PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - January 7

HANOI, Jan 7 (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.

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VIETNAM NEWS

-- Vietnamese companies have invested $1.39 billion abroad since 1988, the Planning and Investment Ministry said.

-- South Korean investors poured $4.46 billion into 405 new projects in Vietnam last year, making South Korea the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam.

-- The economy of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's trade hub, grew a record 12.6 percent last year, when the city's per capita income was the country's highest at $2,180.

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SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- The government plans to raise 4 trillion dong ($250 million) by selling bonds to upgrade hospitals in 2008.

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LAO DONG

-- The dollar dipped below 16,000 dong last week due to strong remittances from overseas. Several banks said they faced a shortage of dong for dollar purchases.

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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Incombank plans to conduct its initial public offering in March, Chairman Pham Huy Hung said.

-- Ho Chi Minh City would open 40 vocational training facilities this year to meet the city's demand of 270,000 labourers, the municipal Labour Department said.

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