The Vietnam News Agency has rounded out the top ten domestic events for 2013 as follows:

1. During its fifth and sixth sessions, the 13th National Assembly adopted the revised 1992 Constitution, the amended Land Law and other key documents. The law-making body decided on socio-economic duties for the remaining phase of the 2011-2015 Plan and strengthened supreme supervision by holding the first-ever vote of confidence on positions elected or approved by the NA. These events are of extreme importance to the national development, meeting expectations of voters and citizens nationwide.

2. The Party Central Committee (11th tenure), at its seventh and eight meetings, decided on major guidelines and policies along with issuing important Resolutions on strengthening and overhauling the Party leadership on civil affairs, proactively responding to climate change, tightening the management of natural resources and environmental protection, conducting a underlying and comprehensive reform of education and training, and highlighting a national defence strategy in the new context, towards realising the 11th National Party Congress’s Resolution to continue renewing comprehensively to make the country grow in a sustainable manner.

3. Amid an array of economic difficulties, Vietnam initially fulfilled the goal of stabilising the macro-economy, curbing inflation and ensuring social welfares for all. Drastic executive solutions deployed by the Government in 2013 worked towards keeping the year’s inflation at a record low in a decade to 6.04 percent, achieving an economic growth of 5.42 percent, attracting nearly 22 billion USD in foreign direct investment, and gaining a record high of more than 132 billion USD in export earnings.

4. General Vo Nguyen Giap, an eminent and close disciple of the late President Ho Chi Minh, a firm revolutionary, a talented General and Commander-in-Chief, and an eldest brother of the Vietnam People’s Army passed away at the age of 103, leaving Vietnamese people and friends worldwide in endless mourning. The General’s reputation, career, personality and great meritorious services remain deeply in the hearts of Vietnamese people and leave a forever mark on the national history.

5. Vietnam was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the first time with the highest votes among the candidates. The country proactively and actively participated in many crucial cooperative mechanisms in the region and the world and established strategic partnership and strategic comprehensive partnership with some countries, contributing to maintaining peace and stability and improving its position on the international arena.

6. The fight against corruption saw steady progress, acquiring high consensus and determination of the whole political system and society at large. All anti-corruption agencies are put in place from the central to local levels. High-profile corrupt cases relating to Vinalines, Vifon and ALC II, which sparked public concern, were brought to trial stringently.

7. The health sector, part from making achievements, dealt with serious violations, like the dumping of a victim body by an owner of Cat Tuong beauty salon, the duplication of test results at Hoai Duc general hospital and the injection of insufficient dose of vaccine at a Hanoi preventive medicine centre, which caused an outrage among the public, requiring the sector to intensify supervision over medical check-ups and treatment, improve medical ethics and bolster public trust.

8. Welcoming the 90 millionth citizen on November 1, Vietnam became the 14 th populous nation in the world and the third in Southeast Asia . The country officially entered in the age of golden population, boasting an advantageous young and abundant workforce to cater for industrialisation and modernisation.

9. Natural disasters happened in an uncertain and complex manner with 15 storms formed in the East Sea , eight of which wrecked havoc on Vietnam , inflicting serious human and property losses in the central provinces .

Along with these, horrific fires and explosions broke out consecutively, claiming lives and destroying assets of the people and the State, raising an alarm in the management of fire-fighting and explosives.

10. With 73 golds, 86 silvers and 86 bronzes, the Vietnamese team outstandingly met its set goal at the 27 th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar . The success was built on its fields of strength like track-and-field, wrestling, shooting, Vovinam, swimming, taekwondo and wushu.-VNA