THE 4TH REGULAR PRESS CONFERENCE
(Hanoi, 9 April, 2009)

ANNOUNCEMENT

+ The ASEAN Summit with outside partners from 10-12 April, 2009

At the invitation of H.E. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung will head the Vietnamese delegation to the Summits between ASEAN and its partners, namely: ASEAN+1 Summit, the 12th ASEAN+3 Summit, East Asia Summit (EAS) and the 3rd ASEAN-United Nations Summit, to be convened in Pattaya, Thailand from 10-12 April, 2009.

Under the theme of “Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges”, Leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and the UN Secretary General will discuss ways and means to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and outside partners, especially in addressing global challenges such as the financial crisis, economic slowdown, energy security, food security and natural disaster management.

Leaders of countries concerned are expected to adopt several documents and statements of food security, bio-energy and natural disaster management.

+ Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to visit Vietnam

At the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung, Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew will visit Vietnam from 13- 17 April, 2009.

During this visit, Vietnam and Singapore will exchange view on regional and international situation, especially the financial and economic crisis and measures to address this crisis. Both sides also discuss measures to further enhance bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, investment, culture and education.

During his stay in Vietnam, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew will visit Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam- Singapore Industrial Park in Binh Duong province.

+The 19th Asia Business Conference

The 19th Asia Corporate Conference co-hosted by Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment and Asia Society will take place from 22- 24 April, 2009 in Ho Chi Minh City. Under the theme of “Redefining Asia's Challenges and the New Role for Vietnam”, important issues will be discussed at this conference as follows:

- The global economic crisis and long-term implications on Asia and the world;
- Impacts of new US economic and trade policies on Asia;
- Rebalancing the global financial system;
- Making Asia’s growth sustainable;
- The future of Asian cities;
- The Human Talent Pipeline: Education and Capacity building
- The growth of Asian enterprises with Vietnam, the rising star in the development of South East Asia

About 700 to 800 participants are expected to attend this conference, including representatives from the UN, leadership of countries, Vietnamese Ministries and agencies, Asian organizations and top enterprises in Vietnam and the world at large.

Question and Answer:

Question:
With regard to the recent BBC story on Falun Gong, does Vietnam have a policy against the practice? Has China ever put pressure on Vietnam to ban Falun Gong activities?

Answer:

At the moment, Falun Gong does not exist in Vietnam.

Sports and activities to improve the people’s health are respected on the basis of compliance with Vietnamese laws.

Regular Press Briefing by MOFA’s Spokesman on 9th April 2009