worked to enact favourable policies designed to acknowledge the contributions of former prisoners.

The same day, another gathering was organised in the southern city to review the revolutionary tradition of the An Phu Dong War Zone, the central location for many Vietnamese agencies and military forces during the 30 years of fighting French colonists and American imperialists.

New Year greetings to workers building Cat Bi Airport

Politburo member and Party Central Committee Secretary To Huy Rua on February 20 visited workers at the construction site of Cat Bi International Airport in northern Hai Phong city on the occasion of the traditional lunar New Year (Tet).

The Party official hailed the city for actively coordinating with relevant ministries, sectors and contractors to implement the project on schedule. He stressed that the airport is significant to the socio-economic development of the city, the northern key economic regions, and the whole country.

Under the project, the Cat Bi airport will be expanded to serve as a stand-by facility for Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi . When completed in late 2015, the airport will be able to serve 2 million passengers annually. A new passenger terminal is also underway and scheduled to be

commissioned in the second quarter of 2015; while the air traffic control tower will be put into operation in the first quarter of 2016.

Total investment for the project is more than 3.66 trillion VND (around 170 million USD).

UN highlights significance of native language education

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the United Nations in Vietnam has emphasised the significance of language in ensuring quality education for all.

Education in native languages is essential to facilitate learning and to bolster skills in reading, writing and mathematics, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement, adding that taking this forward will require a sharper focus on teaching training, revisions to academic programmes and the creation of suitable learning environments.

The Ministry of Education and Training has successfully implemented the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s initiative promoting mother tongue-based bilingual education in Lao Cai, Gia Lai and Tra Vinh provinces since 2008.

Experience from participating kindergartens and primary schools confirmed that ethnic minority children taught in their native languages have better educational outcomes than their peers learning in Vietnamese.

According to UNICEF Vietnam’s representative Abdel-Youssouf Jelil, the use of the mother tongue during the first few years of school encourages and supports learning of ethnic minority students, encouraging them to remain in school and improve their academic achievements in Vietnamese or international languages in later years.

Mother tongue-based bilingual education is an effective approach to help ensure children have equal access to quality education, empowering ethnic minority groups, assisting in their societal integration and contributing to the country’s sustainable development.

Stronger national policies and public investments to facilitate wider application of initiatives for education in native languages have presented an opportunity for Vietnam to embrace its linguistic and cultural diversity.

International Mother Language Day on February 21 was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in November 1999. It has been celebrated annually since February 2000, promoting linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.