Government News In Brief Exhibition highlights Vietnam-Indonesia diplomatic ties   Many valuable photos, pictures and documents featuring the relationship between Vietnam and Indonesia are on display at an exhibition in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. The exhibits capture historic events in the two countries’ diplomatic ties, including late President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to Indonesia in February 1959, the full text of the first  Indonesian President Soekarno’s speech at a banquet for President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese beloved leader’s acceptance of an honorary doctorate degree at Bandung-based Padjadijaran University. Mustari Irawan, Director-General of the National Archives of Indonesia (NAI), said the traditional cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia has developed strongly over the past time, especially after the two countries lifted their relationship to a strategic partnership during the official visit to Indonesia by President Truong Tan Sang in June 2013. Reviewing developments in the bilateral ties, Mustari Irawan noted his belief that the collaboration will continue to prosper in various fields ranging from economics, politics, national defence and security to culture and tourism. Hailing the NAI’s efforts in collecting and preserving such documents, Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan stressed the need for better affiliation between the two nations and their archives agencies in organising such activities as exhibitions to promote the land, people, culture and socio-economic achievements in each country as well as their friendship and cooperation. The Vietnamese booth makes up the largest room of the international exhibition on diplomatic ties and the archives week 2015 which also highlights the relations between the host country and other nations like Serbia and those of the Non-Aligned Movement. The event runs from October 21-28. Vietnam Communist Party’s role praised General Secretary of the Party of Italian Communists Cesare Procaccini hailed the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) as a good example for the international communist movement. During an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Rome on October 23, he said that the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) policy, initiated and implemented by the CPV, has created drastic changes for Vietnam in terms of politics, socio-economic development and foreign relations. Vietnam’s all-round achievements are significant for the international communist movement, he stressed. Many generations of Italian communists who grew up in the struggle for peace in Vietnam have always raised their sense of solidarity with the Vietnamese people in the common fight against imperialism, he added. The Italian Party Chief also expressed hope that the CPV will continue leading the people to successfully carry out the reform, thus raising the country’s status in the international arena. Lawmakers debate draft Civil Code National Assembly deputies convened the final discussion before adopting the draft Civil Code during their sitting at the 10th session in Hanoi on October 24. They underscored the need to fully institutionalise the Party stance mentioned in the socio-economic development strategy, the platform on national construction during the transitional period towards socialism, a strategy on law-building and another on judicial reform. The draft law regulates legal position and standard on the code of conduct of individuals and legal entities, rights and obligations of individuals related to their relatives and assets in relations formed on the basis of equality, freedom of the will, asset independence and self-responsibility. Defence intelligence general department honoured President Truong Tan Sang pinned the Military Exploit Order, first class, on the flag of the General Department of Defence Intelligence during a ceremony in Hanoi on October 23. The ceremony marked the defence intelligence force’s 70th anniversary of traditional day (October 25).  On October 25, 1945 the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Hoang Van Thai announced a decision to establish an intelligence office under the General Staff, marking the foundation of Vietnam’s defence intelligence force.  During the struggle against invaders, the defence intelligence force members were present in all strategic locations and collected valuable information for the Party, State and army.  In his speech, the President asked the force to improve operation efficiency, provide more accurate and timely information as well as advices for leaders of the  Party, State and army, deserving the trust of the entire Party, army and people.  On the occasion, the department was also awarded with orders of Cambodia and Laos.  Attending the event were Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh and Secretary of the Lao Party Central Committee and Defence Minister Sengnuon Saynhalat. Several terms are renamed as the right of ownership and other rights to assets, and the right to detached real estates. A lawmaker called for a clear distinction between a civil case and civil affair to make it easier to protect human and citizens’ rights when any dispute arises. The draft code also contains stipulations on the rights and responsibilities of trans-sexual people, including the rights to residence, health care, insurance and marriage, among others. China, ASEAN issue declaration on security cooperation China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued a joint declaration on law enforcement cooperation on October 23. The declaration came during a ministerial meeting in Beijing on regional security and common development. According to the declaration, dialogue mechanisms will be established with other countries and international organisations willing to join. The China-ASEAN inter-ministerial meeting on law enforcement and security will be held biennially. Addressing a meeting with police chiefs from Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun said the "Belt and Road Initiative" presents new opportunities for law enforcement cooperation. A joint statement on law enforcement cooperation along the Mekong River was adopted at the meeting, inviting Cambodia and Vietnam to be observers in the mechanism. Documents for submission to Party Congress under NA scrutiny On October 23, National Assembly (NA) deputies discussed documents to be submitted to the 12th National Party Congress including those reviewing 5 years of implementing resolutions of the 11th Party Congress, Party building work, and socio-economic development tasks for the next 5 years. Nguyen Phi Thuong, a NA deputy for Hanoi said, "It’s of great importance for the country to increase its economy both in quality and scale. To realize this goal, it’s necessary to change the current ways of distributing of human resources. It’s also important to encourage businesses to invest in high-tech applications.   And more investment is needed to improve human resource training." Most of the deputies agreed that the documents were thorough and covered all aspects of the nation. They also clarified reasons for as well as lessons learned from shortcomings so as to work out proper solutions. Lawmakers also contributed their ideas on Vietnam’s international integration, national security and defense, and national sovereignty protection policies, as well as other key issues of the 12th National Party Congress. Citigroup CEO meets with Vietnam Deputy PM On October 23, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh met in Hanoi with CEO Michael L Corbat of the US banking and investment giant Citigroup to discuss the nation’s economic situation and the bank’s plans. Mr Corbat, who has been at Citi and its predecessor companies since his graduation from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1983, spoke highly of the nation’s economic stability. “The multinational and institutional companies operating in Vietnam fit our target client group and are well fitted to our strategy, network and business model,” he said adding  that Citi looks forward to a continued presence in the market. Citi is a world's global bank, with approximately 200 million customer accounts and activities in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Deputy PM Hai urges boosting IP, EZ development Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to find ways to further boost the development of economic zones and industrial parks. Addressing a meeting of the National Steering Committee for economic zones (EZ) and industrial parks (IP) development on October 23, the Deputy PM urged the ministry as a standing member of the committee to continue reviewing administrative procedures in a bid to further facilitate production and business activities at EZs and IPs. Hai, who is the head of the committee, also called for more drastic and comprehensive measures to enhance the occupancy rate of EZs and IPs, creating an impetus for local socio-economic development, while focusing on environment protection, and technology application. He asked ten provinces with low occupancy rate of EZs and IPs to take measures to lure more investment, while accelerating land clearance and infrastructure development. The official stressed the need for developing a data base to facilitate the management and completing legal documents related to the development of EZs and IPs. According to the MPI, as of September, Vietnam had 299 industrial zones, covering a total area of 85,000 hectares. Of the total, 212 have become operational with an average occupancy rate of 67%. The country was home to 16 economic zones with a combined area of 815,000 hectares. Ambassador Vinh continues visit to the US Vietnam Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh continued his trade mission on October 21-22 meeting with California Governor Jerry Brown and other government leaders in San Francisco and Los Angeles. “California has established strong trade relations with Vietnam,” Governor Brown was quoted as saying at their meeting, with California’s total commercial trade with the Southeast Asian nation reaching US$9.2 billion in 2014. Governor Brown, who has made climate change the centrepiece of his final term, urged Vietnam to support climate change initiatives and put in place measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ambassador Vinh in turn affirmed the Vietnam government has carried out many policies and action programs to cope with the negative consequences of global warming and is committed to stabilizing greenhouse gasses and creating a better quality of life for its citizens. At the meeting, the two sides also compared notes on regional and international issues of mutual concern, such as opportunities and challenges brought by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Vietnamese diplomat also met with San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee who revealed that the city has plans to teach elementary school classes in   Vietnamese, adding the languages to the list of nearly a dozen others already taught in classrooms through multilingual programs. Vinh also held dialogues with business leaders at the California Asia Business Council and Los Angeles Port where he answered question about the nation’s investment and business policies. During his time in San Francisco, he also visited the headquarters of the San Francisco Chronicles – one of the oldest newspapers in California.  NAM exhibition opens in Jakarta An exhibition showcasing the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the independence struggles of the people of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world has opened in Jakarta at the National Archives of Indonesia (NAI). “The booth on Vietnam-Indonesia relations has many valuable items, most notably a photo of late President Ho Chi Minh on his historic visit to Indonesia back in February 1959,” said NAI Director Mustari Irawan. Irawan said there are also memorophilia relating to a speech delivered by President Soekarno at a banquet in honour of Uncle Ho along with a photo of the late President receiving his honorary doctorate at Padjadijaran University. “The NAI has done a remarkable job in collecting and preserving these invaluable items,” said Vietnam Ambassador to Indonesia Hoang Anh Tuan in a speech at the event. Tuan suggested the two countries’ archive agencies closely coordinate with each other to organize more such events to promote cultural awareness and understanding, particularly among the youth. The event runs October 21-28. Vietnam joins charity fair in Singapore The Vietnamese Embassy on October 24 joined the diplomatic corps in Singapore at a charity fair to raise fund for social activities in the host country. Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tien Minh said the embassy brought to the event a range of souvenirs symbolising Vietnam to promote the country’s images. Ambassadors from foreign countries in Singapore plan to organise the event annually and popularise it among local people to attract their widespread participation, the diplomat said. Apart from the showcase of handicrafts and signature food, the fair also entertained participants with traditional dances from such countries as Vietnam, Laos, France, Greek and Uganda, and a Yoga performance of India. The Trong Com (Rice Drum) dance performed by Vietnamese girls won enthusiastic response of the audience. Vietnam and Singapore established diplomatic ties on August 1, 1973. The two countries are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Defence leader receives Czech FM Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Van Hien received visiting Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek at the Ministry of Defence’s headquarters in Hanoi on October 23. The deputy minister said Vietnam is willing to serve as a bridge for the Czech Republic to boost cooperation with ASEAN nations. He added that Vietnam wishes to strengthen defence ties with the Czech Republic on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defence cooperation signed in 2012. Hien also suggested that the two sides should further foster ties in delegation exchange, training, defence industry, and science-technology. For his part, Lubomir Zaoralek thanked the Vietnamese deputy minister for the warmly reception, affirming that he will make his best efforts to boost multilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of defence. The Czech Foreign Minister is visiting Vietnam at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. VNA/VOV/VNS