VNA Hung Kings Festival prepared Preparations for the Hung King Festival are now under way. In order to give the best possible services to serve domestic and foreign visitors to the Hung Kings¹ Temple on the occasion of their death anniversary this year, tender winners are now completing their work at the site of the relic. A total of VND 19.1 billion is spent in widening and upgrading an over three kilometre road, upgrading the Hung Kings¹ tombs and widening yards of the Upper Temple, Central Temple and Gieng Temple as well as upgrading the lighting system. The authorities of Phu Tho province have provided the guidelines for the provincial cultural and information sector to organise the festival this year. The song and dance performances and sports games are now planned. **** PetroVietnam exports 100 millionth tonne of crude oil The Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam) exported the 100 millionth tonne of crude oil at the end of March, 2001. This is thanks to measures to raise production at the commercial fields. The corporation exploited an estimated 4.358 million tonnes of crude oil in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 22.7% over the same period last year. PetroVietnam also brought ashore about 450 million cubic metres of associated gas, supplying LPG factories and gas power stations. The amount of crude oil exported in the first three months of the year reached 4.233 million tonnes, an increase of 22.3% over the same period last year. Many major oil and gas projects such as Dung Quat oil refinery, Nam Con Son and Tay Lan gas project and collecting gas from the Mekong reserve are underway. **** EVN signs Phu My 2-1 contract A contract for the construction of the Phu My gas turbine Power Plants 2-1 in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province was signed on March 28. Signatories were the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), and bid winners, Switzerland's Alstrom group and Japan's Marubeni group. The project, which has a design capacity of 160 megawatts, is to be built at a total cost of US $119 million. The project expected to be completed in 22 months, will raise the capacity of the Phu My Power Plants to 1,838 megawatts. **** Lao journalist delegation visits A five-member Lao Journalists Association (LJA) delegation, led by its President Buaban Volakhune, made a week-long visit to Vietnam, from March 18-25. The delegation had working sessions with the Ministry of Culture and Information, Nhan Dan newspaper, the Vietnam News Agency, Radio the Voice of Vietnam, Hanoi Radio and Television, and the General Department of Post and Telecommunications Subsidiary, the Vietnam Data-communications Company (VDC). Mr Volakhune, who is also Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, and his entourage toured Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh provinces. They were received by Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee member and Chairman of its Ideology and Culture Commission Huu Tho, who briefed them about the preparations for the Party's Ninth National Congress beginning on April 19. Earlier, they exchanged views with a delegation of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) led by its President Hong Vinh, about the activities of their associations and experiences in preparing for both LJA and VJA congresses. The congresses are due this year. (VNA) **** Catholics called to contribute to national development The Presidium and Secretariat of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) began a two-day meeting in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, to discuss this year's programme of action and its orientation for the first years of the 21st century. The meeting, presided over by CSVC's President Father Vuong Dinh Ai and CSVC's Deputy President and General Secretary Father Phan Khac Tu, also reviewed the activities of the patriotic Catholics movement in the recent past. "Catholics of every diocese, together with their fellow citizens across the country, have been actively engaged in diverse emulation movements, thus contributing to the national development in such areas as the economy, the building of a new life in their communities, educational development, health care, social evil control, help for poor and unprivileged people and other charity activities," said a report delivered at the meeting. The report also said: "The CSVC should encourage all Catholics to continue participating in the patriotic emulation movements, thus contributing to national development as well as promoting the 'All-people solidarity for building a new life in residential communities and living the Gospel amidst the nation' movement. "The CSVC will continue strengthening and broadening its organisation, increasing the exchange of information and experience between the local and central-level bodies and launching an emulation movement to welcome the fourth national congress of Vietnamese Catholics, scheduled for late 2002. (VNA) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
