Biennial commonwealth heads of government meeting

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (L) meets with General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Bounnhang Vorachith on December 11 (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh paid courtesy calls to General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Bounnhang Vorachith and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on December 11, as part of his working visit to Laos. The Vietnamese Deputy PM congratulated Laos on its recent achievements and informed his hosts of the outcomes of the talks with his Lao counterpart Bounthong Chithmany. He said ministries and sectors are actively reviewing the implementation of agreements between the two countries’ leaders. They are also working hard to prepare for important diplomatic activities in early 2020, including the 42nd meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee. Welcoming Binh’s visit, the Lao leaders congratulated Vietnam on the recent … [Read more...] about Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh meets with Lao top leaders

The map shows the Tuyen Quang-Phu Tho Expressway (blue line). The expressway will be built after three years of delay (Photo: vnexpress.net) Hanoi (VNA) - The Government has approved the construction of an expressway connecting the northern provinces of Tuyen Quang and Phu Tho under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) format after three years of delays. The expressway with 40.2km long, including 11km of road will be built in Tuyen Quang province and the rest in Phu Tho province. It will start in Tuyen Quang province's Tuyen Quang city and end at Phu Tho province's Phu Tho township. The expressway will link with the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway. The four-lane road is designed with the speed of 80kph. The project is implemented under the public-private partnership model with a total investment of more than 3.2 trillion VND (138 million USD). It is expected to meet the increasing transport demand and reduce traffic congestion on the National Highway No. 2, shorten travelling time between … [Read more...] about Government approves Tuyen Quang-Phu Tho expressway project

  Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (L) meets with General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Bounnhang Vorachith (Photo: VNA) Binh congratulated Laos on its recent achievements and briefed his hosts on the outcomes of the talks with his Lao counterpart Bounthong Chithmany. Ministries and sectors are reviewing the implementation of agreements between the two countries’ leaders. They are also working hard to prepare for important diplomatic activities early next year, including the 42nd meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee, he said. The Lao leaders affirmed that the Party, State, Government and people of Laos always treasure and give the highest priority to the promotion of the great relationship, special solidarity and all-around cooperation with Vietnam, considering these as priceless and vital to the two countries’ revolutionary causes. Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Vorachith agreed that Laos … [Read more...] about Deputy PM Binh meets with Laos’ senior leaders

Chairwoman Ngan affirmed that the talks were a success, with two sides discussing issues related to the cooperation between the two countries and legislative bodies as well as directions for the Russian Year in Vietnam in 2020. Ngan said she and Matviyenko had agreed to assign the committees for external relations and the friendship parliamentarians' groups of the two legislative bodies to plan events for the Russian Year in Vietnam in 2020. She informed that the two sides are committed to continuing coordinating and consulting each other at multilateral and inter-parliamentary forums with a view to supporting viewpoints that are beneficial to both Vietnam and Russia as well as peace, friendship and development in the region and the world as a whole. Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko at a press conference after their talks The Vietnamese NA and the Russian … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Russian legislative bodies’ leaders meet press on talks’ outcome

Vietnam’s prime minister has agreed with a proposal to increase Ho Chi Minh's decision-making powers to help the country’s largest metropolis develop to its full potential. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting with city leaders on Wednesday that he agreed to the establishment of “exclusive policies” for the city, giving it authority over certain matters that are currently under the jurisdiction of ministries or central government units. Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue said that the city has a lot of growth potential, but is struggling with strained infrastructure, flooding and environmental pollution. “There must be special policies for the city or its growth will slow,” he said. The meeting was held more than three months after HCMC’s Party chief Nguyen Thien Nhan shared plans to ask the country’s legislators to sign off on special policies to “increase the city’s control and responsibility” over its own affairs. … [Read more...] about Gov’t agrees to give HCMC more autonomy