Enhancing inspections and examinations to serve the party congresses is the key 2015 task in preparation for the 12 th National Party Congress, Politburo member Le Hong Anh said at a conference in Hanoi on January 27.

The inspection committees at central and local levels must fulfil their responsibility to strengthen the Party leadership, solidarity and democracy, as well as preventing degrading political awareness, ideology, ethics and lifestyle, continued Anh, who is also standing member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee.

The committees must evaluate observance of the Party and State’s guidance, resolutions, instructions and policies; work against corruption and waste; direct the implementation of administrative and judicial reforms; and promptly handle pressing social issues, he added.

Any issues arising ahead of the congress must be detected and resolved in a timely manner, he stressed.

He called on the committees to actively contribute their ideas for draft documents to be submitted to the local party congress and the National Party Congress regarding anti-corruption, waste and inspections.

Ngo Van Du, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, said enhancing Party building efforts, dealing strictly with violations, and renewing leading methods would be essential in the coming time.

Special focus should be placed on personnel preparation for the new tenure, he added.

During the day-long conference, participants highlighted achievements and shortcomings in the performance of the all-level inspection committees in 2014. They also shared experience in the field and proposed a range of measures to realise 2015 tasks.

Vietnam-DPRK diplomatic ties marked

A ceremony was held to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (January 31) in Hanoi on January 27.

Present at the event were Vice National Assembly Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Affairs Tran Dac Loi, Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi, and DPRK Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Chang Il, among others.

President of the Vietnam-DPRK Friendship Association Pham Tat Dong recalled when late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il Sung initiated the bilateral friendship and cooperation 65 years ago.

He expressed his thanks to the DPRK Party, State and people for assisting Vietnam historically during its struggle for liberation and currently with its development.

DPRK Ambassador Kim Chang Il said he is delighted to see Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements, affirming his country’s dedication to maintain its partnership with Vietnam.

Both agreed that activities in honour of the 65 th anniversary of diplomatic ties will mark a new chapter in the history of the two countries, as will increase cooperation across sectors, including politics, economics and culture.

Provinces, cities boost external relations

Provinces and centrally-run cities across the country have succeeded in expanding external relations, with 53 new cooperation agreements signed with foreign partners last year, it was reported at an online conference held by the Foreign Ministry on January 27.

Director of the External Affairs Department Phung The Long said around 150 Memoranda of Understanding on cooperation were also signed between provinces and cities with foreign companies and organisations, bringing in resources for local socio-economic development.

In his report, Long also noted that local authorities have paid attention to economic diplomacy via such measures as improving local investment environment, establishing hotlines or special taskforces to quickly address problems reported by investors and organising numerous investment and trade promotion activities. He cited the examples of Ha Nam, Quang Ninh and Ba Ria-Rung Tau provinces where local authorities hold regular dialogues with investors.

Besides investment, provinces and cities tried to make the best use of the help from foreign non-governmental organisations to improve socio-economic conditions in remote and disadvantaged areas.

The official said localities should continue with efforts to promote economic integration in 2015, adding that the Foreign Ministry will assist all provinces and cities in these efforts.

Delegates from 63 provinces and cities nationwide shared experiences in promoting international relations at the provincial level. They also discussed measures to deal with problems in the work and enhance the coordination between local authorities and the Foreign Ministry in the field.

Relatives of Cuban martyrs welcomed in Hanoi

Senior Lieutenant General Mai Quang Phan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam People’s Army’s General Department of Politics, hosted a reception in Hanoi on January 26 for a visiting delegation of relatives of the Cuban martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Cuban independence.

The delegation was led by Major General Delsa Esther Puebla Viltre, a heroine of the Republic of Cuba.

Speaking at the meeting, Phan expressed his deep respect for the immeasurable support from Cubans during Vietnam’s struggle for independence.

He hailed the 50-year relationship between the two countries, saying that as a friend and a comrade, Vietnam has always been at the side of the Cuban armed forces and people in a fight for peace, national independence and socialism.

For her part, Puebla Viltre thanked her host for warm welcome and reiterated the traditional ties nurtured and deepened by late President Ho Chi Minh and President Fidel Castro, as well as later generations of both nation’s Party and Government leaders.

Earlier, the Cuban guests also visited the High Command of Air Defence and Air Force, Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper and the Central Committee of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association.

India’s Republic Day marked in HCM City

A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 26 to mark the 66th Indian Republic Day (January 26, 1950) in the presence of municipal leading officials and representatives from the Indian Consulate General in the city.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tat Thanh Cang hailed India’s significant achievements over the years.

Cooperation between Vietnam and India has been deepened and reaped fruits in various fields such as education, health and national defence, Cang underscored.

For her part, Indian Consul General Smita Pant said Indian businesses have been boosting their investment in Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam.

She highlighted the launch of a direct air route between India and Vietnam in last November, saying that it has helped further promote bilateral social, economic and cultural connection.

She expressed hope for more Indian big projects to be implemented in Vietnam, thus contributing to realising their two-way trade target of 15 billion USD by 2020.

In 2014, the two-way trade between the city and India reached 765 million USD. Indian firms have invested about 6.38 million USD in the city.

Condolences over death of Saudi Arabian King

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on behalf of the Vietnamese State and Government leaders came to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Hanoi to express sympathy over the death of its King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on January 26.

Officials from Presidential and Governmental Offices, and the Ministries of Planning and Investment; Industry and Trade; and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also attended the respect-paying service at the embassy.

In his note on the mourning book, Deputy PM and FM Minh extended condolences to the Royal family, the Government and people of Saudi Arabia over the passing of the King.

President exhorts university to teach world-class courses

President Truong Tan Sang yesterday said he hoped the Viet Nam National University in HCM City (VNU-HCM City) would offer international standard courses within five to 10 years.

At a ceremony to mark the university's 20th anniversary, Sang invited it to reform the methods of studying and teaching and improve the quality of its research.

He advised university authorities to develop a contingent of qualified lecturers and managers, expand partnerships with peers at home and abroad - and gradually exercise autonomy in several spheres.

Sang said the development of science and technology and the quality of human resources were key factors ensuring a country's competitiveness and strength.

Both these factors were products of education and training, he said.

He said the country had gained encouraging results in education and training in the past years, but the quality of education and training still failed to meet real demand.

To handle this challenge, he suggested the Party set tasks to comprehensively renew education and training. He added that improving human resources was one of three key pillars to develop the country.

As one of the key universities in the country, the VNU-HCM City needed to take the lead in creatively implementing tasks and solutions set out by the Party Resolution on basic education and training renovation, Sang said.

The VNU-HCMC was established as a national multi-disciplinary.

university on January 27, 1995. It was formed by merging nine existing universities in HCM City.

Chartered by the Government, its mission is to become Viet Nam's premier institute of higher education.

The university has forged reciprocal agreements with more than 120 universities in 20 countries.

This has ensured its relevance in the international arena by allowing Vietnamese students to study abroad and attracting foreign-exchange students to Viet Nam.

As a member of the Association of Universities of the Francophone (AUF), the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and the Eurocom of six leading European universities, the VNU-HCMC has accommodation for 60,000 students.

Each year, it issues more than 10,000 engineering and bachelor's degrees as well as more than 2,000 masters and doctorate degrees.

Party official urges social scientists to improve research

Party Committee Secretary Le Hong Anh told a conference in Ha Noi yesterday it was imperative that the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences enhance the quality of its scientific research so that it could become a regional centre by 2020.

Anh, who is a former Minister of Public Security, said scientists needed to fully use their knowledge to contribute opinions to new and difficult issues that needed to be interpreted thoroughly, both theoretically and practically.

"The academy should continue studying and scientifically clarifying theoretical and practical issues of socialist-oriented national development," he told the meeting which discussed the academy's work in 2014.

"It is essential for the academy to further study historical and legal documents which help fortify Viet Nam's sovereignty over the East Sea, and to address current, urgent, fundamental, and long-term matters of the fight for national sovereignty."

Anh told the conference participants that the academy needed to accelerate international co-operation on the basis of co-operation in research and training, enabling foreigners to learn more about the values of Vietnamese culture, people and the country itself.

He called for the academy to build up a contingent of scientists strong both in quality and quantity and capable of interpreting theoretical and practical issues.

Head of the academy, Nguyen Xuan Thang, said the institute held a great number of scientific events on the East Sea and on marine archaeology.

These included exhibitions on the Hoang Sa-Truong Sa (Paracel-Spartly) islands, and publication of related documents together with studies in different fields of social science, social humanity, and regional and international research.

VNA/VNS