Indochina & Cuba Interchange |
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| Volume 9, Issue 1 | January 1999 | |
Lao and Vietnamese Ministers Speak at Forumby Andrew ThornleyHigh level leaders from Laos and Vietnam met with representatives of NGOs educational organizations and business at the office of the Institute of International Education in New York. This is an annual event sponsored by the Forum on Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. It provides an opportunity for the private sector to meet informally with national leaders in conjunction with their attendance at the UN General Assembly. Speaking at the September 23d session were Soubanh Srithirath, Minister to the Office of the President of Lao PDR and Nguyen Manh Cam, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Both had been given higher government responsibilities since their prior meetings with the Forum. Soubanh Srithirath Minister Soubanh credited consistent economic reforms since 1986 for Laos' impressive growth figures (per capita income rising approximately 7 percent from 1991 -1996). However, Laos has suffered as a result of the recent economic crisis in Asia, notably leading to rising inflation and a decline in the value of the currency. |
International Scholars Meet at Conference on Vietnamese Studies in Hanoiby Helen Chauncey and Hy Van LuongThe International Conference on Vietnamese Studies in Hanoi in July 1998 was the largest international gathering to date of academic researchers on Vietnam. The National University of Hanoi and the National Center for Social Sciences and the Humanities in Vietnam co-sponsored the conference. Professor Phan Huy Le was the main organizer, and Professor Le Huu Tang of NCSSH was the co-organizer. The Ford Foundation provided the main funding for the conference. Support also came from French and Japanese sources. |
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