Government News 26/11 President bids farewell to Bangladesh envoy Chakman President Truong Tan Sang received outgoing Bangladeshi Ambassador to Viet Nam Supradip Chakman in Ha Noi yesterday. The President praised the ambassador's mission, which contributed to beefing up the traditional friendship between the two countries. He noted with pleasure the promising economic cooperation between Viet Nam and Bangladesh, with the hope that two-way trade would reach US$1 billion next year. To expand economic, trade and investment ties, the two nations should increase high-ranking contacts and information sharing via their Inter-Governmental Committee, he said. Ambassador Chakman agreed that the two countries had great potential for collaboration, especially economical. He suggested co-operation could be in information technology, education, pharmacy, and textiles. Vietnam, Denmark mark 43-year diplomatic ties The Vietnam – Denmark Friendship Association (VDFA) and the Denmark Embassy in Vietnam hosted a ceremony celebrating 43 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Addressing the event, VDFA President Tran Hong Ha praised Denmark’s strong support for Vietnam not only during its past struggle for national independence but also in the current development process. Denmark is currently the leading aid donor for Vietnam’s response to climate change, he noted. Denmark’s Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen said after 43 years, the two countries’ relations have grown robustly, marked by sound partnerships between the governments and people from all walks of life. In the coming time, the relations will focus on cooperation in the fields of green growth, clean technology, culture exchange, education and training. Denmark will continue supporting Vietnam in developing a green economy, the Danish diplomat added. During the ceremony, the Denmark Embassy also awarded students from Nguyen Sieu high school, who had won the essay contest themed green thoughts. In 2013, Vietnam – Denmark two-way trade turnover hit nearly 450 million USD. Thai premier’s visit to boost strategic partnership with Vietnam The upcoming official visit to Vietnam by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is expected to bolster the strategic partnership between the two countries. This is the first trip to Vietnam by Prayuth Chan-ocha in capacity as prime minister of Thailand. The visit will run from November 27-28 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to discuss cooperation proposals in trade, investment, transport and agro-forestry, and enhance coordination at regional and international forums, including of the Greater Mekong Subregion. Vietnam and Thailand established diplomatic ties in 1976, and upgraded their rapports to strategic partnership in 2013 during the Thailand visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Two-way trade hit 7.6 billion USD in January-September, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent. As of October, Thailand ran 365 investment projects in Vietnam with the total registered capital of 6.63 billion USD. Meanwhile, Vietnam is running eight investment projects worth around 9 million USD in Thailand. In addition to holding regular exchanges of delegations to enhance mutual understanding and trust, the two countries have shared experience in the fight against cross-border, cyber and drug crimes and human trafficking. Vietnam and Thailand also promoted collaboration in education, culture, and aviation. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in vocational training at ACMECS countries involving Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Vietnam hopes to learn experience from Thailand in agriculture, forestry and fisheries but bilateral cooperation in the fields has not been stepped up yet. Changes to law on civil judgment enforcement win approval The Law on amendments and supplements to some articles of the Law on enforcement of civil judgements was adopted by lawmakers during their plenary session in Hanoi on November 25, with 84.1 percent of votes. A report on acquiring public feedback and adjusting terms of the law was also delivered, with a focus on the tasks and mission of the People’s Courts, the civil judgement enforcement agencies’ responsibility for reporting to the People’s Councils, the People’s Committees and the People’s Courts, among others. Legislators also discussed in depth the draft revised Civil Code, which they said, should clarify the definition of the State and private ownership. Changes to the Civil Code also specify commercial and non-commercial legal entities, as well as public and non-public legal entities. Deputies also gave feedback on the timing of determining asset ownership and the application of relevant laws. They were due to approve amendments to the revised Housing Law and the Law on Property Trading, and debate changes to the Law on State budget. Government inspectors visit Cambodia President of the Cambodian National Assembly Heng Samrin received a delegation of the Government Inspectorate of Vietnam led by Deputy Inspector General Nguyen Duc Hanh in Phnom Penh on November 24. The President praised the outcomes of experience sharing between Cambodia’s Ministry of National Assembly – Senate Relations and Inspection and Vietnam’s Government Inspectorate, saying that they will help reinforce the traditional friendship between the two Parties and countries. Vietnam is currently the key partner of Cambodia in the region with two-way trade set to hit US$5 billion by 2015. Vietnam’s investments have created a lot of employment opportunities for Cambodian people, he added. On his part, Nguyen Duc Hanh expressed his delight with the development of the inspectorate sectors’ affiliation, especially since they signed a cooperation agreement in 2012. He stressed the need to increase the exchange of experience and expertise in the time to come. The same day, the Vietnamese delegation had a working session with Men Som On, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Assembly – Senate Relations and Inspection. Singapore to further collaboration with Vietnam Singapore continues its close cooperation with Vietnam to realise their bilateral strategic partnership, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said. At a reception for outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Hai Hau on November 25, the PM affirmed that his country will join Vietnam to contribute to the building of the ASEAN community and speed up negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). He praised Vietnam’s efforts to maintain the macroeconomic stability, curb inflation and address difficulties for the banking system, and said he expects to visit the country again in an early date. For his part, Ambassador Hau expressed his delight at the rapid and comprehensive development of the bilateral ties over the past three years, with the high-ranking leaders’decision to upgrade the relations to a strategic partnership in September 2013 during PM Lee’s visit to Vietnam . He thanked the Singaporean Government and agencies for their support and assistance for the Vietnamese Embassy and expressed his belief that the relationship between the two sides will thrive in all fields, including politics, trade and investment, education-training and people-to-people exchange. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Singapore has enjoyed an annual growth of over 12% and is expected to hit 20% this year. Singapore is now the third largest investor in Vietnam with a total investment of US$32.6 billion. Ambassador presents credentials to Malaysian King The newly- accredited Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia, Pham Cao Phong, presented his credentials on November 25 to Malaysian King Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah in Kuala Lumpur. At the reception, the Malaysian King affirmed Vietnam is an important partner of Malaysia and highlighted advancements in Vietnam-Malaysia relations during recent times. He emphasised the need to take drastic measures to bolster economic relations and disseminate information on trade and investment opportunities for businesses. He said both nations should expand cooperation in culture, tourism, people-to-people exchange, and boost exchanges among youths. He affirmed Malaysia will continue to assist Vietnam in improving the quality of human resource through technical cooperation programmes. The Vietnamese ambassador applauded Malaysia’s achievements, especially its candidacy to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council during the 2015-2016 term and the Chair of ASEAN in 2015. The Vietnamese diplomat pledged to do his best to deepen friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia, contributing to the maintenance of peace, security and development in the region. Regarding prospects for the Vietnam-Malaysia relations, the ambassador said during the April visit, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Tun Razak, agreed to elevate the relationship to a level of the strategic partnership. At present, both sides are striving to finalise procedures to establish the strategic partnership in the coming time. The two leaders also have agreed to bring the two-way trade turnover to US$11 billion and facilitate trade and investment activities for stronger economic development. They expressed hope that the signing of future agreements would lay a solid foundation for the comprehensive development of the Vietnam-Malaysia relations. Laos, Vietnam enhance all-round cooperation The Vietnamese Party, State and people have always stood side by side with Laos, affirmed Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on November 25 during talks in Vientiane, Laos with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone. The event was under the framework of the PM Dung’s visit for the eighth Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle Summit. During the talks, LPRP General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone highlighted Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit as an important contributions to the success of the eighth CLV Development Triangle Summit. The visit has also helped reinforce the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two parties, states and peoples. State President Choummaly Sayasone expressed his delight at the strong growth of the Vietnam-Laos special relationship and spoke highly of cooperative results of in economics, trade and investment. PM Dung in turn congratulated Laos’ tremendous achievements in promoting people-to-people diplomacy and wished the tenth National Congress of the LPRP a success. Both sides agreed to implement signed agreements and the results of the 36th session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental committee and prepare for the next session by early 2015. They also urged accelerating the implementation of ODA-funded projects and strengthening cooperation in culture, education and training, science and technology The two sides also affirmed their willingness facilitate cooperation among businesses in economics, trade and investment. On the occasion, PM Dung visited the Vietnamese community and staff from the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos. He also met with representatives from the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Laos (AVIL) and the Long Thanh-Vientiane exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Later on November 25, PM Dung and his entourage left Vientiane for Hanoi, concluding his successful visit to the eighth CLV. Vietnam, Laos boost cooperation in radiation and nuclear security Vietnam is ready to share its experience and support Laos to complete regulatory infrastructure for radiation safety, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Viet Thanh said. He was speaking at a conference discussing State management in radiation and nuclear safety jointly held by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Laos in Hanoi on November 25. Thanh stressed the need to ensure safety for radioactive source when using nuclear technology. Lao Deputy Minister of Science and Technology spoke highly of Vietnam’s cooperation in building legal documents on radiation safety and human resources and infrastructure development. He said Laos is in need of atomic energy for its socio-economic development, especially its application in mining and expressed his belief that two countries will boost cooperation in the area in the coming time. A number of regulatory documents and policies as well as national strategies on radiation and nuclear safety were shared at the conference. Wage policy in Vietnam under review A workshop on wage policy in the context of a market economy and economic integration was held in Hanoi on November 25 with the aim of providing an overview on regional and international wage policies and fine-tuning those in Vietnam. About 400,000 businesses are operating in Vietnam with more than 10 million employees. Up to 95 percent of the companies are of small and medium sizes with low labour productivity and workers’ limited wage bargaining capacity, the workshop heard. Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said Vietnam has been working to adapt its wage policy to the market economy mechanism and international economic integration, which has resulted in employers and employees’ legitimate rights and interests better ensured and workers’ living standards improved. However, the country is also facing an array of problems in its competitiveness, workforce quality, and labour productivity, she noted. During the November 19 National Assembly question-and-answer session, the official admitted that current salary increases did not ensure workers’ wellbeing, elaborating that salary levels met a mere 60 percent of the minimum living standards. In the ASEAN region, Vietnam’s minimum wage is only higher than that of Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar while its average monthly wage stands at 3.8 million VND (181 USD), much lower than the Philippines (206 USD), Thailand (357 USD), Malaysia (609 USD), and Singapore (3,547 USD), according to the report “ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity” conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank. A wide wage gap among ASEAN member nations reflects their considerable difference in various fields, including labour productivity, ILO said. Participants at the two-day workshop underscored the need to revise wage policy in order to balance businesses’ development, helping employees enjoy benefits from such growth. Wages should be specified on the basis of scientific evidence, the need of labourers and their families, as well as the demand of businesses and the overall labour market, they added. Participants will focus their discussions on minimum salary and impacts of minimum salary adjustment on businesses on November 26. Hungarian President’s visit to Vietnam to lift all-around ties The upcoming visit of Hungarian President Ader Janos is expected to foster multifaceted links between the two nations, especially in economics, trade, investment, and education and training. The visit will also focus on how to promote partnership between the two sides’ enterprises in the time ahead, and accelerate the implementation of their existing cooperative projects. Vietnam and Hungary established diplomatic ties in 1950 and the Middle European nation provided Vietnam with valuable support in its national construction and defence. The bilateral politic relations have developed strongly in recent time through the exchange of high-level visits. Hungary attaches special importance to expanding relations with Vietnam as part of its Look East Policy. The bilateral economic ties have seen positive progress recently with two-way trade in 2013 and in the first eight months of this year hit 148 million USD and 113.5 million USD, respectively. Vietnam mainly sell electronics, wood and wooden products and aquatic products to Hungary, while importing machinery, equipment, pharmaceuticals, and animal feed. At present, Hungary are operating 12 FDI projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 47.3 million USD. Regarding development cooperation, the Middle European country has committed to maintaining its official development assistance provision for Vietnam in the coming time. The Vietnamese community in Hungary currently numbers around 4,000.- VNA/VNS/VOV