Government News 22/1 PM greets new Panamanian Ambassador Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung welcomed new Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Servio Sammodio during a reception in Hanoi on January 21. The Government leader said the two countries should enhance cooperation on economics, trade, investment, science and technology on the foundation of their close political ties. He also proposed increasing collaboration and mutual support at international forums, especially at the United Nations, adding that the exchange of visits will help strengthen mutual understanding and trust. For his part, the Panamanian Ambassador assured his host that Panama is interested in extending its partnership with Vietnam further, with a focus on economics, investment, trade, and tourism. He also vowed to do his best to spur the Panama – Vietnam relationship, highlighting that 2015 is an important year as the two countries will celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Prime Minister promises to promote ties with Bangladesh Vietnam will make every effort to further deepen its relations with Bangladesh, especially in economics, trade, investment tourism and people-to-people exchange, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said. The PM made the statement during his reception for newly-appointed Bangladeshi Ambassador to Vietnam Shahab Ullah in Hanoi on January 11. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will create favourable conditions for the ambassador to fulfil his missions during his tenure in Vietnam. For his part, Shahab Ullah said he admires Vietnam’s economic growth as well as achievements in poverty reduction, gender equality and mother and children caring, as well as the country’s efforts to deal with climate change. The ambassador committed to doing his utmost to connect the two countries’ ministries and sectors and localities, thus enhancing the bilateral relations.- Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives Lao guest Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for visiting Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Chansy Phosikham in Hanoi on January 21. Chansy Phosimkham, Head of the LPRP Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, is leading a delegation of the commission on a working trip to Vietnam from January 21 to 24 at the invitation of its Vietnamese counterpart. The Vietnamese Party leader highlighted recent effective cooperation between the two Commissions, adding that he hopes the two Commissions will continue to work closely, sharing experiences in party building and personnel and training work, as well as enhancing mutual support for implementing the Party Congress resolutions of each country. Chansy Phosikham expressed his appreciation for the Vietnamese State and its people for their significant support to Laos in the past and currently. The guest briefed the Vietnamese Party leader on Laos’ recent socio-economic development and preparations for the LPRP’s 10th national congress, while emphasizing results of the talks between the two Commissions’ delegations. He affirmed that the two Parties’ Organisation Commissions will work closely in the time ahead to effectively implement their cooperation agreements, contributing to the successful performance of each party. The same day, a delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Organisation Commission led by the commission’s head To Huy Rua held talks with the Lao guests. The two sides shared their experiences with party organisation and discussed specific measures to realise cooperation agreements between the two Commissions. During their stay, the Lao delegation is scheduled to tour the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh.- Hanoi’s Party leader receives Vatican Cardinal Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi hosted a reception in Hanoi on January 21 for the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples of the Vatican, Cardinal Fernando Filoni and the Archbishop of Hanoi Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon. Nghi assured his guests that the Party and State of Vietnam and municipal authorities respect freedom of religion and belief and acknowledge the tradition of solidarity of the nation and among religions. He praised local Catholics for their contributions to the development of the capital and the nation as a whole. Cardinal Filoni thanked the municipal authorities for their support to local Catholic followers, and expressed his wish for closer ties between the Vatican and Vietnam. Secretary Nghi also congratulated Archbishop Nguyen Van Nhon on his appointment as Cardinal by Pope Francis, saying it accurately reflects his contributions to the Vietnamese Catholic community. HCM City leader welcomes Danish minister Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan received Danish Minister of Trade and Development Cooperation Mogens Jensen on January 21, on the occasion of the minister’s working visit to the city. The mayor hailed the generous support of Denmark for Vietnam in improving health care, coping with climate change, and protecting the environment. He also expressed joy at the growth of cooperation between HCM City and Denmark, citing two-way trade reaching 200 million USD last year. Danish investors are running 42 projects in Ho Chi Minh City, valued at 59.3 million USD, ranking 24 th among foreign investors in the city. He affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City will continue promoting the relations between the two sides in the coming time. For his part, the Danish minister said HCM City offers numerous opportunities to Danish investors, especially in the fields of health, education, green technology, and food, adding that he believes more Danish businesses will arrive in the city in the future. The minister noted that the signing of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the EU will benefit both sides. Celebrations to mark 40 years of Vietnam-Germany ties A myriad of political and socio-cultural activities will be held across Vietnam during 2015 to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic ties (1975-2015). The information was announced by the German Embassy in Vietnam at a press conference in Hanoi on January 21. During the 2015 Vietnam-Germany Friendship Year, the embassy will coordinate with the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organise concerts, painting exhibitions, fairs and film screenings in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and many other localities nationwide. The highlight of the year will be a German festival scheduled for March 28, the embassy said. HCM City hopes for stronger ties with Denmark Ho Chi Minh City wishes to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of agriculture and energy with Denmark, according to the Deputy Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hong. She made the remark at a Vietnam-Denmark business workshop in the city on January 21 on the occasion of a visit of Danish Minister of Trade and Development Cooperation Mogens Jensen. The minister is accompanied by a delegation of 40 Danish companies, operating in food, energy and green technology, which are eager to seek Vietnamese partners. To date, the Danish delegation has signed three MoUs on cooperating with Vietnamese businesses in the fields of food and oil and gas. Currently, about 80 Danish companies are doing business in Ho Chi Minh City. So far, Denmark has invested in 42 projects in Ho Chi Minh City, valued at 59.3 million USD, ranking 24 th among foreign investors in the city. In 2014, Ho Chi Minh City imported goods worth 200 million USD from Denmark.- Cambodian friendship delegation visits Bac Ninh Deputy Secretary General of the Office of the Royal Government of Cambodia Vann Phal asked the northern province of Bac Ninh to continue facilitating friendship activities between Vietnam and Cambodia during a working session with local authorities on January 21. Vann Phal, who is also Vice President of the Cambodia – Vietnam Friendship Association, was in Bac Ninh on the occasion of the 40 th founding anniversary of the association. Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tien Nhuong briefed the guest on the province’s socio-economic achievements, saying that Bac Ninh is emerging as an industrial province from its humble beginnings as an agrarian economy. It is now among the 10 cities and provinces with the fastest recorded economic growth. Bac Ninh is currently home to 9 industrial parks accommodating over 600 foreign-invested projects worth nearly 8 billion USD, generating jobs for more than 150,000 workers. The province considers electricity, electronics, and telecommunications as its spearhead industries, and pays special attention to education, healthcare, and socio-cultural sectors, especially environmental protection. Over the past 6 years, the provincial chapter of the Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Association has amassed 500 members, including former voluntary soldiers and experts, business owners in Cambodia, and those who want to contribute to improved mutual understanding between the two countries. The guest said Cambodia hopes to learn from Bac Ninh’s success story. Earlier, the Cambodian delegation toured a production line at Hanaka plant in the Tu Son township. Deputy PM demands strong effort from the health sector in 2015 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested the health sector intensify its preventive measures against disease epidemics and improve the overall quality of the national healthcare system. Addressing the Health Ministry’s online conference to discuss its 2015 tasks on January 21, the Deputy PM urged thorough implementation of a plan to reduce overloading at hospitals in the year. He stressed the need to examine reasons causing hospital overloading such as those related to the payment of medical insurance and varied management methods across hospitals, among others. Additionally, the ministry should pay more attention to capacity building and assessing the quality of medical personnel, while promoting cooperation with another ministries and sectors in the fields, Dam noted. The Deputy PM also asked localities nationwide to collaborate on expanding health insurance coverage, stressing that a strong health insurance system will contribute to strengthening the national healthcare system and bringing improved medical services to the public. Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien urged hospital directors to reduce overloading at their hospitals, cease the practice of bed-sharing, and take measures to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment. According to the ministry, 13 central hospitals, including nine in Hanoi, have pledged to end bed-sharing. She also requested the sector to keep a close watch on the global spread of diseases while developing action plans for the prevention and elimination of any threats. The Minister reported the sector’s significant 2014 achievements, including utilising a new method to evaluate the quality of hospitals based on patient-centred principles. Administrative procedures were also reformed, cutting down patient wait times by nearly one hour. Vietnamese doctors applied new advanced techniques in 2014, including robotic surgery and stem cell transplants for cancer treatment. Technological transfer was carried out with numerous satellite hospitals, helping to reduce the rate of patients transferred to national hospitals to 30 percent. In 2015 and beyond to 2020, the sector will focus on preventing the spread of diseases and deploying effective national target programmes on health, she said. The sector proposed the Government and the National Assembly invest in urgent hospital projects and medical stations, especially those in remote and mountainous areas. Legislators praise Tay Ninh on religious issues Trinh Ngoc Thach, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents, and Children praised the Southwest province of Tay Ninh for their enforcement of laws and policies on religion in 2014. The lawmaker said the province fully respected the Ordinance on Religion during a meeting with provincial officials on January 21 following a three-day inspection on the implementation of policies and laws on beliefs and religion in the locality. Thach said the province did a good work in the management of religious groups, providing them with assistance and support in operations while actively addressing problems arising. He added that the provincial government also succeeded in uniting religious followers and non-religious individuals together to develop the locality. The delegation of the National Assembly Committee for Culture , Education , Youth , Adolescents, and Children suggested the province should pay more attention to the life of religious followers to foster patriotism among them. During their three-day trip to Tay Ninh, the delegation visited and learned about religious activities at the Sacerdotal Council of Cao Daism and the provincial Buddhist Sangha. They also looked in to the management and execution of policies and laws on religion by the provincial People’s Committee and the People’s Committee of Hoa Thanh district. According to the provincial People’s Committee, Tay Ninh has nine recognised religious groups with a combined total of 758,000 followers, or 69 percent of the province’s population. Caodaism has 515,000 followers. VNA/VNN