Top domestic news of the past week

Party and State leaders lay wreaths and pay respects at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Van Diep/TTXVN

To commemorate the 128th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2018), on the morning of May 18, a delegation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the President, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front laid wreaths and paid respects at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh.

The wreath laid by the delegation bore the inscription "Forever grateful to the great President Ho Chi Minh."

The delegation expressed their boundless gratitude and respectfully commemorated the immense contributions of President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader and beloved teacher of our Party and nation. He dedicated his entire life to the cause of national liberation, reunification of the country, and building an independent and unified Vietnam.

Delegations from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the President, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front also laid wreaths and paid respects to the heroic martyrs at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs on Bac Son Street, Hanoi.

On the same day, delegations from the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense, the Central Party Committee of Public Security and the Ministry of Public Security, the Hanoi City Party Committee, the People's Council, the People's Committee of Hanoi City, and the Steering Committee for coordinating activities of the Ba Dinh historical and cultural relic complex... came to lay wreaths and pay respects at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh; and laid wreaths and commemorated the Heroes and Martyrs at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs.

Many localities across the country also held practical and meaningful activities to commemorate the 128th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan presided over and delivered the closing remarks at the 24th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee. Photo: Trong Duc/TTXVN

At its 24th session (held over three days from May 14-16), the Standing Committee of the National Assembly gave its opinions on two draft laws: the Law on the People's Police (amended); and the Law amending and supplementing a number of laws related to the Planning Law.

In her closing remarks, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan stated that the National Assembly Standing Committee had adopted four resolutions on important issues within its decision-making authority. For each item, after discussion, the National Assembly Standing Committee reached specific conclusions, which will be communicated to relevant agencies for further implementation.

The Chairman of the National Assembly requested the Government, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council, the standing committees of the National Assembly's Standing Committee, the Secretary General of the National Assembly, and relevant agencies and organizations to study and incorporate the opinions expressed at the session to finalize reports, draft laws, and draft resolutions before signing and promulgation; and to continue to coordinate closely and urgently review and complete the preparation of content and conditions to ensure the best possible service for the 5th Session of the National Assembly, which will open on May 21st; with particular emphasis on sending documents to National Assembly deputies so they have sufficient time to study them in advance and prepare their opinions comprehensively and in-depth, contributing to the quality of the session.

The Prime Minister met and held a dialogue with 800 workers in the Red River Delta.

On the occasion of Workers' Month 2018, and to celebrate the 128th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, on the morning of May 20th in Ha Nam province, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met and held a dialogue with over 800 workers from industrial zones in the Red River Delta region on the theme "Higher Productivity, Better Welfare".

This is the third time Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has met and held dialogues with workers and trade union officials. After each meeting and dialogue, many policies concerning workers are given attention, and many legitimate concerns and aspirations of workers regarding issues such as living conditions, employment, wages, prices, housing, childcare, and cultural life are shared by the Prime Minister, who then directs ministries, sectors, and localities to implement them.

Earlier on the afternoon of May 19th, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and inspected the construction of the Trade Union facility project at Dong Van II Industrial Park, and visited the workers' dormitory area in Hamlet 2, Than Nu Village, Bach Thuong Commune, Duy Tien District.

The Prime Minister kindly inquired about the jobs, income, and living conditions of three families and sixteen children of workers who were renting rooms here, and presented them with gifts.

The Ministry of Transport launches the North-South high-speed railway project.

At a meeting of the Ministry of Transport on the afternoon of May 15th, Deputy Director of the Railway Project Management Board Vu Hong Phuong stated that the TEDI-TRICC-TEDIS consulting consortium is currently implementing the consulting package for the construction and completion of the pre-feasibility study report for the North-South high-speed railway project. The mid-term report will be submitted to the Ministry of Transport at the end of June, and the final report will be completed in October.

The Railway Project Management Board will coordinate with local authorities on route alignment, land use planning, finalize and update traffic demand forecast data, and develop specific criteria for analyzing, comparing, and selecting technology and speed for high-speed railways...

The Ministry of Transport aims to submit the high-speed railway projects for the Hanoi-Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City-Nha Trang sections to the Government by 2019-2020, with construction to be completed by 2030. This is because after this time, the North-South expressway will also reach its capacity limit.

Having won two international gold medals, the male student was awarded the Labor Medal.

The Department of Education and Training of Quang Binh province organized a ceremony on May 17th to commend and reward students who achieved excellent results in the 2017-2018 school year.

At the ceremony, on behalf of the President of Vietnam, Mr. Tran Tien Dung, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, presented the Third-Class Labor Medal to Nguyen The Quynh, a former student of Vo Nguyen Giap Specialized High School.

Nguyen The Quynh is one of two outstanding students nationwide who were awarded the Third-Class Labor Medal by the President of Vietnam for their excellent academic achievements. In the 2016 and 2017 International Physics Olympiads, Quynh won two Gold Medals for the Vietnamese team.