PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - October 15

HANOI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- - - -

VIETNAM NEWS

-- A group of executives from state-owned companies visited Laos to propose 13 large projects in mineral exploitation, energy and textiles sectors.

- - - -

VIETNAM INVESTMENT REVIEW

--- Credit Suisse cut its GDP growth forecast this year for Vietnam to 8.8 percent from 9 percent, citing higher food prices and possible moves by the central bank to raise interest rates to ease inflationary pressure.

- - - -

HANOI MOI

-- Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) opened a representative office in Hanoi.

- - - -

LAO DONG

-- Car imports jumped 62 percent in the first eight months of 2007 from a year earlier to about 14,000 vehicles, dealers said.

-- Vinamilk VNM.HM said it had acquired 55 percent of Lam Son Milk in the northern province of Thanh Hoa.

- - - -

TUOI TRE

-- A cold snap is affecting the weather in northern and central Vietnam, which could bring rain and subsequent flash floods, a state forecaster said.

-- Three of Vietnam's seven securities firms qualified to trade stocks over a computer network start trying the new method on Monday enabling brokers to place buy and sell orders without a physical presence on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange .VNI trading floor.

- - - -

THANH NIEN

-- Thanh Cong Textile Company makes its share debut on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange on Monday. Exports account for 65 percent of its annual revenues of more than 1 trillion dong ($62 million).

- - - -

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- An estimate $4.8 billion had been invested in Vietnam's stock markets by the end of August, the Vietnam Fund Management Company said.

-- The government told the National Assesmbly it expected GDP to grow between 8.5 percent and 9.0 percent in 2008, compared with estimated 8.5 percent growth this year.

-- Five state-run enterprises, Vietindebank, Vietnam Airlines, Petrovietnam, Vinashin and Phong Phu Corp, have formed the Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Co, the country's first of its kind, with a registered capital of 640 billion dong ($39.6 million).

- - - -

DAU TU

-- State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) is facing a problem in raising more than $40 billion to invest in building power plants with a combined capacity of 33,000 megawatt between now and 2015, EVN General Director Pham Le Thanh said.

- - - -