VN upbeat as WTO meeting ends

T5, 03/31/2005 - 11:06

HA NOI — Positive results were achieved at the recent round of talks between Viet Nam, the US and Canada on the country’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), said the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation.

At the negotiations with the US, which took place in Washington from March 14 to 16, Viet Nam discussed requirements on opening the market to US goods and services that the US proposed in January.

Prime Minister receives expatriate Vietnamese Zen Master

T3, 03/29/2005 - 14:18

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai affirmed Buddhism's close link with and contributions to the nation while talking with expatriate Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hanoi on Mar. 25.

PM Khai welcomed the visit to the homeland by the Zen Master, a Buddhist monk of Vietnamese origin, who founded and is the head of Lang Mai (Plum Village) Sangha in France. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's visit is being made at the invitation of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's International Religious Board.

Foreign sector helps exports top $6.7b

T2, 03/28/2005 - 10:45

HA NOI — Viet Nam has achieved US$2.5 billion in export turnover during the month of March, reported the General Statistics Office (GSO).

This month’s export turnover has brought the total for the first three months to $6.7 billion or an increase of 16.2 per cent against the same period last year.

According to economists at the GSO and the Ministry of Trade, the high export turnover in March was largely due to increasing prices on the global market.

US venture funds opens rep. office in HCMC

T2, 03/28/2005 - 10:40

A US$100-million venture capital fund officially opened its representative office in Ho Chi Minh City on Mar. 25 to commence operations in southern Vietnam.

At the opening ceremony, IDG Ventures Vietnam, a subsidiary of the US International Data Group, the world’s leading technology, media, research and event firm, said it has invested into two Vietnamese software companies, PeaceSoft and iSphere.

PeaceSoft and iSphere, both based in capital Hanoi, are two dynamic companies with qualified staff, said Nguyen Bao Hoang, IDG Ventures Vietnam chief executive.

“Narrower gaps” in Vietnam’s WTO talks

T2, 03/28/2005 - 10:25

In past talks over Vietnam’s entry to the World Trade Organization this year, partners like Japan have shown their support by reducing demands for the country to open up its market, said a deputy trade minister.

“Many partners said the gap between them and Vietnam in negotiations for the country’s integration into the World Trade Organization has been narrowed,” said Deputy Trade Minister Luong Van Tu.

Legal load for WTO entry

T5, 03/24/2005 - 15:52

The National Assembly (NA) is drafting 30 legal documents concerning negotiations on Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The documents, 26 laws and codes and four ordinances, are being drafted or revised and supplemented to carry out duties which will arise during bilateral and multilateral WTO negotiations.

Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen said that Vietnam's law building programme has drawn due concern from major partners, including the US, who consider it one of Vietnam's top priorities for admission.

Vietnam’s seafood exports increase in first quarter

T4, 03/23/2005 - 16:28

Vietnam’s seafood exports remained strong in the first quarter of this year although the industry encountered problems over anti-dumping tariffs in the U.S. market, according to official figures.
In the first three months of 2005, the country’s seafood exports reached 445 million USD, up roughly 15.27 per cent over last year’s same period, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said.

Overseas Vietnamese singers ready to pay Vietnam taxes

T4, 03/23/2005 - 16:27

Vietnamese artists living overseas recently said they were ready and willing to pay taxes for performing in Vietnam in accordance with the country’s new income tax regulations.
Singer Duy Quang said he had received a personal tax code from the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department recently and that he would pay his taxes by the end of the year.

Vocalist and composer Duc Huy said he was not aware of the new regulation. But, he said he already paid 10 per cent of his earnings each time he performed a show in Vietnam and was happy to pay taxes in his home country.

Tay Nguyen 30 years later: a vehicle for its own success

T4, 03/23/2005 - 16:25

HA NOI — In the three decades since its liberation in 1975, the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region has enjoyed major socio-economic improvement thanks to the leadership of the Party and the resilience and unity of the 47 local ethnic minority groups.

A vast plateau laying at the southern end of the Truong Son Mountain range, Tay Nguyen is best known for its people’s strong-heartedness and unyielding nature during the nation’s resistance wars. Physically, the region is full of jungles, idyllic waterfalls and breathtaking mountain landscapes.

More kids attend kindergarten

T4, 03/23/2005 - 16:19

HA NOI — The number of children in poverty stricken areas going to kindergarten have increased sharply following a Prime Minister’s decision to provide education to children residing in poor communes.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, except for six communes, all others nationwide have kindergartens, and nearly 80 per cent of the five-year-old children have gone to kindergarten.

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