Government News 9/7 Army welcomes guests from Lao military training department Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Nguyen Quoc Khanh received a visiting delegation from the Training Department under the General Staff Department of the Lao People’s Army in Hanoi on July 8. Lieutenant General Khanh spoke highly of the outcomes of the cooperation between the two sides’ training departments in the past, including exchanges of delegations and expertise, the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily reported. The Vietnamese side also provided training for Lao athletes and coaches in shooting, football and volleyball, Khanh said, adding that leaders of the Vietnamese General Staff continuously provided optimum conditions for the two training departments to collaborate effectively, ultimately serving defence and security missions in their nations. Colonel Khampieo Phimmasone, Director of the Lao department, said members of the delegation had gained valuable professional experiences from their Vietnamese counterpart during their visit. His department would work closely with the Vietnamese side to implement their reached agreements as scheduled, the officer added. VFF Presidium discusses reform of religious, ethnic work The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s Presidium held its fourth meeting in Hanoi on July 8, with a focus on how to revise the organisation’s religious and ethnic missions. Participants agreed that the VFF should encourage religious groups to participate in social development programmes run by the different sectors, such as education and healthcare, and actively contribute to the implementation of religion-related policies. Mobilising religious followers’ support for national development was essential, they said, adding that the VFF should in turn focus on the observation of religious rights. Meanwhile, members of the VFF agreed that the reform of ethnic minority programmes should focus on livelihood improvements, especially for ethnic minority groups, and enhance the front’s capacity to critically assess the implementation of policies in the field. During the meeting, participants also discussed measures for increasing citizens’ understanding of and respect for the law. Addressing the event, VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan said the capacities of VFF staff in ethnic minority areas need to be boosted and there needs to be more of a focus on maintaining the cultural identities of ethnic groups. Nhan said it was necessary to clarify that the observation of citizens’ rights to freedom of belief and religion should be implemented in line with the law. Leaders of localities should increase the frequency of meetings with religious dignitaries in order to jointly find ways to boost believers’ involvement in various campaigns in an appropriate manner. At the same time, he said the campaign to develop a ‘cultural lifestyle’ in residential areas, aiming to develop new-style rural areas and civilised urban areas, should be revised in order to adapt the 19 criteria for new-style rural areas to the context of each locality. He urged localities throughout Vietnam to review the past 20 years of implementing the campaign and nominate individuals for awards, with the winners being announced on November 11, when a new campaign is expected to be launched. Ninh Binh urged to focus on key industries Ninh Binh should focus on developing key industries with bright prospects such as the sea economy associated with protection of sea and island sovereignty, and boosting tourism combined with promoting the cultural values of heritages in the locality. Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Le Hong Anh made the statement while working with Ninh Binh provincial leaders on July 8 on the local socio-economic situation and preparations for the provincial Party Congress, the 2015-2020 tenure. Politburo member Anh heard the authority’s recommendations regarding licensing Ninh Binh to build a national project on preserving, restoring and promoting the cultural and historical values of Hoa Lu ancient capital; recognising Truong Yen Festival as a national-level festival; and building a programme preparing for the 1,050th anniversary of the Dai Co Viet State in 2018. Addressing the working session, Anh praised the efforts and outstanding socio-economic achievements made by Ninh Binh province, while agreeing with its development orientations and goals set for the later half of 2015 and for the 2015-2020 tenure. He urged the province to focus on boosting production and business in the direction of economic restructuring associated with shifting growth models, restructuring agricultural production towards sustainability, and working out proper mechanisms to attract investment in the farming sector aiming to increase products’ values and boost economic development in rural areas. Ninh Binh was also asked to preserve and promote traditional cultural values and historical sites as well as natural landscapes, especially the Trang An Landscape Complex, while continuing its care for people in disadvantaged areas and national contributors. On the occasion, Politburo member Anh visited and inspected production at the Ninh Van fine art stone village in Hoa Lu district and planting a commemorative tree at the world cultural and natural heritage - Trang An Landscape Complex. Rural development movement brought to life The movement of building new-style rural areas has come into the real life, satisfying farmers’ interests and creating a premise for sustainable development, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh said. Speaking at a conference in Hanoi on July 8, Deputy PM Ninh, who is also head of the Steering Committee for this national target programme, said ensuring rural modernisation means to guarantee other issues on politics, economics and society. He added that the committee will urge localities to fulfill the set criteria, including construction of infrastructure and public works, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural preservation. By the end of this year, 20% of communes nationwide are expected to become new-style rural areas. The committee will put forth policies and solutions to speed up the progress of implementing the programme in disadvantaged areas; complete the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020 for the Government’s submission; and revise or supplement the set of criteria. A plan to review the implementation of the movement between 2011 and 2015 was already completed, the Deputy PM said. Under the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020, as much as 50% of communes are hoped to meet all the criteria, while each city and province will have at least one district to obtain the criteria, he noted. In the next five years, necessary facilities to develop production and farmers’ living standards will be constructed. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the rural development movement has been spread widely across the nation in the first half of this year. Many models have proved effective such as shrimp breeding in northern Nam Dinh province and hi-tech agriculture development in central Ha Tinh province. To date, 889 communes and five districts nationwide have been recognised as new-style rural areas, including Xuan Loc, Xuan Long (southern Dong Nai province), Dong Trieu (northern Quang Ninh province), Cu Chi ( Ho Chi Minh City ), and Hai Hau (northern Nam Dinh province). However, the gap between regions is increasing. Some localities have yet to be proactive in the field and the five provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Dak Nong have no new-style rural communes. Participants proposed supplementing VND15 trillion (US$694 million) to carry out the programme in the 2010-2015 period. President welcomes Lao guest President Truong Tan Sang received Lao Vice President Bounnhang Volachith in Hanoi on July 8, during which he stated that the visit will contribute to consolidating and enhancing the Vietnam-Laos long-lasting friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. The President highly spoke of the outcomes of talks between Vice President Bounnhang Volachith and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Doan as well as his meetings with other Vietnamese Party and Government leaders. Congratulating Laos on its socio-economic development achievements, the State leader believed that under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the country would successfully organise the Party’s upcoming 10th Congress. He also expressed his belief that Laos will successfully hold the ASEAN Summit in 2016 when it assumes the role of Chair of ASEAN. The Lao Vice President thanked Vietnam for supporting Laos during its nation-building, affirming that he will do his utmost to, together with Vietnam, maintain and nurture the bilateral ties. He told the host that cooperation between the two countries has seen strong development with Vietnamese investments in Laos producing positive results. Laos continually supports the expansion of Vietnamese businesses and investments in the country, the guest confirmed. Mountainous province urged to develop forest-based economy Northern Bac Kan province, with the highest rate of forest coverage in the nation, needs to develop forest-based economy into a key sector and a sustainable source of livelihood for local residents in the next five to seven years, said State President Truong Tan Sang. The leader made the demand on officials of the mountainous province during his fact-finding tour there on July 8 while also lauding local attainments in protecting and tapping its forestry advantages. He spoke highly of Bac Kan’s efforts to sustain an average annual growth rate of 13.5 percent – higher than the national average, develop industry and services, promote public access to education and medical services and ensure order and security. Data revealed that per capita income increased tenfold from that in 2010 to reach 24.4 million VND (over 1,130 USD), helping cut the household poverty rate from 32.1 percent in 2010 down to 14.2 percent in 2015. The President asked the authorities to work harder to attract major investments in mining instead of small-scale projects as in recent years, which are not on par with local potential. Bac Kan should also make the best use of all social resources to professionally exploit its tourism strengths, including Ba Be Lake – one of the world’s 20 largest freshwater lakes, and the substantial number of historical relic sites, he noted, requesting the expeditious construction of arterial roads linking with nearby economic regions. President Truong Tan Sang also asked the province to be prudent when using ODA loans to ease future debt payment burdens. During his stay, the leader also had a working session with the provincial police and visited a wood processing and reforestation project of the Sahabak Joint Stock Company, the Bac Kan General Hospital, the Bac Kan Medical School and the construction site of the road connecting Bac Kan and neighbouring Thai Nguyen province. VNA/VOV/ND