Northern village keeps its educational tradition alive

Viet Nam News, March 24, 2003
by Anh Vu

Vietnamese culture is noted for its encouragement of learning for learning’s sake and nowhere more so than Tam Son Village in the country’s north.

Its other claim to fame is being the native village of Ngo Gia Tu, one of the founders of the Communist Party of Indochina.

Rough start

Vietnam affirms peace and development essential for human rights

Thu, 03/20/2003 - 09:39

(VNS, March 19, 2003)

Peace, stability and development without interference are essential conditions to protect and promote human rights, affirmed Dao Viet Trung, assistant to the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, on March 19.

Mr Trung is the head of the Vietnamese delegation to the UN High Commission's meeting being held in Geneva.

He said that exercising human rights should be an essential part of each nation's history, tradition, customs and culture.

Interview: PM Phan van Khai

Wed, 03/19/2003 - 18:06

Far Eastern Economic Review
March 20, 2003
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Aviation deal with US still up in the air


Vietnam Investment Review, March 17-23, 2003)

VIETNAM and the US late last week did not reach final agreement on the long-awaited Bilateral Aviation Agreement (BAA) which aims to boost two-way trade and investment links.

The sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and agreed to a further round of talks, according to Nguyen Tien Sam, director general of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

Promised Land Again

Wed, 03/19/2003 - 17:57

By Lan Anh, Sai Gon Times Weekly, March 15, 2003

Vietnam's economic development potential was the main topic at the 13th Asian Corporate Conference held in Hanoi last week. Vietnam has golden opportunities to continue the positive growth rate trend, and attract more foreign investors, said speakers at the conference.

Despite being a regional economic forum, the 13th Asian Corporate Conference centered on Vietnam. Some speakers even said that this was a historic conference, reviving foreign investors' interest in Vietnam. With an audience of 800 who are

VN Airlines gets closer to deal with US


HA NOI (March 19, 2003)— The next round of negotiations over a US-Viet Nam bilateral aviation pact, allowing direct flights between the two countries, will be held in the next quarter of this year in Washington, a Vietnam Airlines official said on Monday.

This follows real progress made in last week’s third round of talks in Ha Noi, according to Viet Nam Civil Aviation Authority vice chairman Pham Vu Hien, who said it helped the two sides to fill gaps. But they will have to continue discussing and studying proposals for a final deal, he admitted.

Foreign trade bank offers international credit cards

Wed, 03/19/2003 - 17:36


The Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) has announced that it started launching international credit cards, named Vietcombank - American Express, on Tuesday.

This is the first time the credit cards, which can be used for payment all over the world, have been issued in Vietnam dong in the country under a sole contract signed between the bank and the US's American Express.

Influx of US players will help bring auditing sector to account


American auditing firms have recently been given the green light to do business in Vietnam. The Ministry of Finance's Bui Van Mai, director of the Accounting Policy Department, discusses the move with VIR.

With US auditing firms coming into the market on an equal footing, do you see big changes ahead for Vietnam's auditing industry?

Not at present. It's important to point out that the auditing market in Vietnam is still relatively small and fighting to establish itself.

'Song of the South' soap hits the US


'Song of the South' is the English name of a soap opera named 'Dat Phuong Nam' (the Southern Land). The film was directed by Vinh Son, scripted by writer Nguyen Ho and produced by Ho Chi Minh City Television Film Company in 1997.

US bill interferes in Vietnam's internal affairs: FM spokeswoman


(VNA - March 13, 2003)

The presentation of a bill aiming "to promote the freedom of information in Vietnam" is an interference by the US in Vietnam's internal affairs, stated spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry Phan Thuy Thanh in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The bill is a step backwards in the improving relationship between Vietnam and the United States, Ms Thanh said, demanding the US House of Representatives' Committee for International Relations annul the bill.

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