- Developing countries should be supported and assisted to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as early as possible, said the First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Le Cong Phung at the general debate of the 61st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 25.

- The Lao Minister of Information and Culture, Mounkeo Olaboun, on Sept. 25 presented orders and medals to 57 officials of Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) for their contributions to the Lao people's revolution.

- A high-ranking military delegation left Hanoi on Sept. 25, starting its official visit to the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia. The delegation is headed by Lieutenant-General Nguyen Khac Nghien, Vice Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.

- Le Thi Thu, Minister and Chairwoman of the National Committee for Population, Family and Children held a dialogue with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva on Sept. 22 regarding Vietnam's implementation of optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, in a meeting with the local authorities on September 25, urged the local authorities of HCM City to find out solutions and make the city a "locomotive" to lead the country's economic development.

- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, both expressed optimism about bilateral economic ties during their meeting in HCM City on Sept. 25.

- The French supply and command ship, VAR, led by Rear Admiral Hubert de Gaullier des Bordes, Commander of French naval forces in the Indian Ocean, arrived in central Da Nang port on Sept. 25 to start their five-day visit.

- Norway's official development assistance (ODA) has been effectively used by Vietnam to eradicate poverty, develop its education system and carry out administrative reform, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong told a visiting Norwegian parliamentary delegation on September 25.

- The Vietnam Insurance Corporation (Bao Viet) will provide tourism health insurance services for all leaders and senior officials of the 21economies and other participants at the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Hanoi in November, thereby becoming a special sponsor of the event.

- President Nguyen Minh Triet, in a letter to the Vietnam Association of the Elderly on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the International Day for the Elderly (Oct. 1), urged the elderly people to continue to be a reliable mainstay for Party organisations and administrations at all levels, and a nucleus in building and developing the national great unity bloc.

- The enterprises employing the workers, who have undergone detoxification, will be given preferential loans of up to VND500mil/project, according to a Government’s newly promulgated decision.

- Can Tho City has revoked investment licenses of seven domestically and seven foreign invested projects due to the slow project implementation.

- The Inter-ministries of Trade and Industry will not grant automatic quotas to the enterprises that export apparel products at the prices below the levels set by the ministries. Vietnam has exported $1.7bil worth of apparel to the US so far this year.

- South Korea-based Golden Bridge group, specialising in enterprises restructuring on September 22 announced the establishment of a company in Vietnam. The chairman of the group is Ly Tuong Tuan, the descendant of Vietnamese Ly Thai To King.

- Binh Duong Peoples’ Committee has granted operation license to Kumho Tires Vietnam Company Ltd, which belongs to the South Korean Kumho Asiana Group. Kumho Tires plant, specialising in making high-grade tyres, will be located in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Zone.

- The Ministry of Finance has decided to raise the import tax on petrol to 15% from the current level of 10%. Prior to that, the tax rate was raised from 5% to 10%.

- Dr Doan Van Quang, former Head of the Aviation Institute has officially applied for the permission to set up a private airline, Saigon Air. According to the draft decree guiding the implementation of the Civil Aviation Law, one must have VND80bil ($5mil) and one aircraft to be eligible to establish an airline.

- The Southern Bank is planning to raise its chartered capital to VND1,430bil ($89.375mil) from the current level of VND600bil ($37.5mil) in the fourth quarter of the year.

- Habubank, the third biggest joint stock bank in Vietnam, has become the strategic shareholder of Cavico Mining, which is operating in the field of mining and construction. The move is a part of the bank’s strategy to diversify its business activities.

- Technip, the chief contractor of Vietnam’s major Dung Quat Oil Refinery project, has partnered with the APA Corporation to train economic zone workers at the Dung Quat Vocational School.

- The 7th APEC Micro Enterprises Sub-group (MESG) Meeting closed in Hanoi on Sept. 25. The delegates agreed to organise the 8th MESG meeting in Australia on March 4, 2007.

- The Vietnam Association of Timber and Forest Products expects Vietnam to reap US$4 billion from the export of wood products by 2010 and US $8 billion by 2020.

- The Eastern Asia Commercial Bank (EAB) on September 24 imported 100 new-generation automatic teller machines (ATMs), bringing its total ATMs to 700 nationwide. This is the first batch of the bank's contract to import 420 ATMs from China's largest ATM manufacturer, GRG Group.

- The 23rd Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Working Group Meeting (SMEWG) opened in Hanoi on Sept. 26 with the participation of delegates from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, APEC Secretariat, observers and international organisations.

- Beijing Urban Construction International Co Ltd has beaten competitors to become lead contractor on Golden Westlake Executive Residence, a $50 million project. The Chinese company took part in a signing agreement ceremony with Ha Viet Tung Shing Joint Venture in Hanoi on Sept. 25, to be officially appointed lead contractor on the luxury-apartment project near the southern bank of Hanoi's West Lake.

- A conference to promote investment in Lam Dong province's industrial zone was held in HCM City on Sept. 22. Lam Dong People's Committee Chairman Hoang Si Son explained the province's investment incentives, including land use fee reduction for the first three years and support in land clearance and infrastructure construction. Lam Dong currently has 11 industrial zones, spanning over 600ha.

- Southern Vung Tau City will see its first beachfront luxury hotel which will also double as a shopping complex opening on Christmas Day. The 17,600 sq Imperial Plaza and Hotel, with 150 rooms and 60 serviced apartments, will house a 6,000 sq.m shopping and entertainment centre.

- Lac Viet Corporation, the owner of this VND 246 billion ($15.3 million) property, has appointed CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Vietnam as its retail consultant and sole marketing agent.

- The Japanese Sumitomo Corporation intends to build an $80 million industrial park in the northern province of Hung Yen. Under an agreement signed on Sept. 25, the Sumitomo Corp. and the Thang Long Industrial Park Company will set up a company to build and operate the 220-ha Thang Long Industrial Park 2.

- According to the Financial Times, the UK has reached a tacit agreement with Italy, in which London will support the ‘sanction’ tax rates on leather shoes imported from China and Vietnam. In turn, Italy will support the regulation on weekly working hours of the UK, which is contrary to the European Commission’s rule on maximum working hours of 48 hours per week.

- Representatives of the Planning and Investment and other ministries are arriving in the Republic of Korea today to promote Viet Nam as an investment destination.

- The Elderly Care Fund of Vietnam has been set up under the Vietnamese Elderly People's Association Central Committee. According to a decision signed on Sept. 21, the fund would support activities of providing healthcare service for the elderly. Finance of the non-profit fund would be made of contributions and donations from domestic and foreign organisations and individuals.

- The Government on Sept. 22 issued Decree 107/2006/ND-CP stipulating punishment for heads of agencies, organisations and units regarding their legal responsibility in any corruption cases occurring in their agencies, organisations or units.

- Establishing guidelines to achieve a safe and healthy working environment for Vietnamese workers is the focus of an agreement signed in Hanoi on Sept. 25 between the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

- A tropical storm has ravaged six central coastal provinces, taking a toll on both life and property. The storm, the fifth of the year, degraded into a tropical depression after landing the central region on the afternoon of Sept. 25.

- A vocational training course for 50 street children in Hanoi, which is being funded by the Citibank Fund, opened on Sept. 25. Total funding for the course, the third of its kind, will be VND240 million ($15,000).

- The Kumamoto International Agricultural Exchange Association Incorporated (KIAEA), an organisation of Japanese volunteer farmers, will help the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho train 15 young farmers over the next three years. The Can Tho municipal Farmers Association and the KIAEA reached an agreement to this effect on Sept. 25.

- The Mekong Delta province of An Giang had presented houses to 3,070 poor Khmer households in mountainous districts of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien by late September on the occasion of this year's Sene Dolta Festival. Each house was built at a cost of VND 7 million with VND 5 million from the Government's Programme 134, VND 1 million from local budget, and VND 1 million contributed by beneficiary.

- The Alumni Liaison Committee of Vietnamese Students Studying in China held its 10th annual meeting at the HCM City Friendship House Saturday. The meeting is held every year for those who have studied in China, and all others interested, to gather and share ideas about China, Vietnam, education and cultural exchange.

- Len Aldis, Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society, displayed photos and sold Vietnamese arts and crafts products at the Queen Mary University of London in order to introduce international students the Vietnamese land and people. All the money raised will be donated to the Vietnamese Red Cross to support Vietnamese AO/dioxin, Aldis said.

- Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan on Monday met with leaders of HCM City’s Le Quy Don High School, where recruitment misconduct has been reported. The minister asked the HCM City Department of Education and Training to quickly deal with the scandal to stabilise the situation.

- Vietnamese traditional handicraft products are being showcased at the APEC Local Cultural Industry Virtual Exposition (ALCIVE) at http://www.alcive.tw. The ALCIVE started on August 29, 2006 and will run until August 28, 2007.

- A Mozart’s opera Cosi Fantutte, The School of Love, will take stage at the Opera House in Hanoi on September 28 and 29, under a five-year cultural cooperation programme between the Vietnam Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Swedish Nordland Operan.

- Vestiges of a terra-cotta tower with decorated patterns, tiles and objects of worship from the Tran dynasty (13th-14th century) have been unearthed on the grounds of Phat Lam pagoda in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang. The pagoda, covering an area of 1,800 sq. m. in Trai Xoan village, Nhu Han commune, Yen Son district, has several parts remained intact.

- Vietnam and Laos have agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in cultural exchange, particularly in photography. A document to take effect soon was signed in Hanoi on September 25 by President of the Vietnam Artistic Photographers Association Chu Chi Thanh, and his Lao counterpart Khamla Sousilath.

- To mark the 52nd anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day and to celebrate the APEC summit, an embroidery art exhibition themed XQ – Autumn Colours – Thang Long – Hanoi will be organized at Van Mieu. Hanoi from October 7-14.

- The Museum of Quang Tri Province has proposed the Heritage Division of the Ministry of Culture and Information recognize 10 valuable and rare objects of the central province as national treasures.

- Anyone who thinks the southern folk opera called cai luong is dying out should see the box office receipts for Bach Tuyet’s concert at the HCM City Opera House on October 4. They’re piling up, and in spite of the hefty prices. While the cheapest tickets are a reasonable VND50,000, the most expensive are a record-setting VND200,000 – the most ever for a live cai luong show.

- Based on what they have seen through many activities of beauties and the results from the scoring system, many experts said that Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy is likely to be selected in the top 15 candidates of the Miss World pageant.

- On October 30, Vietnamese music fans in Sydney, Australia will have chance to enjoy a free music performance where many oversea Vietnamese singers will sing Trinh Cong Son’s songs.

- More than 30,000 people took part in the annual ox-racing festival at the Ta Miet Pagoda in Tri Ton District, An Giang province on Sept. 23. The 15th annual ox-racing festival was held to celebrate the ethnic Khmer's traditional Don Ta festival in the Mekong Delta. This year's event featured 70 pairs of oxen, doubling last year's figure.

- An exhibition highlighting the history of the evolution of Chinese characters was held in Hanoi in Hanoi on Sept. 25 on the occasion of the 57th National Day of the People's Republic of China (Oct. 1). Eighty-four photos, restored objects and a model of a study room, focusing on the origin of Chinese characters, their formation, evolution and calligraphy including Chinese characters on computers, are on display at the exhibition.

- To widely introduce Vietnamese arts to the world, the Vietnam Arts Museum has launched its website at www.vnfineartmusem.org.vn or www.baotangmythuat.vn . Languages used in the website are Vietnamese, French and English.

- The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, will open an air route from Hanoi to Luang Prabang, Laos, on October 29. Four flights per week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, will depart from Hanoi at 16:55 hrs and land at Luang Prabang at 18:25 hrs. Respective times for the return trip will be 19.05 and 20:25. The flights will be conducted on ATRs 72. A one-way ticket will cost between $100 and $150.

- Former female footballers Ngoc Mai, Thuy Nga and Bich Hanh will become key elements of the national futsal (indoor football) team at the Indoor Games in Macao next year.

- Two Vietnamese bikers won first places in both the men’s and women’s long distance competitions at the Thailand Biking Open held in the country from September 20 to 24.

- Thavarasukha Vunsadej, executive director of public relations and advertising of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told the Daily in Bangkok over the weekend that Vietnam was in one of the 10 markets in Asia that Thailand was targeting.

- The fifth National Sports Games, which started on March 27, closed in HCM City on September 24. In the medal tally, Hanoi ranked top with a total of 341 medals, including 148 gold, 112 silver and 81 bronze medals. HCM City finished runners-up with a total of 322 medals, including 121 gold, 92 silver and 109 bronze medals. The Army team was third with 48 gold, 60 silver and 73 bronze medals.

- The world's leading aerospace company, Boeing, is providing support to the development of Vietnam's IT sector, especially in the quality of software, said Dr. John Vu, Chief Engineer of the Information Systems at the Boeing company, at a conference on IT between Boeing company and HCM City University of Technonology on Sept. 25-26.

- All delegates to the 2006 APEC Economic Leaders' Conference are expected to feel comfortable with a made-in-Vietnam mobile phone set exclusively designed for the event. The product integrates a chip with high-tech identity functions similar to an identity card. It identifies and takes control at entry points using RFID technology, manages and gives confirmation on the number of delegates and issues detailed reports on date, time, name and identity code of attending representatives, the mobile phone manufacturer.

- Sustainable development and cleaner production methods will be discussed at an Asian Pacific roundtable to be held in Hanoi from April 25 to 27 next year.

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