A ceremony was held in Hanoi on January 27 to honour the first 200 businesses in the first phase of a programme that will honour 1,000 such enterprises entitled “Thang Long-Hanoi Intelligence”.

Among the recipients are the Vietnam Paper Corporation, the Vang Danh Coal Joint Stock Company, and the Vietnam Industrial and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Vietinbank).

Localities that boast many award-winning enterprises include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang city and Dong Nai province.

The “Thang Long-Hanoi Intelligence” programme has been launched to hand out 1,000 awards in each of three categories--outstanding businesses, businesspeople and products--in the lead-up to the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Businesses and entrepreneurs are selected on such criteria as the sound development of their businesses, their high prestige in the marketplace and their remarkable contributions to social activities.

The full list of outstanding businesses, businesspeople and products is expected to be made public in August 2010.

The programme is being jointly organised by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), the Vietnam Association of Intellectual Property and Vietnam Culture and Information Co. Ltd (Vinacinco)./.