PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - Aug 13

HANOI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- - - -

FINANCIAL NEWS:

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Imported car sales in Vietnam are on the rise with consumers rushing to buy before the government raises registration fees from the end of August to at least 10 percent from 5 percent now.

-- State-run Vietinbank cut preferential rates on dollar loans to 8 percent per year from Monday while about 18 banks nationwide have slashed rates on both dong and dollar deposits.

- - - -

DAU TU CHUNG KHOAN

-- The State Securities Commission has required public companies, both listed and unlisted, to publish information on the commission's Web site.

ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- Vietnamese businesses are expected to invest an average $500 million per year in projects overseas, the Planning and Investment Ministry said.

- - - -

LAO DONG

-- Most cities in Vietnam suffered severe dust pollution, the environment ministry said in a report.

-- Residents in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City rushed to buy gold after prices fell sharply on Tuesday, dealers said.

- - - -

THANH NIEN

-- The Defence Ministry has decided to send 1.2 trillion dong ($72.7 million) to aid four northern provinces which were the hardest hit by floods.

-- The Vietnam Communist Party's Secretariat has ruled to strip all party positions from Nguyen Viet Tien and asked Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to demote Tien from being a deputy transport minister after wrongdoings in the PMU 18 scandal.

- - - -

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- A small coffee processing and export company based in the southern province of Dong Nai has apply to list shares on the Hanoi stock market .HASTCI. An Giang Coffee Co has a capital base of 83 billion dong.

- - - - (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)