Government News 5/2 Vietnamese, Lao government offices boost ties   Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung and Lao Minister and Chairman of the Prime Minister's Office Phet Phomphiphak  at the working session (Source:http://baochinhphu.vn)  Minister, Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung has proposed closer cooperation between the government offices of Vietnam and Laos in the coming time. Dung made the suggestion during a working session with his Lao counterpart Phet Phomphiphak on February 4 which was held during Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to attend the 40th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee in Laos. The Vietnamese official briefed his host on Vietnam’s socio-economic development and expressed his joy at Laos’s development achievements in 2017, attributing the results to drastic directions of the two countries’ Prime Ministers and contributions of the two government offices.  The two Government Offices have continued upholding their close relations, contributing to promoting cooperation between the two countries, he said.  He urged the two offices to accelerate the implementation of signed memorandum of understanding on cooperation, focusing on sharing experience and organising workshops, thus increasing the role of the offices in pushing the bilateral relations.  Sharing Dung’s opinions, Lao Minister and Chairman of the Prime Minister's Office Phet Phomphiphak hoped the two sides will bolster their cooperation in the future, contributing to fulfilling assigned tasks. PM’s gifts granted to needy Vietnamese, Cambodian families     Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, as entrusted by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, presented more than 700 gifts to Vietnamese and Cambodian families in difficult circumstances in Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Thom provinces, Cambodia, on February 4, ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.  Speaking at the event, Ambassador Minh conveyed PM Phuc’s greetings to the Vietnamese community in the two provinces.  The PM hopes that the Vietnamese in Cambodia will continue to stabilise their life, help each other overcome difficulties, abide by local law, and integrate into the host society, the diplomat said.  A representative of the local authority highly valued the attention and care the Communist Party of Vietnam, State and people of Vietnam have given to the needy Vietnamese and Cambodian people, saying it demonstrated solidarity and close-knit relations between the two nations.  On this occasion, Ambassador Minh visited a number of Vietnamese families in Kampong Chhnang province. He also had a working session with the local authority during which he asked them to create conditions for the Vietnamese in the locality to lead a stable life, contributing to local economic development.  Located next to Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia, Kampong Chhnang and Kompong Thom are home to many Vietnamese, who are mainly fishermen, retailers and manual labourers.  Vietnam active at conference of Asian Political Parties in Iran   Vice Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Nguyen Manh Cuong   The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) sent a delegation led by Vice Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Nguyen Manh Cuong to the 29th Standing Committee Meeting of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Tehran, Iran from February 1-4. The Vietnamese delegation attended and presented several papers at various sessions of the meeting, which reviewed activities of ICAPP in 2017 and discussed orientations for 2018. Participants at the meeting underscored the important role of political parties in social development and progress in their countries, in preventing the spread of extremism and terrorism via maintaining equality, and in erasing social gaps and connecting generations. On the occasion, the ICAPP in collaboration with the Islamic Coalition Party (Montalefeh) of Iran organised a workshop on the Silk Road, drawing participation of nearly 200 delegates representing 38 political parties of 24 nations. The delegates lauded economic connecting initiatives, including resuming the ancient Silk Road, thus boosting trade in Asia and between Asia and Europe. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation held many discussions with participating parties on how to strengthening ties and realising agreements reached between the CPV and those parties. Lao officials honoured for contributions to bilateral ties President Tran Dai Quang has decided to present the third-class Independence Order and the Friendship Order to 17 officials of the External Affairs Commission of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee to honour their contributions to the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.  The decision was made on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and 40 years of signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.  Also on this occasion, the External Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee decided to present the “For the cause of the Party's foreign affairs” insignia to six officials of the Lao commission.  Hoang Binh Quan, head of Vietnam’s External Affairs Commission, presented the third-class Independence Order, the Friendship Order and Medal, and the insignia to the Lao officials at a ceremony in Vientiane on February 4.  On behalf of the officials, Somdy Bounkhouom, deputy head of the Lao commission who has received the third-class Independence Order, pledged to do his utmost to preserve and make the friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation ever green and stable. NA Chairwoman presents Tet gifts to needy people    Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan presented 100 gifts to families of social welfare policies, poor households and victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang during her pre-Tet visit to the locality on February 4.  She also granted another 200 gifts to children with disabilities and their peers in extreme difficulties in the province.  On this occasion, the top legislator attended a programme in support of the poor, needy children and AO victims jointly held by the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the National Fund for Vietnamese Children.  At a working session with local leaders, NA Chairwoman Ngan asked them to pay attention to social policy beneficiaries, the poor, children in special difficulties and AO victims, along with socio-economic development, and national defence and security.  She also lauded achievements the province recorded in 2017, with gross regional domestic product (GRDP) expanding by 9 percent, budget collection at over 7.3 trillion VND (321.2 million USD), up 4.9 percent against the set yearly target and 10.7 percent year-on-year, and export turnover at 2.5 billion USD.  In 2018, the province’s GRDP is expected to grow by 9-9.5 percent while its per capita income is projected at up to 48.2 million VND (2,121 USD) annually and export revenue at 2.65 billion USD. The number of poor households is hoped to reduce by 3.69 percent.  NA Chairwoman Ngan on February 3 paid a pre-Tet visit to the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, where she presented more than 3,500 gifts worth some 2.5 billion VND (110,000 USD) to families of social welfare policies, needy children, poor households and AO victims.  She also attended a ceremony to hand over 140 houses, six education facilities and medical equipment funded by Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) to Ben Tre.  Earlier, the top legislator and her entourage visited families of martyrs and war invalids in Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province.  On February 4, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh visited workers in the Mekong Delta province of Long An ahead of the Lunar New Year, praising their contributions to national socio-economic development.  The same day, head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai and representatives of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour presented Tet gifts to workers of the metro route No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City.  Yen Bai asked to improve investment environment   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the working session with Yen Bai leaders. The northern mountainous province of Yen Bai should continue improving its investment environment and promoting potential of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields globally, striving to surpass its set targets.  The requests were made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a working session with the provincial leaders on February 3, before he left for Laos for the 40th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee. He lauded Yen Bai’s efforts to overcome difficulties to achieve noted results in all sectors. However, the growth has yet to match the province’s potential, he said, pointing out limitations remaining in the locality such as ethnic minorities and mountainous residents still facing difficulties, inadequate infrastructure and a small number of businesses.  In the context that Yen Bai suffered severe impacts of natural disasters in 2017, the leader requested ministries and agencies to balance resources and roll out master plans to help locals stablise their life and production.  In 2017, Yen Bai’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) grew by 6.22 percent and its per capita income stood at 29.5 million VND (1,298 USD).  Apart from agricultural restructuring in tandem with new-style rural area building, the province has focused on industrial restructuring, and trade and service development in parallel with environmental protection.  Over the past two years, Yen Bai attracted 79 projects worth over 28.5 trillion VND (1.25 billion USD), from major groups and enterprises like Vingroup, Ton Hoa Sen and Edge Glass. The province now houses 426 projects valued at more than 70 trillion VND (3.08 billion USD).  To deal with devastating consequences caused by natural disasters, the province has relocated more than 1,200 households, with a fund of nearly 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD).  The same day, PM Phuc attended the ground-breaking ceremony of a subsidiary of Edge Glass JSC of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Bao Hung commune, Tran Yen district.  Speaking at the event, the leader asked the local authorities to create the best possible conditions for the investor to operate. He also urged the investor to turn the area into a modern industrial zone, benefiting both Vietnam and the RoK.  On this occasion, the PM visited and presented Tet gifts to a Heroic Vietnamese Mother and a war invalid in Yen Thinh ward. VNN