The great achievements made by Vietnam were not only a bright example, but also an evidence of a model in building a market economy, and opening foreign relations and international integration, said Professor Alexander Lilov, director of the Bulgarian Centre for Economic and Strategic Research (CESR).

In Hanoi, in the morning of November 28th 2005, the National Committee for the Advancement of Women held the Conference to get opinions on the 3rd Draft of the Gender Equality Law in regards to the issues stated in the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) such as: political participation, jobs, education, health care, marriage and family, gender violence and rural areas.

A film show on the Vietnamese people and land was held in New Delhi on December 27 by the Vietnamese Women's Union.

A get-together for overseas Vietnamese return home to welcome the traditional lunar New Year festival (Tet) will be held at Melia hotel in Hanoi on January 23, according to the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA).

An Overseas Vietnamese Club for Science and Technology made its debut at a ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 28 with a six-member executive board.

An American professor and a Vietnamese poet have co-operated in translating poems by Nguyen Trai, a famous figure in Vietnamese literature in the 1500s, into English.

In the afternoon of November 6th, Champ-de-Mars Square in Paris was more crowded than usual. Balloons and posters of orange color attracted high attention.

On 15th December 2005, the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) conferred solemnly the Merit Medal “For the Development of Vietnamese women”

A Swiss woman - Tim Aline Rebeaud, who has been awarded the Henry Dunant prize

Former US Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton have expressed their gratitude to Viet Nam for its generous contribution to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, which was set up following Hurricane Katrina that struck the American Central Gulf Coast and northern regions last August.

On 18 October, 2005, the Central Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) conferred the Merit Medal “For the Development of Women in Vietnam” on Mme. Nancy Fee – Country Coordinator of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam

All observers of Mrs. Tamiko Hattori's exhibition at her residence in Hanoi were very impressed by her professional hand-made lacquer paintings, which follow the Vietnamese style. Mrs. Tamiko Hattori is the spouse of Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam

Peaceful Da Lat city in the Highlands of Vietnam awoke to the sounds of tourist company buses bringing in thousands of domestic and foreign travelers to attend a festival of embroidery. The festival gathered over 2,500 embroidery experts from Hue, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Sai Gon and Da Lat.

The Japanese Zen Plaza in Saigon is a joint-venture project between the Hasegawa Company and a Saigon cooperative

Taiwan has invested some US$300 million to help Vietnamese women who have tied the knot with Taiwanese nationals integrate into the local community, according to a workshop in Hanoi Aug 16.

So far, Vietnam-US relations develop strongly in all fields. The Vietnam-US relationship has developed rapidly in various fields and brought many benefits to the two nations’ future

The workshop held in 2 days, 11 – 12 August in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR.

Dear friends

Recently, Art Division, Ministry of Culture and Information organized an exhibit introducing traditional costumes of 54 Vietnamese ethnics at Van Ho Exhibit Center. This is considered the most sufficient ethnical costume collection ever since.

Founded on 1st December 1945 and attached with the post Second World War struggle of women in the world for peace, national independence and women’s rights, the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF) will celebrate its 60th Birthday at the end of 2005.