THE 6TH REGULAR PRESS CONFERENCE
(Hanoi, May 22, 2008)

ANNOUNCEMENT
1. President of the Republic of Rwanda to visit Vietnam
At the invitation of President Nguyen Minh Triet, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda will pay an official visit to Vietnam from 23-26 May, 2008.
President Paul Kagame will hold talks with President Nguyen Minh Triet, and meet with General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung.
The two sides will exchange views on ways and means to further cooperation in economics, trade, education and healthcare. They will pay special attention to exchanging experience in agricultural development and poverty reduction.

2. President Nguyen Minh Triet to visit the Republic of Austria, the Kingdom of Norway and the Hellenic Republic from 2-10 June, 2008
At the invitations of President Heizn Fischer, His Majesty King Harald of Norway and President Karolos Papoulias of the Hellenic Republic, President Nguyen Minh Triet and Spouse will pay state visits to the Republic of Austria, the Kingdom of Norway and the Hellenic Republic from 2-10 June, 2008.
The visits are to enhance the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Austria, Norway and Greece, especially in areas the three countries enjoy advantages. On this occasion, several cooperation agreements will be signed between Vietnam and Austria, Norway and Greece separately.

3. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem to attend the ASEAN – UN Ministerial Meeting in Myanmar on May 25th 2008
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem will lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN – UN Ministerial Meeting about relief and  reconstruction work, which will be held in Yangoon, Myanmar on May 25th 2008, to help Myanmar overcome the consequences of cyclone Nargis.
The meeting will focus on discussing cyclone victims’ needs, seeking international support and financial aid for humanitarian assistance of international community in an endeavor to address the urgent needs, reconstruct the country for long term and overcome the  cyclone’s consequences.

4. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem to visit Lao PDR
At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Laos Thonglun Sisulit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem will pay an official visit to Lao PDR and co-chair the 5th Exchange between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane, Laos at the beginning of June, 2008.
The visit is to strengthen and further enhance the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation as well as the close relationship between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

5. Vietnam – Japan Friendship Music Festival under the theme “This peace, we have dreamed” to take place on May 24, 2008
At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem, Mr. Sugi Ryotaro, Vietnam - Japan Special Friendship Ambassador and Japan – Vietnam Special Ambassador and top Japanese singers and artists will visit and perform in Vietnam on the 35th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The show comprises performances by top singers and artists from Vietnam and Japan.
The Vietnam – Japan Friendship Music Festival will take place at 8 p.m of May 24, 2008 at the National Conference Centre in Hanoi and 8 p.m, May 26th 2008 at Hoa Binh Theatre in Ho Chi Minh City. The festival will be live broadcast on VTV1 channel on May 24 and repeated on NHK channel of Japan.

6. Hue Festival 2008
The 2008 Hue festival under the theme “Cultural heritage with integration and development” will be convened in Hue from 3-11 June, 2008. It is an international and national festival of culture and tourism to be organized biannually. This festival is deeply embedded with Vietnamese identities and Hue culture, thus promoting international exchange, economic growth and Vietnamese tourism development.
The People’s Committee of Hue and the festival’s Organising Board will hold an international press conference at 15.00, June 2nd 2008 at Saigon Morin Hotel (Hue).

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Question: Which Vietnamese official will attend the opening ceremony of Olympic Beijing?

Answer:

President Nguyen Minh Triet will attend the opening ceremony of Olympic Beijing. 

Question: Who will lead the Vietnamese delegation to attend the 13th Vietnam – US human rights dialogue?

Answer:

Under the agreement between the two countries and in the annual dialogue framework, the 13th Vietnam – US human rights dialogue will be held on May 29th 2008, in Hanoi. The Vietnamese delegation will be led by Mr Doan Xuan Hung, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the US side will be headed Mr David Kramer, Assistant Secretary for democracy, human rights and labor. The two sides will exchange views on issues of mutual concern such as democracy, human rights and religious freedom. 

Question: Will the arrests of two journalists affect Vietnam’s determination in the fight against corruption?

 Answer:

The Vietnamese Party and Government are fully aware of the dangers of corruption and consider the fight against corruption a very important task. Vietnam has taken strong measures to prevent and fight against corruption. The Vietnamese press has played an important role in this fight and made remarkable contribution to discovering corruptive behaviors as well as monitoring anti-corruption activities.

However, while doing their jobs, press agencies and journalists have responsibility to abide by the law, provide correct information and assume  accountability before the law for their violation.
According to competent agencies, legal proceedings have been brought against two journalists, Nguyen Van Chien of Thanh nien and Nguyen Van Hai of Tuoi tre and they have been temporarily detained for “abusing positions and/or powers while performing official duties” (according to article 281 of Vietnam Penal Code). The case is now being investigated by competent agencies. This will not affect Vietnam’s determination to fight against corruption.