Party and State leaders visit and extend New Year greetings to the people and soldiers.

* President Truong Tan Sang visits and extends New Year greetings to Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, and Long An provinces.
* Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visits the Flower Street and Book Street Festival in Ho Chi Minh City..

President Truong Tan Sang planted a commemorative tree at Vietnam Moc Bai Joint Stock Company.

On February 20th (the second day of the Lunar New Year of the Goat), President Truong Tan Sang visited and extended New Year greetings to the Standing Committee and retired officials of the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee; the staff and employees of the Central Committee of the Southern Region Historical Site (Tan Bien district); and Vietnam Moc Bai Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of Taekwang Group (South Korea).

Speaking with the Standing Committee of the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee and former leaders of the Provincial Party Committee, the President suggested that provincial leaders should consider, review, and calculate ways to improve the productivity and quality of the province's key agricultural products such as sugarcane, peanuts, and rubber... to be competitive in the world market; resolutely maintain a peaceful and stable environment along the border for development; and successfully organize party congresses at all levels, setting out directions and tasks for the coming period with new breakthroughs, contributing to overcoming difficulties and continuing sustainable development for the whole country.

During a visit to Vietnam Moc Bai Joint Stock Company (Ben Cau district), the President commended Taekwang Group's significant contributions to Vietnam over the past period, with an investment of approximately one million USD. In Tay Ninh province alone, in 2010, Taekwang Group built a shoe factory (Nike brand) with a capacity of 10 million pairs per year, contributing to job creation for nearly 15,000 local workers.

The President requested that the company continue to expand the production of leather footwear for export; and at the same time, quickly implement the project to build a supporting industrial park (textile and dyeing) of approximately 100 hectares as planned in the Moc Bai Border Economic Zone (Tay Ninh). The President expressed his hope that Taekwang Group will continue to invest even more successfully in Vietnam, contributing to the development of the good relationship between Vietnam and South Korea in the future.

At the Central Committee of the Southern Region Historical Site, President Truong Tan Sang visited the memorial house and offered incense before the portraits of former leaders and Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Southern Region: Pham Hung (former Chairman of the Council of Ministers); Nguyen Van Linh (former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party); Vo Van Kiet (former Prime Minister); and General Nguyen Chi Thanh. The President extended his best wishes to all staff and employees of the Central Committee of the Southern Region Historical Site on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2015.

Later that same day, during a visit to Binh Duong province to extend New Year greetings, the President expressed his pleasure at seeing Binh Duong continue to maintain a high economic growth rate in recent years. In 2014, the province's GDP still increased by 13% despite the difficult economic conditions, making it one of the few provinces and cities with a growth rate exceeding 10%. Binh Duong has proactively created a favorable investment environment and attracted over US$1.6 billion in foreign investment.

The President requested that in the coming period, Binh Duong should focus on maintaining its economic growth rate to contribute to the country's overall growth targets; and develop Binh Duong into an industrial province.

* Earlier, on the morning of February 17th (29th day of the 12th lunar month of the Year of the Horse), President Truong Tan Sang and leaders of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor visited and presented gifts to workers who did not return home for Tet in Long An province.

The President visited workers celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) away from home at the Duy Quy lodging area in Ben Luc town, Ben Luc district, Long An province. There, the President visited the workers' rooms, inquired about their living conditions; praised the creativity and kindness of Mr. Nguyen Van Loi, the owner of the lodging area, for his support to the workers over the years; and expressed his hope that Mr. Loi would continue to improve the model of a miniature society within his lodging area so that workers could have more convenient living conditions, thus allowing them to focus on their work and production.

The President expressed his hope that in the new year, the national economy would develop further so that the Party and State would have better conditions to take care of the lives of workers. On the occasion of the New Year, the President wished the workers and their families more health and happiness, a better life, and that in the coming years, many workers would have the opportunity to return home to visit their grandparents and celebrate Tet with their families. It is known that Long An province has about 250,000 workers working in industrial zones and clusters. During this year's Tet holiday (Year of the Goat), about 3,000 workers in the province did not return home for Tet.

On this occasion, the President visited the Martyrs' Cemetery in Duc Hoa and toured several historical sites in Duc Hoa district, such as the Duc Hoa Crossroads area and the house of Mr. Bo Tho - the location where the first Communist Party branch of Cho Lon province was established.

* On the afternoon of February 17th (29th day of the 12th lunar month of the Year of the Horse), Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, along with leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, visited the Flower Street and Book Street Festival of Ho Chi Minh City, organized to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Goat 2015 on Ham Nghi Street.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visits the Flower Street and Book Street for Tet 2015 on Ham Nghi Street (Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: THANH VU (VNA)

Visiting the Flower Street and Book Street, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his admiration for the arrangement and variety of flowers and books displayed and introduced there. The Prime Minister highly appreciated Ho Chi Minh City for building and maintaining the annual Flower Street and Book Street during the traditional Lunar New Year, creating a meaningful destination for people in the city and other localities to visit and enjoy.

* On February 20th (the second day of the Lunar New Year), Comrade To Huy Rua, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, and Head of the Central Organization Department, visited and extended New Year greetings to the construction unit of the Cat Bi International Airport project in Hai Phong City. Comrade To Huy Rua highly appreciated the proactive and positive spirit of Hai Phong City in implementing this large and important project as the investor, working with relevant units to quickly carry out planning work, overcome difficulties in completing compensation and land clearance procedures, and basic construction investment to ensure the project commences on schedule. He requested Hai Phong City and the contractors, consultants, and construction units to coordinate closely to proactively and promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles during the project implementation; and to fulfill all commitments.

* On the morning of February 19th (the first day of Tet), Comrade Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Member of the Political Bureau and Deputy Prime Minister, visited and extended New Year greetings to the officers and soldiers of the Da Nang City Police; and the leaders of the Hai Chau District Party Committee - the central administrative unit of Da Nang City.

On behalf of the Government and the National Steering Committee for Crime Prevention and Control, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc commended and highly appreciated the achievements of the Da Nang City Police in the past year. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that in 2015, the Da Nang City Police should continue to successfully fulfill their assigned tasks, effectively protect the Party Congresses at all levels, ensure political security and order, and contribute to the overall development of the city in particular and the cause of national construction and defense in general.

During his visit and New Year's greetings at the Hai Chau District Party Committee in Da Nang City, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his delight at the outstanding results achieved in the district's socio-economic development over the past year. The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Hai Chau District, as the central district of Da Nang, has the right to demand more from its people. He urged the leadership to unite and resolutely utilize all resources to make Hai Chau a leading district in Da Nang and the Central region, building it into a district with a civilized lifestyle, urban order, and a green, clean, and beautiful environment.

* On February 20th, General Ngo Xuan Lich, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Standing Member of the Central Military Commission, and Head of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, visited and extended New Year greetings to the Command of the Signal Corps, the 1st Special Forces Brigade (Special Forces Corps), and the 77th Battalion (257th Regiment, 361st Division, Air Defense - Air Force).

General Ngo Xuan Lich commended and highly appreciated the units for maintaining discipline, order, vigilance, and combat readiness, as well as organizing activities for officers and soldiers to celebrate the Lunar New Year. He stated that the results achieved by each unit not only clearly demonstrate the traditions and essence of the Ho Chi Minh Army, but also signal the success in fulfilling the political tasks of 2015, a year with many important political events for the country and the nation.

According to Nhan Dan