Vietnam grants amnesty to over 8,000 inmates before Tet

Wed, 01/19/2005 - 17:59

Vietnam will soon grant amnesty to more than 8,200 qualified inmates so that they can enjoy the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The amnesty beneficiaries are scheduled for release Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2005, according to the Department of Prison Management. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 9.

As well, new criteria for inmates to qualify for amnesty have been added to encourage inmates to repair their damages, the department informed.

Agent Orange victim receives IT award

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:09

An Agent Orange victim recently received an honorary award at the “Vietnamese Intellectuals 2004” national IT contest.

Nguyen Chien Thang, author of the software “Positive Solutions for Network Security,” was granted the Nghi Luc (Perseverance) Award as a respectful acknowledgment of the Vietnamese IT community for the marvelous efforts of a young man who struggled valiantly to overcome his unfortunate destiny.

Swedish professor looks for truth about Vietnamese ethnic group

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:08

A Swedish professor has dedicated his time to researching the ethnic minority Katu group in Vietnam in a desire to help the world gain a truthful and sufficient understanding of the ethnic group.
Kaj Arhem is a renowned ethnographer and anthropology professor at the Goteborg University in Sweden. Some years ago, Mr. Arhem was motivated to study the Katu group after reading the book “Les Chasseurs de Sang” about the ethnic minority group at a U.S. library.

No Christmas arrests in Central Highlands

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:05

Vietnamese foreign ministry rejected a recent Human Rights Watch report, which said there were massive arrests of Protestants in the Central Highlands during Christmas 2004.

Christians all over the country, including those from ethnic minority groups in the region enjoyed a peaceful Christmas, said spokesperson Le Dzung Jan. 10 in response to a question raised by Agence France-Presse.

He confirmed that there were no cases of ethnic minority people in the region being detained or tortured.

Vietnamese community in US instrumental to VN- US relationship

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:04

The Vietnamese community in America is a vital bridge between Vietnam and the United States, asserted Ambassador Ton Nu Thi Ninh in an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper about her recent trip to the U.S.

Q: What was special about your latest diplomatic mission to the United States?

A: This trip was quite different from others because I visited 8 states and 12 cities across the United States. Also, I held extensive meetings with people at universities, research institutes, foundations, and the US media rather than just high-ranking U.S. officials and politicians.

Overseas Vietnamese welcomed for Lunar New Year

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:01

Vietnam is creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese living abroad to come back home and celebrate the country’s traditional lunar New Year, the Vietnam Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (COV) said.

The Committee said it will collaborate with the aviation, tourism, and customs departments to fulfill administrative procedures as quickly as possible to facilitate the return of expatriate Vietnamese.

Vietnam welcomes visit by int’l Buddhist delegation

Mon, 01/10/2005 - 23:00

The Vietnam Buddhist Church (VNBC) said it would do its best to facilitate the coming visit by renowned Monk Thich Nhat Hanh and an international delegation of Buddhist monks and nuns.
The Church will help the delegation witness with their own eyes the renewal process in Vietnam and the growth of the Buddhist church in the country, said Most Venerable Thich Gia Quang, deputy head of the International Buddhism Board under the VNBC's Executive Council.

Vietnam to open second stock market in January

Thu, 12/30/2004 - 11:18

Vietnam plans to open its second stock market next month to speed up the equitization of state-owned businesses, said a government official Tuesday Dec. 28.
The bourse in Hanoi is also part of Vietnam's drive to boost the capital market as the country's first exchange, set up in 2000, has just 26 stocks valued at 245 million USD, far smaller than the bourses in Thailand and Malaysia.

Vietnam’s 10 landmark economic events of 2004

Thu, 12/30/2004 - 11:17

As the year 2004 comes to an end, Thanh Nien newspaper has selected the ten most important events of the year that had the strongest impact on Vietnam’s economy.
This year saw many ups and downs in Vietnam’s economic development, but in general the country’s economy became more integrated into the global economy and its stature grew, according to economists.

Vietnam’s economic growth in 2004 was 7.7 percent, the second-fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia.

Here are the top ten events:

Foreign investment breaks record

FDI inflows to Ho Chi Minh City up 31%

Tue, 12/28/2004 - 17:57

(SGT-HCMC) HCMC has attracted over US$755 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) this year, or US$55 million higher than the target.

This pledged capital shows an increase of US$275 million over last year’s result, or an increase of 31%, according to the city’s Service of Planning and Investment. This is the first time in three years the city beats its FDI target.

The city has licensed 234 foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) this year with combined capital of US$430 million. In addition, 140 FIEs have added a total of over US$324 million to their investment capital.

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