Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had separate meetings with Kono Yohei, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Eda Satsuki, President of the House of Councillors, in Tokyo on May 22.

Vietnam and Japan have agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, culture and education, and especially in the implementation of large infrastructure projects.

On May 21, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delivered a speech at the 15th international conference on “The Future of Asia” in Tokyo hosted by Nikkei newspaper with the participation of more than 800 delegates.

Voters across the country have welcomed the government’s comprehensive solutions to cushion the national economy from the global economic fallout. However, they said more effort should be made to implement the National Assembly and government’s resolutions at grassroots level.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) on May 28 at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Han Seung-soo.

The government will continue to give top priority to curbing economic slowdown, stabilising the macro economy, maintaining steady economic growth and ensuring social welfare in the face of the global economic and financial turmoil.

Vietnam wants to develop its ties of friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with all African countries, including the Republic of Central Africa, for the benefit of both peoples and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

The International People’s Tribunal of Conscience in Paris delivered its final judgment on May 18, concluding that the use of dioxin by the US army during the Vietnam War from 1961 and 1971 was a war crime against humanity.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of developing relations with Cambodia and Laos and its determination to lift those relations to new heights.

Vietnam wants to further develop its cooperative ties with Thailand to bring practical benefit to the two countries and contribute to the development of the ASEAN community, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. 

A meeting was held at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Association in Paris, France, on May 17 to mark President Ho Chi Minh’s 119th birthday.

A ceremony was solemnly held in the central province of Quang Binh on May 16 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

An international tribunal in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin concluded in Paris, France, on May 16 after a two-day session.

A delegation of senior Party and State leaders, led by Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, laid a wreath at the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi on May 17 to mark the late president’s 119th birthday.

Chilean President Michel Bachelet on May 15 received State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan who is in Chile for the 19th Global Summit of Women.

The President of the Central African Republic, Francois Bozie Yangouvonda, will pay a five-day official visit to Vietnam, starting on May 18.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has appreciated US businesses’ increased investment in Vietnam and said that the two countries still have great potential for expanding bilateral cooperation.

The 29th ASEAN Police Chiefs Conference (ASEANAPOL) concluded in Hanoi on May 15 after a three-day sitting.

An international court in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin opened in Paris, France, on May 15.

Vietnam is set to make comprehensive changes in the education sector so that the country will have an advanced education system by 2020 to keep pace with national industrialization and modernization in the context of international integration, said PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

The Prime Minister has asked ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies and chairmen of the provincial People’s Committees to take drastic measures to swiftly detect, prevent and deal with any possible outbreaks of influenza A/H5N1 in Vietnam.

Embassies Night, with Vietnam in the spotlight, held by the University Club of Washington, DC, on May 8 was packed with more than 100 entrepreneurs, professors and lawyers.

Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation with  its traditional friends, including Slovakia, said Prime Minister while receiving newly accredited ambassador Peter Svitek in Hanoi on May 7.

The victory at Dien Bien Phu over the French colonialists 55 years ago was one of Vietnam’s greatest military exploits and a landmark in the nation’s history of struggle against foreign invaders, which resounded across the globe, said a Party official.

Domestic and foreign analysts say that the Vietnamese economy is showing 'green shoots' of recovery and that the government should carry on with its current stimulus packages and prevent inflation from rising in the post-crisis period.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dung has described a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report as biased, saying it does not reflect the truth in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged ministries, sectors and localities to continue with urgent and comprehensive solutions recently adopted by the Government to curb economic slowdown, maintain steady growth and ensure social welfare.

A ceremony was held in the north-western province of Dien Bien on May 5 to celebrate the Vietnamese army’s victory over the French colonialists at Dien Bien Phu 55 years ago.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh on May 5 paid a visit to well-known General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was the first commander-in-chief of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Commander of the Dien Bien Phu campaign against the French colonialists.

Two passengers aboard aircraft from the US were kept in quarantine at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on May 3 after thermal scanners found they had higher body temperatures than normal.