Government News 26/4 Vice President meets Vietnamese expats in Australia   Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh at the meeting with OVS in Australia  Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh visited the Vietnamese Consulate General and met with representatives of Vietnamese in Sydney on April 25 as part of her trip to Australia to attend the 28th  Global Submit of Women. She informed the expatriates about Vietnam’s socio-economic development, stressing that despite difficulties and challenges, the Vietnamese Party, State and Government are resolved to fulfil development targets set for 2018.  The Vice President highlighted the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia, which was established during Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Australia last March. The upgrading of the bilateral relationship has opened up new cooperation opportunities for the two countries, while contributing to peace and development in Asia-Pacific, Thinh said, lauding significant contributions of the Vietnamese community in Australia to the relations.  She urged the overseas Vietnamese (OVs) to make greater efforts in order to further contribute to the development of Vietnam and Australia, as well as their friendship.  On this occasion, the Vice President cleared up the expatriates’ concerns regarding policies of the Party, State and Government towards OVs in general and Vietnamese in Australia in particular.  Vietnam always treasures all-round ties with Morocco   The fourth meeting of the Vietnam-Morocco Joint Committee in Hanoi   Vietnam and Morocco held the fourth meeting of their Joint Committee and the fifth political consultation between the two foreign ministries in Hanoi on April 23 and 24, during which the Vietnamese side reiterated that it always treasures the comprehensive cooperation with Morocco. The events were co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam and Moroccan Secretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mounia Boucetta. At the fourth meeting of the Vietnam-Morocco Joint Committee, Mounia Boucetta highly valued the development achievements of Vietnam.  Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Nam expressed his delight at the sound development of the countries’ relations, adding that the visit to Vietnam by President of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib El Malki in December 2017 and the trip to the North African nation by Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Phung Quoc Hien in July 2017 set up close parliamentary ties. Vietnam thanked Morocco for supporting its candidacy for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021. Morocco also appreciated Vietnam’s support for its participation in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Regarding economic links, the two sides agreed to boost bilateral trade and investment by increasing mutual visits by their businesses to explore markets and join hands in projects in other African countries. They said current bilateral trade, estimated at 170 million USD in 2017, remains modest compared to the countries’ potential and political cooperation. To enhance connections in this field, Morocco asked the two sides consider reactivating the bilateral business council and promoting relations in complementary areas like fertilizer and pharmaceutical production, aquaculture, and rice trading. The countries also affirmed that they will continue graduate and postgraduate scholarship programmes and step up ties in education and training through signing cooperation deals between their research establishments, organising mutual visits between researchers, and holding symposiums. Vietnam welcomed Morocco’s sending of Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) correspondents to Vietnam and establishment of the Morocco-Vietnam Friendship Association to boost people-to-people exchanges. The two sides will also promote pairing Vietnamese and Moroccan localities, including Nha Trang and Agadir, Ho Chi Minh City and Casablanca, and Da Nang and Tangier. At the meeting, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation was signed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Morocco’s Ministry of Labour and Professional Integration. Vietnam’s Maritime University and Morocco’s Institute of Maritime Studies also inked another memorandum. At the two foreign ministries’ political consultation, the officials discussed regional and international issues of shared concern such as cooperation within the framework of the UN, ASEAN and the African Alliance, the situation in the Asia-Pacific and the North Africa, climate change prevention, and sustainable development. They also voiced concern about the escalation of conflicts and instability in some regions around the world. They said disputes must be resolved by peaceful means, through negotiations and on the basis of international law and the UN Charter. Vietnam shares experience in ensuring indigenous peoples’ rights   A session of the United Nations The Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) is attending the 17th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), which takes place from April 16 to 27 at the UN Headquarters in New York. In a speech, a representative of the mission said the country is home to 54 ethnic groups living in solidarity and mutual assistance. Vietnam also shared its ethnic policies at the session, including the policy on socio-economic development for ethic minority groups in mountainous and remote areas, infrastructure investment for impoverished families, as well as afforestation and environmental protection, among others.  The Vietnamese delegation also underlined the preservation of ethnic groups’ languages as a priority in education policy, while sharing experience in piloting the cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and UNESCO, bilingual programmes in three provinces with the highest density of ethnic people, the Vietnam News Agency’s release of bilingual publications and increase of ethnic language-speaking programmes of television and broadcasting stations at national and local levels. The 17th Session of the UNPFII saw the participation of UN members, relevant agencies and more than 1,000 indigenous rights organisations. It discussed the challenges, experience and good practices in ensuring indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and natural resources.  Also on the agenda is the implementation of six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including social development, cultural, environment, education, health and human rights, especially language preservation towards the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. Vietnam intensifies coordination with US parliamentarians’ offices   At the reception The Vietnamese Embassy in the US will continue its cooperation with US parliamentarians’ offices, for the interests of both countries, said Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh.  The diplomat made the remarks at a reception for consultants and assistants of parliamentarians’ offices and major committees of the US’s Senate and House of Representatives on April 23.  He praised the role played by the consultants and assistants as well as their contributions to promoting the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US across fields over the past time.  Vinh noted his hope that the relationship will be consolidated and enhanced following high-level visits, especially the official visit to the US by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in May 2017, and President Donald Trump’s State visit to Vietnam and his attendance in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2017.  The ambassador said he wishes to welcome the delegations of parliamentarians and parliamentarians’ assistants in Vietnam, expressing his hope that the visit will contribute to fostering the Vietnam-US relations in all fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally, for the sake of the two countries, and for peace and stability in Asia-Pacific.  At the meeting, the US consultants and assistants affirmed the support of the US Congress and ruling parties for the bilateral relationship.  They also applauded socio-economic achievements Vietnam has recorded as well as its role in region, saying they will work harder to contribute to boosting the relations across fields from politics, diplomacy, economic-trade, national defence-security, education, science-technology and people-to-people exchange, to regional and international issues. Incense offering ceremony held in honour of Hung Kings   PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegates offer incense at Thuong Temple at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site.  An incense offering ceremony was held at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site on Nghia Linh Mountain in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on April 25 or the tenth day of the third lunar month to commemorate the national founders, Hung Kings.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh, representatives of ministries and agencies, and leaders of Phu Tho and Thai Nguyen, Quang Nam, Binh Duong and Kien Giang provinces, which joined hands to organise the event, offered incense to the national founders.  Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Tho province Bui Minh Chau delivered a eulogy praising the Kings for founding and protecting the nation, affirming that Lac Hong descendants will unite together, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to overcome difficulties and seize opportunities to build a prosperous and civilised nation, making contributions to peace and friendship in the region and the world as well. PM Phuc and delegates laid wreaths and offered incense and flowers in tribute to the Hung Kings and other ancestors at the main temple. They also offered incense at the tomb of the 6th Hung King and paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh and martyrs at the relief featuring the late leader’s talk with soldiers from the Tien Phong Vanguard Division stationed at the complex. Following the incense-offering ceremony, millions of Vietnamese people across the country and abroad paid homage to the national founders at the temple complex. The same day, provinces and cities nationwide held a wide range of activities in commemoration of the Hung Kings. Ruling the country through 18 generations (2879–258 BC), the Hung Kings taught locals how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops. The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, an important part of people's spiritual life. It was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.  Viet Tri city, which was the first capital of Vietnam under the Van Lang administration, still owns many archaeological and historical relics related to the Hung Kings’ reign. VNN