Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) has been told to prepare information technology infrastructure suitable for the introduction of a competitive power generation market in Viet Nam.

Vietnamese businesses should boost production and use of non-baked construction materials as they are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, a senior official said Saturday.

Viet Nam needs to develop a modern tourism sector, based on its advantages in nature, culture, geography, politics and people, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan. Vietnamese tourism must become a key Southeast Asian, Asian and global destination, he said, addressing the 50th anniversary of the country's industry held in Ha Noi yesterday.

The Government of Viet Nam has guided its ministries to encourage bio-fuel development to reduce dependence on the fossil fuels and to protect the environment.

Viet Nam's TOSY Robotics JSC brought a dozen industrial robots to join the world's largest robotics fair – Automatica 2010 – in Germany this year, garnering big applause from partners and audiences for its affordable products.

Russia's Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision was asked to help the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety build legal documents and procedures and to train Vietnamese staff for the safe operation of the country's first nuclear power plant. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the request in a meeting with Nikolay Georgievich Kutin, chairman of the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision yesterday in Ha Noi.

Power supplies are expected to improve from June 20 after water levels in the country's reservoirs rise and hydroelectricity plants resume normal operations, Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) deputy general director Dang Hoang An has said.

The Viet Nam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) yesterday inaugurated the Cai Lan steel laminating plant, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia in northeastern Quang Ninh Province.

The domestic mechanical engineering industry is not likely to reach its target this year of supplying at least 45-50 per cent of the local market's needs, according to experts. In 2002, the Government approved a strategy to develop the industry until 2010 that called for it to meet nearly half of market demand.

A month into the "Viet Nam – Your Destination" programme, tourism agencies, local administrations, hotels and restaurants in HCM City are acting together to ensure its success. The focus, experts have said, is on designing new products and improving service quality in order to attract both local and foreign visitors.