GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 27/8 Party General Secretary receives Vientiane leader Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday, Aug 26, welcomed Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee and Governor Soukanh Mahalath, congratulating Laos on important achievements in national development, expressing excitement for the deepening relationship between the two countries.   Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) receives Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee and Governor Soukanh Mahalath in Ha Noi. Trong also spoke highly of the delegation's working visit to Viet Nam as well as growing co-operation between Vientiane and Vietnamese localities. He expressed his hope that Vientiane and Ha Noi would continue to co-operate in areas of mutual interest. Mahalath, who is also Secretary of Lao People's Revolutionary Party's Central Committee, praised Viet Nam for its support to the Lao government and its people. He affirmed that Vientiane would work closely with Ha Noi and other Vietnamese localities to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. Strengthening Vietnam- Seychelles relations The Republic of Seychelles proposes increasing cooperation with Vietnam in tourism, fishery, the environment and maritime transport. President of the Republic of Seychelles James Alix Michel will pay an official visit to Vietnam from August 28-29 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang. Since the establishment of Vietnam-Seychelles diplomatic ties in 1979, both nations conducted some exchange visits including former Seychelles President Albert Rene’s visit to Vietnam in 1980, Foreign Minister Jeremie Bonnelarme’s visit to Hanoi for the 7th Francophonie Summit in 1997, Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adam’s visit in 2010 for the second Vietnam-Africa seminar and the visit to Seychelles in 1979 by ambassador and presidential envoy Vu Hac Bong. In recent years, Vietnam-Seychelles cooperative relations have seen gradual developments after Seychelles ambassador Philippe Le Gall to Beijing was officially appointed as non-resident ambassador to Vietnam in 2009. Vietnam is regarded as one of the three priotized partners for Seychelles to boost cooperation in Asia along with China and India. The two countries have signed a number of agreements on economic, cultural and technical cooperation in 2010 and visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders in 2011. They are working together to appoint Seychelles honorary ambassador to Hanoi soon. In late 1980s, Vietnam dispatched five agricultural experts to help Seychelles develop agriculture.  Only 20 Vietnamese workers are working on the tourism and hotel industry in Seychelles. Last year’s two-way trade reached US$2.2 million including US$1.3 million worth of Vietnamese exports which primarily included rice, chemical products and fishing nets. Seychelles tops the seven African investors in Vietnam with 8 projects capitalized at US$33.6 million (as of June 2013), focusing on the processing and food canning industry. VN eager to boost ties with Japan Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has said Viet Nam will continue to welcome Japanese investment by creating favourable conditions for businesses from Nara Perfecture. Hosting a reception yesterday, Aug 26, for Nara Governor Shogo Arai in Ha Noi, Doan said Japan was now Viet Nam's biggest investor and provider of official development assistance (ODA); in addition to being the country's third largest bilateral trade partner. Doan stated that co-operation between localities of the two sides had enabled economic development, particularly in Viet Nam's northern province of Phu Tho. She urged the two localities to boost co-operation in education, advanced agricultural production and preservation of cultural values. Later in the day, the Japanese guest was also hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, who stressed that Viet Nam wanted to increase co-operation with Japan in workforce training and infrastructure development. Arai informed his host that his delegation had visited and co-operated with several localities in Viet Nam, including Ha Noi, HCM City and Phu Tho Province. The governor said that co-operation between Nara and Vietnamese localities would contribute to the development of the Viet Nam-Japan strategic partnership. Japan pledges to maintain rapid development of VN business ties President Truong Tan Sang has praised the role of Japan's International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in Viet Nam's development, acknowledging year-on-year increases in financial and technical assistance. Speaking with JICA President Akihiko Tanaka in Ha Noi yesterday (Aug 26), Sang highlighted Japan's role as Viet Nam's leading investor, adding that Vietnamese authorities were making efforts to boost bilateral co-operation, including creating favourable conditions for Japanese investors. Sang also urged Tanaka to prioritise projects in Viet Nam to boost ties between the two countries. Tanaka stated that JICA was deploying financial and technical resources across Viet Nam to boost bilateral economic growth, environmental sustainability and co-operation. He also called for greater co-operation from Vietnamese authorities in the implementation of projects. On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also hosted the visiting JICA President, thanking Japan as Viet Nam's largest provider of official development assistance (ODA). Dung expressed his hope that Japan would maintain its high level of ODA and focus on infrastructure and climate change projects. The PM affirmed that Viet Nam effectively managed ODA to achieve its targets for social and economic development, asking JICA to closely work with Vietnamese ministries for more effective co-operation. In response, Tanaka suggested that Viet Nam prioritise site clearance for infrastructure projects, arrange reciprocal capital for ODA-funded projects and increase disbursement for approved projects. He said that JICA would do its best to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. NA Chair wants agricultural alignment National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has urged the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to promote co-operation between authorities, businesses and the farming community to develop agriculture and rural areas. Meeting with provincial leaders yesterday, Aug 26, as part of his working tour of the region, Hung praised the province's achievements in agriculture, describing it as an important factor of food security in Viet Nam. Calling on An Giang to modernise its agricultural sector, Hung urged the province to make use of new production technologies and step up vocational training for rural workers. He highlighted the importance of implementing the Party's resolution on agriculture and farming which has generated economic growth in the region. The leader also said the resolution would pave the way for improvements in living standards for farmers and contribute to broader economic development. Hung, who is also Chairman of the Steering Committee for the review of the five-year implementation of the resolution, asked provincial leaders to use their experience to provide feedback on the resolution. He also called on local governments and people to continue their efforts in building modern rural areas. An Giang is broadly considered as the nation's ‘rice bowl', with 80 per cent of farmland (297,000ha) and over 63 per cent of its population involved in rice farming. The resolution was adopted during the 7th plenum of the Party Central Committee, with the province raising per capita GDP from VND6 million (US$280) in 2008 to VND36 million ($1,700) in 2013. Tax collections also rose 16.5 per cent in the 2011-13 period. An Giang is the first province in the country to complete its plans for the construction of modern rural areas. It has also demonstrated exemplary co-operation models between the farming and business community. An Giang's large-scale fields are considered the most successful in the province, expanding from 6,650ha in 2011 to 40,000ha this year and attracting interest from nine enterprises. Deputy PM on key trip to RoK Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan rounded out the first day of his working visit to the Republic of Korea, attending working sessions with three government ministries in Seoul on August 26. Meeting with Korean Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Mun-kee, Nhan informed his host that assistance from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and relevant agencies had enabled the Vietnamese Government to choose a 25ha site for the construction of a similar institute in Vietnam. Deputy PM Nhan expressed his hope that the Republic of Korea would provide non-refundable aid to launch the project by 2014. At his meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Phang Ha-nam, Nhan said the Vietnamese Government had established a labour office to manage Vietnamese workers and prevent them from staying after their contracts expired. He urged Korea's ministry to coordinate closely with their Vietnamese partners to implement the measures. The same day, Deputy PM Nhan held talks with Minister of Security and Public Administration Yoo Jeong-bok and Korea Telecom Managing Director Lee Seok-jae. He thanked the Korean Government for its support in helping Viet Nam build the Government's Integrated Data Centre. Activities promote Vietnam-Australia ties Various activities were held by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Perth from August 19-23 to strengthen economic and commercial exchange and promote Vietnamese arts and culture in Australia’s Northern Territory. At a meeting with the Vietnamese diplomat, Chief Minister Adam Giles expressed his wish for closer cooperation with Vietnam in construction, investment, oil and gas exploration, education and training and agriculture. He also proposed strengthening the twinning relationship between the Northern Territory and the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Giles revealed he will visit Vietnam in the near future. ++ During the annual traditional festival of Darwin city, the Vietnamese Consulate General organised a cultural event themed Vietnamese Colour featuring a painting exhibition dubbed Vietnam-Four Seasons and a Vietnamese films show. It also co-hosted a meeting marking Vietnam’s 68th National Day (September 2) and the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties. Northern Territory Minister for Multicultural Affairs Peter Styles spoke highly of Vietnamese Colour’s contribution to the festival. Darwin Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim said she is considering the possibility of establishing sisterhood relations between Darwin and Vung Tau based on the growing ties between the Northern Territory and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province since 2007. The Northern Territory is one of Australia’s economic hubs achieving the highest annual growth of 4.5 percent with its gross production value expected to reach nearly AUD20 billion this year and double by 2030. Vietnam is an important partner of the state in the exchange of seafood and foodstuffs, animal meat and handicraft products. VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA