VNA Activities mark Party founding anniversary A showroom entitled The Communist Party of Vietnam with the National Renovation Cause¹ was opened on February 1 at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum on the occasion of the 72nd founding anniversary of the party. Present at the ceremony were leaders of the Ministry of Information and Culture, representatives from central committees and sectors and localities. The showroom introduces nearly 300 articles arranged into two sections: The CPV initiates, organises and leads the national renovation process and The achievements of the national renovation process in the past 15 years in political, economic, social and cultural, educational, health care and diplomatic fields. On the occasion, the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum has co-ordinated with some localities to organise a showroom in Ho Chi Minh City on Uncle Ho with Ethnic Minorities¹ and another in northern mountainous province of Cao Bang on August Revolution under the Leadership of the Party.¹ The same day, the final round of the contest Hanoi Youth with the Resolution of the Ninth National Party Congress¹ was held with the participation of three colleges: the Teachers¹ Training College, the National Economics University and the Foreign Language Teachers¹ Training College.¹ The three teams are the best among the forty teams of forty universities and colleges that took part in the contest organised by the Hanoi¹s Youth Union over the past two months. The teams had to answer questions relating to the Resolution of the Ninth National Party Congress, and the Resolution of the 13rd Hanoi Party Congress, sang songs and read poems on the Party, Uncle Ho and expressed their feelings about the songs and poems. Finally, the contestants had to come through an rhetorical contest on their understanding of the Party¹s Resolution. The Teachers¹ Training College won the first prize. The second prize went to the National Economics University and the Foreign Language Teachers¹ Training College was the owner of the third prize. Politburo members Nguyen Khoa Diem and Nguyen Phu Trong presented the prizes to the winners. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Book exhibition welcomes Party's birthday, New Year The Hanoi Library opened a book and newspaper exhibition to celebrate the Party's birthday, the New Year and the national renovation on February 1. On display are around 1,000 books and 200 different kinds of Tet newspapers and magazines. Books on show feature those on Ho Chi Minh Thought; the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam; achievements of the Vietnamese revolution; the strategic line and leadership of the Party during the resistance war time against the French colonialists, the US imperialists and the national construction; the history of Hanoi's Party Committee and the capital's achievements during the renovation process. Also on the occasion, a war memorial was inaugurated in Ha Long city of Quang Ninh northern province on February 1. The memorial is built on a four-hectare area on the bank of Ha Long bay, Bach Dang ward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deputy PM meets US Pacific commander-in-chief Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam pursues an external policy of diversification and multilaterlisation and wishes to befriend other countries in the interests of peace, stability and development in the world. Deputy Prime Minister Dung was talking with the United States Pacific Commander-in-Chief Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair, during a reception in Hanoi on February 1. Mr Dung welcomed Admiral Dennis Blair's visit, describing it as an important step in accelerating the multi-faceted co-operation between Vietnam and the US. Deputy PM Dung said that the two armies can co-operate with each other, particularly in fighting drug trafficking and terrorism, and disposing of mines and unexploded munitions on the basis of mutual respect and benefits, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The same day, Admiral Dennis Blair and his entourage paid courtesy visits to Defence Minister Pham Van Tra, Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, General Vo Nguyen Giap and Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Phung Quang Thanh. The US Pacific Command delegation will wrap up their visit on February 2. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Foreign minister meets diplomatic corps Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien and his wife received the diplomatic corps in Hanoi on February 1, on the occasion of the Vietnamese traditional lunar New Year Festival. On behalf of the Vietnamese government, Foreign Minister Nien thanked foreign countries and international organisations as well as their ambassadors and chief representatives in Hanoi for their valuable support and assistance to Vietnam, thus positively contributing to Vietnam's development. He said he hoped that in the future, ambassadors and representatives of international organisations would continue making efforts to further develop the friendship and co-operation between Vietnam and their countries and organisations. Salem Ali Salem Dannah, Secretary of the People's Bureau of Libya and acting Chief of the diplomatic corps in Hanoi, congratulated the achievements of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the past years. He highly valued Vietnam's role in the region and the world. He said he believed that Vietnam would gain greater achievements in socio-economic development, raising the people's living conditions and attaining the target of making Vietnam an industrialised country. Host and guests raised toasts to the further development of friendship and co-operation between Vietnam and their countries and organisations. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strategy for advancement of women announced The National Strategy for the Advancement of Women to 2010 was announced on February 1, by the National Committee for Advancement of Women (NCAW). The strategy aims to improve the material and spiritual lives of women, and creates good conditions to effectively implement fundamental rights and promote the role, of women in political, economic, cultural and social fields. The strategy points out detailed goals for two periods, from now to 2005 and from 2005 through 2010, which include reducing the unemployment rate of women in urban areas to below 5%, and increasing working time of women in rural areas to 80%. By 2005, 80% of poor households headed by women will be provided with loans from poverty reduction programmes and women will account for 50% of total borrowers. Forty per cent of female workers will be trained and all illiterate women under-40 will be provided with literacy classes. The rate of infant mortality will be seven per 1,000 and 95% of women will be provided with medical services. The rate of women working in provincial/city people's councils will be raised to 28% in the 2004-2009 term and to 30% in the next term. The implementation of the strategy will be closely combined with the implementation of other strategies, national programmes and Vietnam's regional and international commitments on gender equality as well as the implementation of the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Women account for 50.8% of the Vietnamese population and 50.6% of the labour force. To achieve gender equality, the Vietnamese government has institutionalised legal systems and policies to ensure women's interests in all fields. The government ratified the CEDAW in 1980, passed the Global Platform of Action in 1995. Vietnam generates permanent jobs for nearly 19 million women, accounting for 48% of the total work force in all economic sectors. Ninety-six per cent of women received help in child birth. Women made up 26.22% of deputies to the 10th National Assembly, ranking first in Asia and second in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the rate of women, who are unemployed, under employed or laid-off is still high. The higher the education level is, the lower the rate of women is found. In the 15-35 age group, the rate of illiteracy among women is double that of men. The situation is especially bad in remote communes and areas inhabited by ethnic minority people. The burden of household chores made women, particularly those in rural areas, suffer a loss in material, spiritual and physical strength, preventing them from participating social activities. They are also vulnerable to social evils and domestic violence. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ More Tet gifts for disadvantaged people Provinces, cities and organisations nationwide have presented Tet gifts to priority policy beneficiaries, poor people and children. Lam Dong Central Highlands province has spent VND 3 billion to buy Tet gifts for families enjoying priority policy, families in special difficulty, lonely elders and street children. The provincial People's Committee has also reserved VND 2.2 billion to buy gifts for war veterans, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, People's Armed Force Heroes, war invalids, families of fallen combatants and retired people. The Hanoi Red Cross Society has spent VND 17.5 million to buy 50 packages of gifts for Agent Orange victims and poor households. The society has also called on and presented gifts to six Vietnamese Heroic Mothers. The Nghe An central province has spent over VND 340 million to buy gifts for families benefiting priority policy. The provincial Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has donated poor households with 238 tonnes of rice. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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