Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has asked Thai Nguyen province to make steadier and faster progress in its development the next five years.  

A sombre ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 21 to mark the 65 th anniversary of Southern Resistance Day (September 23).

A car bomb and a roadside bomb exploded near a bus terminal in the Iraqi capital on September 8, killing three people and wounding a score of others, police and interior ministry sources said.  

Vietnam and Laos can be absolutely proud of their traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation as these ties have stood the test of time and through the ups and downs in history, said a Vietnamese senior official.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 25 sent a message of condolence to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao over a huge loss of life and property caused by the serious plane crash that occurred in Yichun city.

“Canada and Vietnam have long established ties of educational cooperation”, said Jim Abbott, who is leading a Canadian delegation of parliamentarians and entrepreneurs to visit to Vietnam, from August 22-28.

The Politburo member and standing member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Truong Tan Sang, on August 19 received an Angolan delegation led by Secretary of State for Cooperation, Exalgina Gamboa, to Vietnam to attend the 2nd Vietnam-Africa International Conference (VAIC) in Hanoi. 

Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son and the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing inked a cooperation agreement on migration in the capital city of Hanoi on August 19.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has regarded the presence of foreign police forces at the ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Public Security as not just a symbol of friendship and cooperation but also a fine gesture of their countries’ solidarity with the Vietnamese.

The Vietnam-Laos traditional, comprehensive and special friendship will be unceasingly developed on the firm foundation laid by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane, and fostered by generations of leaders and people of both countries.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said on August 14 that 20 million people have been affected by the country's floods, a much higher estimate than the UN's 14 million.

The 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM 43) opened at the National Convention Centre on July 20, attracting 10 ASEAN foreign ministers; the ASEAN General Secretary and senior officials, special observer countries, and about 1,000 delegates from international organizations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has confirmed that as president of ASEAN, Vietnam will do its utmost to materialize the core theme of 2010 – “Towards the ASEAN community: From vision to action”, which was ratified by senior leaders.

Vietnam plays an increasingly important role in the region, said Dr. Richard Cronin, Director of the Southeast Asia Programme of the Washington-based Henry L. Stimson Centre.

Next week’s visit to Vietnam by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be a great opportunity to renew and expand the US government’s response to addressing the legacy of Agent Orange, said a senior official from the Aspen Institute, a Washington DC-based non-profit organisation.

Fifteen years ago, US President Bill Clinton’s announcement on the normalisation of US ties with Vietnam opened a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship, said the Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Le Cong Phung.

The Christian Fellowship Church of Vietnam held a ceremony in HCM City on July 14 to receive a legal recognition from the government.

Russia considers developing strategic partnership with Vietnam as a priority in its foreign policy towards Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific, said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at his talks with visiting Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in Moscow on July 9.

This was the first time at the G20 Summit that Vietnam had the opportunity to share its opinions, initiatives and experiences and actively contribute to resolving global economic issues. Its viewpoints on regional and international affairs left a good impression on the participants.

The Vietnam-US relationship is at the strongest point than it has ever been since diplomatic ties were resumed in 1995 and continues to grow each day, US Ambassador to Vietnam M. Michalak has said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held meetings with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on the evening of June 26 (local time) on the side lines of G20 summit in Toronto, Canada.

As ASEAN Chair, Vietnam has introduced a number of initiatives to realise an ASEAN Programme of Action to build a drug free region by 2015.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has described Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni’s visit to Vietnam as a rare and particularly important event.

Vietnam treasures the profound sentiments, great support and assistance that former King Norodom Sihanouk and the people of Cambodia have extended to Vietnam in the past and at present, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet while receiving the visiting Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in Hanoi on June 23.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will lead a Vietnamese government delegation to attend the 4th summit of the group of 20 major economies (G 20) in Toronto, Canada, on June 25-28.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong called on the government, businesses and people to make a greater effort to overcome challenges and fulfil tasks set for 2010, at the closing session of the NA session in Hanoi on June 19. 

Vietnam considers the EU a priority partner in its foreign policy and wants to build an equal partnership of long-term and comprehensive cooperation with the EU for peace, development in the region and the world.

Vietnam is willing to share experience and boost cooperation with Mozambique, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has said. 

The spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Nguyen Phuong Nga, on June 16 rejected the US Department of State’s comments on human trafficking situation in the country, saying they are politically purposeful.

A ministerial conference on the United Nations (UN) Delivering as One (DaO) initiative opened in Hanoi on June 16 with the participation of eight pilot countries, 10 countries voluntarily adopting or interested in the DaO approach, 18 donor countries, and numerous executives of the UN system.