Highlights of domestic events this past week

(Baonghean.vn) - General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pays an official visit to China;Opening of the 6th session of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly;US Secretary of State John Kerry visits Vietnam;Eighteen national treasures made their public debut;... these were some of the highlights of the country's events last week.

1. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pays an official visit to China.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit to the People's Republic of China is at the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping.

At the invitation of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of China, Xi Jinping, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and a high-level Vietnamese delegation departed Hanoi on the morning of January 12th for an official visit to China.

The Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Department announced that the General Secretary's visit took place from January 12-15.

Joining the General Secretary in the delegation were the Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Vo Van Thuong; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh; Minister of National Defense, Ngo Xuan Lich; Minister of Public Security, To Lam, and others.

The visit took place ahead of the 67th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as at a time when the people of both countries were preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Rooster.

This is General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's first visit to China after the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The trip aims to further develop the healthy and stable Vietnam-China relationship for the benefit of the people of both countries, and for peace and prosperity in the region and the world.

2. Opening of the 6th session of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan delivered the opening remarks at the session.

On the morning of January 9th, the sixth session of the National Assembly Standing Committee opened under the chairmanship of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

In her opening remarks at the session, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan stated that at this session, the National Assembly Standing Committee would consider major issues with differing opinions regarding the draft Law on State Compensation Liability (amended); the draft Law on Legal Aid (amended); the draft Law on Foreign Trade Management; the Law on Support for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; the Law on Planning; the draft Law on Management and Use of State Assets (amended); the draft Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Support Tools; and the draft Law on Security Guarding.

At the same time, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly considered and adopted a Resolution promulgating the Regulations on the procedures for conducting certain activities related to the supervision of the National Assembly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and the National Assembly delegations; and a Resolution promulgating the Regulations on coordination between the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of National Defense in managing military courts in terms of organization. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly also gave opinions on the list of projects and the specific capital allocation for each project in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2016-2020; and the draft Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on disciplinary action against retired officials and civil servants.

3. US Secretary of State John Kerry visits Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) receives US Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: Giang Huy

At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, US Secretary of State John Kerry paid an official visit to Vietnam from January 12-14, 2017.

On the morning of January 13th, John Kerry met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son during his final visit to Vietnam as US Secretary of State.

This is Kerry's third official visit to Vietnam as US Secretary of State, following visits in December 2013 and May 2016.

Senior diplomatic officials from the United States and Vietnam held discussions on various issues in bilateral relations. Permanent Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the importance of the ASEAN-US Strategic Partnership. The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea, emphasizing the necessity of adhering to international law and diplomatic and legal processes in addressing the South China Sea issue to maintain peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

4. Conference summarizing the work of culture, sports and tourism in 2016

At the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc awarded the Second Class Labor Medal to former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh.

On the morning of January 12, 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held an online conference at three locations: Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, to summarize the work of culture, sports, and tourism in 2016 and implement tasks for 2017. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended and delivered a keynote address at the conference.

In his directive speech at the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly appreciated and commended the efforts of the entire sector in overcoming difficulties to achieve many encouraging results. Regarding the tourism sector, the Prime Minister directed the entire sector to implement synchronously and effectively the tourism development strategy, the Resolutions of the Party and Government, the Directives and Conclusions of the Prime Minister, especially the Resolution of the Politburo on developing Vietnamese tourism into a key economic sector.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Party committees and authorities at all levels need to focus on building civilized and courteous communities for tourism; there is a need for good institutions and policies to develop tourism, including policies on land and investment; and building famous brands for Vietnamese tourism in different regions.

5. 18 National Treasures Make Public Debut

Ngoc Lu bronze drum.

On January 10th, the National Museum of History held its first exhibition of 18 Vietnamese national treasures, allowing visitors to discover the historical and cultural stories behind these treasures.

Among the 18 national treasures, 7 belong to the Dong Son Culture (dating back approximately 2000-2500 years), namely: the Ngoc Lu bronze drum, the Viet Khe boat tomb, the bronze statue of two people carrying each other and playing a trumpet, the Hoang Ha bronze drum, the Canh Thinh bronze drum, and the bronze lamp stand in the shape of a kneeling person.

The Vo Canh stele (made of sandstone, dating from the 3rd-4th century) is the only artifact of Champa culture displayed at this exhibition. Treasures associated with President Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary career in the 20th century include: the book "The Revolutionary Path," the work "Prison Diary," and the handwritten "Call to Arms for National Resistance."

Along with the artifacts, the organizers also presented to the public related scientific documents such as: drawings, pattern reproductions, illustrative images, documents about the discovery and research process of the artifacts… This event is part of a series of activities celebrating the Lunar New Year 2017 (Year of the Rooster). The exhibition will run until the end of May 2017.

6.Former National Assembly representative Chau Thi Thu Nga prosecuted.

Ms. Chau Thi Thu Nga (in the blue shirt) was summoned to the trial of Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan on May 24th as a related party - Photo: Provided.

On January 13, the Supreme People's Procuratorate issued an indictment prosecuting Ms. Chau Thi Thu Nga (52 years old, former member of the 13th National Assembly) for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property.

Ms. Nga was formerly the chairperson and general director of Housing Group Joint Stock Company.

In the same case, eight other defendants were also prosecuted for the same crime, including: Nguyen Truong Son (49 years old), Nguyen Vu Hung (52 years old), Phan Thanh Tuyen (57 years old), Dinh Phuc Tien (57 years old), all former deputy general directors of Housing Group; Pham Thi Thu Hanh (37 years old), former chief accountant; Doan Thanh Thuy (35 years old), former acting chief accountant; Nguyen Thi Tinh (57 years old) and Luu Thi Thuy (34 years old), both former directors of Housing Group's real estate trading floor.

Housing Group was established in 2000, wholly owned by Ms. Chau Thi Thu Nga. Ms. Nga also asked several other individuals to hold shares in their names so that the company could operate as a joint-stock company. All operations of Housing Group are decided by Ms. Nga.

Peace

(Synthetic)