PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - July 31
HANOI, July 31 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
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FINANCIAL NEWS:
TUOI TRE
-- The State Bank of Vietnam kept the base rate for August unchanged at 14 percent per year, the re-financing rate to commercial banks at 15 percent and the re-discount rate at 13 percent.
-- Utility group EVN has delayed or cancelled more than 500 projects totalled 1.9 trillion dong ($119 million), of which 154 billion dong ($9.3 million) was divested from real estate investments during the past seven months.
-- Laos would maintain its priority on granting licences to Vietnam's investment projects in electricity manufacturing, mining and rubber planting, Lao Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment said.
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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM
-- Petrovietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Company DPM.HM would set retail fertiliser prices unified at a level 10 percent to 15 percent lower than current market prices from Friday.
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ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:
NHAN DAN
-- Foreign tourist arrivals in the first seven months rose 10.6 percent from a year ago to 2.62 million people, mainly from China, South Korea, the United States, Japan and Australia, the Tourism Administration said.
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THANH NIEN
-- Japanese authorities are investigating the reason smoke came out of the engine of a a Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 777 plane after it landed in Narita Airport on Wednesday.
-- Vietnam Olympic team hopes to achieve medals in weight-lifting and taekwondo.
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TUOI TRE
-- Many contractors of many road and bridge construction projects in Ho Chi Minh City were forced to suspend work due to the higher cost of construction materials.
-- Remittances from Vietnamese living overseas are estimated to reach a record $8 billion this year. (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)
