US veteran apologises for My Lai massacre

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:26

(VNA) A US veteran, the only officer convicted after the mass killings in My Lai, central Vietnam, in 1968, has made a public apology to victims and their families for the first time, foreign media reported.
"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," former lieutenant William Calley told members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus, Georgia.
"I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry,” he added.

Vietnam to open general consulate in Houston

(VNA) A Vietnamese mission, led by Le Dung, former spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, has arrived in Houston city of Texas state, the US, to prepare for the opening of another Vietnamese general consulate in the country.
Dung, who has been appointed as the head of the Vietnamese General Consulate in Houston city, met with the US Department of State representative in Houston, Betty Mc Cutchan, shortly after his arrival to ask for the representative’s coordination in the preparations.

Vietnam wants to better lives of ethnic minorities

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 16:30

(VNA) Vietnam has resolved to make greater efforts to further improve the spiritual and material life of ethnic minority people.
The determination was renewed at a conference to review five years of implementation of the seventh Party Central Committee resolution on ethnic affairs in Hanoi on July 29.
At the event, Truong Tan Sang, a Politburo member and Standing Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), affirmed “the Party always defines ethnic issues and affairs as ‘holding an important strategic position’ among other efforts”.

US willing to extend tariff preferences to Vietnam

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 16:28

(VNA) The United States is willing to grant its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to Vietnam, said the Deputy US Trade Representative, Demetrios J. Marantis.
Marantis made the statement while meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai in Hanoi on July 17. US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak also attended the reception.
Hai applauded the recent fruitful cooperation between the US Department of Commerce and its Vietnamese partners, helping to further promote bilateral economic and trade relations.

DOC amends anti-dumping tax on VN's fish fillets

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 16:27

(VNA) The US Department of Commerce (DOC) on July 28 announced amends to the Final Results of its antidumping duty new shipper review of certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam.
Accordingly, it raised the margin for Hiep Thanh Seafood Joint Stock Company (Hiep Thanh) from 6.68 percent to 13.76 percent after the Catfish Farmers of America and individuals US catfish processors filed an allegation that the DOC made a ministerial error in calculating the final results with respect to Hiep Thanh and the Asia Commerce Fisheries Joint Stock Company (Acomfish).

VN investors raise overseas profile

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 18:04

(VNA) During the last two decades, Vietnamese investors have initiated 370 overseas projects worth 5.1 billion USD, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency.
Most of the projects are in industry, construction, agro-forestry and fisheries, oil exploration and services.
Industrial and construction sectors account for 155 projects with total Investment capital of 4.2 billion USD.
Laos leads 48 countries and territories in attracting Vietnamese investors, followed by Malaysia , Algeria and Cambodia .

Exports from Vietnam to US show signs of recovery

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 18:02

(VNA) The Ministry of Industry and Trade expects exports to the US market to climb slightly to 12.7 billion USD this year from 12 billion USD in 2008.
This estimate is based on four consecutive months of growth in export revenues to the world’s largest economy, said the ministry.
Garments, wood and wooden furniture, electronics and components are major hard currency earners. In regard to garments alone, the industry earned 2.2 billion USD from exports to the US market in the first half of this year, representing 55 percent of its total export revenues over the period.

Prime Minister pushes for 5-percent GDP growth rate

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 17:58

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called for the nation’s concerted efforts to combat the economic slowdown and fulfil the GDP growth target of 5 percent for this year.
The PM made the request at a regular government meeting held on July 6-7. Leaders of the People’s Committees of all 63 provinces and cities took part in the socio-economic development session via live television.

Many activities to be held for expats in homeland

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 17:56

(VNA) Hanoi will host the first ever conference of overseas Vietnamese worldwide from November 20-22, according to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese.
The conference, under the theme of “For a community of solidarity and strength, contributing to national construction”, expects to see the participation of 1,000 delegates, including 650 overseas Vietnamese, who represent Vietnamese communities in more than 100 countries and territories over the world.

Vietnam plays host as 2010 Chairman of ASEAN

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 17:54

Vietnam will host a series of important summit meetings of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as it takes the chairmanship of the group in 2010.
This is part of its responsibilities in taking the chairmanship, as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, which came into force at the end of last year, and set out rules to make the group a legal entity as well as to establish a single market by 2015.
Accordingly, ASEAN ministerial meetings, the group’s summit meetings and those between the group and its partners such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3 will be held in Vietnam.

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