The Asia - Pacific Forum 2008: Development Gateway: Collaboration and Futures in the Asia – Pacific.

Vietnam wants to boost friendship and solidarity with Venezuela as well as to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries across a broad spectrum of areas for mutual prosperity, said President Nguyen Minh Triet.

A Vietnamese diplomat has stressed the need of strengthening cooperation and coordination between the Security Council and other UN bodies in promoting collective security and armament regulation and disarmament.

President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived in Caracas on November 18 (local time), beginning a two-day official visit to Venezuela at the invitation of his counterpart Hugo Chavez Frias.

Vietnam always attaches importance to development of its partnership with the US in various fields in line with high-level statements between the two countries.

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), headed by To Huy Rua, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, joined almost 50 others across the world in an international meeting “Joining hands to build a new internationalism” in Paris on Nov. 15-16.

As many as 22 overseas Vietnamese in France were presented with the certificates of merits at a ceremony held in the Embassy of Vietnam in Paris for their significant contributions to community development and national construction and defence.

The bilateral relationship fundamentals between Vietnam and the US are set to be maintained by the Obama administration.

The World Bank (WB) will provide a 200 million USD loan to Vietnam to help it carry out the Rural Finance Project 3, which has been designed to develop the country’s rural economy.

Industry and trade, health and banking were 'hot' issues at the Q and A session