Twelve expat Vietnamese youngsters arrived in Vietnam Monday sponsored by the US Catalyst Foundation for a 10-day trip to help local underprivileged kids and discover their home country in the process.

Applied health students from Charles Sturt University in Australia’s New South Wales state will head to Vietnam next week to work with children with disabilities in a Ho Chi Minh City orphanage.

In spite of being made 35 years ago and shown in many countries, the film “Winter soldier” will be shown in American cinemas since 16 January 2006 only.

Why does it take 35 years?

On the occasion of the New Lunar Year and in preparation for the “Binh Tuat” Tet (Year of Golden Dog), in the evening of January 21st, the Vietnamese Embassy to the US held a cultural exchange including food and film festivals.

Victims of Agent Orange (AO) and other toxic chemicals demanded US chemical companies pay compensation in an international appeal released at the end of a two-day conference on the effects of AO/dioxin in Ha Noi.

All American veterans who are expected to attend an international conference on Agent Orange (AO) and its effects on people to be held in Ha Noi on March 28-29, said they will strive for justice for AO victims in Viet Nam.

A generation after the Vietnam War, a US military veteran whose team once sprayed Agent Orange on the country came face to face with disabled children whose suffering is blamed on the defoliant.

Governments, international and national organizations, and non-government organizations are urged to provide material and spiritual support for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Viet Nam.

On the second day of the Brunei’s Crown Prince’s official visit to Vietnam, his spouse visited the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and Vietnam Women’s Museum

On 9 March 2006, the Vietnamese Student Association, located in Rennes France organized a cultural program titled “An air of Vietnam”.

An impressive activity recently took place to honor Vietnam in school Attenet Royal, which is situated in one of the major districts of Brussels – Belgian capital city.

From nevous newcomer to confident contributor to the Hanoi community, Barbara Ali shares her story about her involvement with the Hanoi international women’s club.

On February 9th, 2006, at the Head Office of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Ms. Susan Schnall - a member of the American Women Organization for Peace and Global Exchange,

Hanoi, 13 March 2006

Esteemed Judges of the United States of America,

On the occasion of 96th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8th and 1966 years of up rising of the Two Ladies Trung, on March, 4th, Presidium of the Central Vietnam Women’s Union held a familiar meeting with women leaders.

On 11th February, 2006, Mme. Ha Thi Khiet, member of the Central Party Committee, President of Vietnam Women’s Union had a meeting with a delegation from Germany Savings Banks’ Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC)

Vietnamese ao dai (traditional long dress) will be introduced at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles of the US from April 18 to July 9.

Antonio Maria Costa, Undersecretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has praised Viet Nam's commitments and achievements in the fight against drugs and crime.

APEC Women Leaders’ Network (WLN) was founded in 1996 with the goal of stimulating women’s participation in all areas of investment, trade and coooperation in the Asia Pacific on the principle of gender equality, contributing to the sustainable growth and human development in the region

On February 17, 2006, (January7th lunar calendar) in Paris, France, Vietnamese Association in France in cooperation with the Vietnam Embassy in France and Vietnam mission to UNESCO organized the Gala to welcome 2006 Lunar New Year.

"I felt welcome everywhere I went, and I felt I could have stayed for days in any of the towns to share the Tet spirit," said Daniel Levitt, HIV/AIDS and Health Manager of USAID Vietnam.

Jacqueline Louise Jacqueline, a 39-year-old British woman, is voluntarily working in the ancient town of Hoi An, central Quang Nam province, to help orphaned children with disabilities.

Isabelle Durin, the No 1 violinist of the Ile-de-France National Symphony Orchestra, will give performances on February 15 and 16 at the Opera House and French Culture Centre in Hanoi.

Australia wishes to tighten mutual cooperation with Viet Nam not only in economics but also in education and poverty elimination, said John Joseph Acquilina, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales, Australia.

In the evening of Octorber 31st 2005, Nguyen Thanh Tung a youngster with two eyes blind as an effect of Agent Orange performed solo the Vietnamese musical instrument “Dan bau” (Monochord) at the Concert-Hall of Cahlos city, Lot Province, 500 km to the South-East of Paris (France). The performance was successful beyond expectation.

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.

My week with the Vietnam Women’s Union confirmed what I already had experienced and heard from others – that the VWU is the most effective and hard working mass organization in Vietnam.

The .United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) plans to provide Viet Nam with 1.76 million USD for child protection activities this year, a UNICEF official said.

As a researcher, writer, and humanitarian aid activist, Ms Lady Bortons has been living and working in Vietnam since 1978.

On the visit to Vietnam of the President of Indonesia and First Lady Ani Bambang Yadhoyono paid a visit to the Vietnam Women’s Museum and was warmly welcomed by the staff and director of the museum, Mme. Nguyen Thi Tuyet

Under the cooperation framework of the Vietnam Women’s Union, the German Savings Banks Foundation and the Agriculture and Rural Development Bank of Philippine (CARD Bank), (which is funded by the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), a delegation of the Vietnam Women’s Union, led by Mme. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union made a working visit to Germany from 20 June to 1 July, 2005.

In the afternoon of 11 July, 2005, a Ceremony to confer the” Friendship Medal of the State of Vietnam” on Mr. Marcus Leroy, Minister-Counselor in charge of Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Belgium Embassy was held at the Headquarter of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU).

Madame Ha Thi Khiet, Member of the Party Central Committee, President of the Vietnam Women's Union, President of the National Committee for the Advancement of Women, lead a delegation that attended the 15th Women's Global Summit in Mexico from June 23rd through the 25th 2005.

Ms. Lore Harp McGovern, a member of Committee 200 (C200)-successful American women entrepreneurs who are heads of corporations, companies and businesses having annual revenue of more than 250 million USD each or owners of private enterprises having at least 15 million USD as revenue... come to Vietnam to attend Vietnam-America Women Entrepreneurs Conference. She is pleased to be interviewed by a press reporter.

“When I see her photos of Vietnamese women in traditional long dresses, I am moved by their inner beauty!”.

Entering the first decade of the 21st Century, the external activities of the Vietnam Women’s Union have blossomed to contribute to enhancing international integration of Vietnam in the context of rapid globalization.

Belgium is one of the first countries who has started its grant programme to Vietnam since 1977.

The Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF), one of the biggest women’s non-governmental organisations in the world, was founded on 1st December 1945 from the struggles of the democratic women’s movement against fascism in the Second World War for a world of peace without arms race.

The Asean Confederation of Women’s Organisations (ACWO) is one of the largest regional non-governmental women’s organization. ACWO was established on 20 November 1981 in Jakarka (Indonesia) by the participation of the 5 founding organization members in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) founded in 1985 and based in Melbourne, Australia is one of the first Australian women’s non-governmental development organizations established partnership with the Vietnam Women’s Union.

The Marie Schlei Association, a non-governmental organisation, was founded in 1984 in memory of Madame Marie Schlei, former German minister for Development policy who first integrated women’s needs into development.

The Maastricht School of Management (MSM) of the Netherlands was founded in 1952.

United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) is an inter-governmental agency, serving for the survival and development of children around the world. UNICEF is the first United Nations Agency to resume its cooperation programme with Vietnamese Government since 1975.

Founded in 1969, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has provided its support for Vietnam since 1978.

As a non-governmental organization and a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Family Planning Australia (FPA) is working to promote the national and international objectives of family planning, enabling people to achieve reproductive and sexual health and well-being in sustainable environment.

Supporting women engaged in aquaculture has drawn increasing attention of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), particularly over the recent years. To bring about greater effects in this area, VWU has contantly been improving its activities, trying to mobilize and optimize resources, especially the cooperation and support from international organizations, including Dutch NGOs.

Women Leaders’ Network (WLN) was establish in 1996 with a goal to involve and enhance women’s participation in all areas -as an active partner- in promoting investment, trade and cooperation activities on the basis of gender equality, thus contributing to the sustainable growth and human resource development in the region.

Vietnam and Canada has officially established the diplomatic relationship since August 1973, opening the new chapter in developing the friendship and cooperation in many sectors between the two countries for the benefits of respective countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia- Pacific and the rest of the world.

In 1989, 20 years After demobilization from the Army, an American veteran, Mr. Steve Sherlock, returned to Vietnam. He and his wife came for a three week visit. At that time, America still imposed an economic embargo against Vietnam and very few Americans came to Vietnam.

ANESVAD Foundation is a non-profitable and non-governmental organization of Spain, established in 1968 to support the developing countries with health and social development projects.

With 100% hand-made Vietnamese traditional material and patterns, designer Le Thi Lan Huong has wrapped the Vietnammese soul inside traditional long dresses, linked to old images of Dong Ho traditional paintings.

To further promote foreign funding mobilization for main activities of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) in the context of decreasing aid sources and strong competition in the international aid market, the Central VWU, on 6 -7 January 2005, conducted a Training Workshop on "Formulation of External Funding Mobilization Strategy for the Vietnam Women's Union".

Ms Christa Randzio-PIath, president of Mane Schiel Association (Germany), was conferred the medal of VWU “For the cause of women's emancipation", by VWU Vice President Nguyen Phuong Minh on 5th August 2004.

The National Committee for Advancement of Women in Vietnam (NCFAW) recently made public a guide for integrating gender in policy-making and implementation.

At the invitation of the Global Summit on Women 2004’s organizers, Vietnam Vice President Truong My Hoa participated in the event in Seoul, Republic of Korea as an honorable chairwoman, from May 27th to 29th.

On 22nd April, 2004, VWU received a set of office equipment including computers, printers and speakers (valued at US$ 20,000) from All China Women's Federation through Embassy of China to Vietnam. Participating in the ceremony were Ambassador of China, representatives of the embassy, VWU vice president Truong Thi Khue and other staff.