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VIET
NAM'S TOP TEN EVENTS IN 2001
Ha Noi, Dec. 25 (VNA) -- Following are top
ten events selected by Viet Nam News Agency (VNA) in
2001:
1. The ninth national congress of the
Communist Party of Viet Nam held in Ha Noi from April
19-22.
The congress, viewed as that of wisdom,
democracy, unity and renewal, charted a new course of
national development in the first two decades of the
21st century, a strategy for socio-economic development
between 2001 and 2010, and the orientation and tasks of
socio-economic development plan for 2001-2005.
The congress elected a 150-member Party
Central Committee and Nong Duc Manh as General Secretary
of the new Party CC.
2. The National Assembly approved a
resolution on amendment and supplement to a number of
articles of the 1992 Constitution and passed important
laws on organization and operation of the National
Assembly, the Government and other state bodies.
3. Viet Nam registered a high growth rate
of gross domestic product (7 percent), the second
highest in Asia, this year against the backdrop of
unstable and complicated world developments and global
and regional economic downturn.
Viet Nam was considered as a country of
political and social stability and accordingly it
received international donors' pledge to maintain
financial support at almost the same level as in 2000.
The country also saw a continued rise in
foreign direct investment (FDI) which made up about 40
percent of total social investment, and positive results
in economic restructuring with foreign trade turnover
almost reaching the GDP level while Viet Nam's seafood
export surpassed the level of 2.2 million tonnes to earn
USD 1.8 billion, an all-time high to date.
4. Important successes were also made in
Viet Nam's open-door foreign policy. These were
prominently seen in Party General Secretary Nong Duc
Manh's official visits to Laos (July) and China (December)
as well as Russian President V. Putin's visit to Viet
Nam (March).
5. The Viet Nam-U.S. trade agreement was
approved by the two countries' legislative bodies and
was later ratified by U.S. President G. Bush and
Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong. The agreement came
into force at 15:00 hrs (Washington time) on Dec. 10,
2001 immediately after the two sides exchanged letters
of approval.
6. Viet Nam-Russia oil and gas joint
venture enterprise (Vietsovpetro) pumped up the 100
millionth tonne of crude oil in mid-November and posted
an output of 13 million tonnes in 2001.
7. Vietnamese archaeologists unearthed Lung
Leng site in central highland Kon Tum province, finding
a natural museum containing artefacts dating back to the
Palaeolithic Era (between 20,000-30,000 years ago). They
also discovered a house on stilts built by ancient
Vietnamese in central Quang Nam province about 2,000
years ago (Pre-Champa period).
8. The first state awards in art and
literature were presented to 174 best works and groups
of works which have made active contributions to the
people and army's spiritual life and national defence
and construction.
9. Viet Nam won 135 medals, including 33
gold, at SEA Games-21 in Malaysia, obtaining the fourth
place in Southeast Asia. At the SEA Games, Viet Nam's
female soccer team won the gold medal.
10. An earth quake measuring five degrees
on the Richter scale hit Dien Bien basin in northern
border Lai Chau province, damaging about 80 percent of
local people's houses, public offices, schools and
hospitals. The losses were estimated at more than VND
200 billion.--VNA
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