The US Sabre Foundation gave 60,000 books worth US $1.5 million  to the National Centre for Scientific and Technology Information on September 14.

The books, which were published in foreign languages by well-known world publishing houses, are on basic and natural sciences, technology, medicine, pharmacology, health care, agriculture, forestry, fishery, biotechnology and information technology.

The books will be distributed to the Thai Nguyen, Hue and Da Nang Universities, the Public Health college, the Ho Chi Minh City library and the National Centre for Scientific and Technology Information. (VNA)

Association for liaison with overseas Vietnamese makes debut

An Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese-Ho Chi Minh City (ALOV-HCMC) was set up on September 14, with 181 members who include repatriated overseas Vietnamese.

Dr. Luong Bach Van, head of the campaigning board for the association's establishment, said that ALOV-HCMC aims to become a reliable channel to disseminate information on the Party's and the State's policies and laws to overseas Vietnamese and help people living in the country get a better understanding about overseas Vietnamese communities.

In the 2006-2010 period, the association will focus its activities on encouraging overseas intellectuals and entrepreneurs to invest in socio-economic development in Ho Chi Minh City, Van added. It will also complete necessary procedures to join the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

People hailing from Ho Chi Minh City account for 1.8 million among 3 million Vietnamese people residing in more than 90 countries and territories. More than 250,000 households in the city have at least one relative living abroad, accounting for 50 percent of the country's total. (VNA)