PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - May 14

HANOI, May 14 (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.

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FINANCIAL NEWS:

VIETNAM NEWS

-- The Ca Mau 1 power plant is making losses because state utility Vietnam Electricity group does not buy all the electricity the plant generates, operator Petrovietnam said.

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NHAN DAN

-- The State Bank of Vietnam has asked commercial banks to proactively prepare funds and join open market transactions with the central bank in order to ensure their liquidity. In particular, banks should prepare sufficient forex funds to help oil product importers meet their repayment obligations.

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HANOI MOI

-- Vietnam would need $12.9 billion to build a 334-km railway linking Hanoi and the central city of Vinh, according to a feasibility study compiled by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA, and Vietnamese railway experts.

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TUOI TRE

-- The State Bank of Vietnam reaffirmed it would refinance banks that have liquidity problems.

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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Donors will meet on June 5-6 in the northern province of Lao Cai to discuss Vietnam's socio-economic development in recent months, climate change and aid.

-- Domestic banks have been rushing to offer various prizes in their promotion programmes to help raise deposits.

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DAU TU

-- Foreign investors in Vietnamese shares have experienced lower profits as the market declined, in turn reducing the flow of foreign exchange into Vietnam.

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ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

VIETNAM NEWS

-- Oil product importers are expected to bring in 2.18 million cubic metres of petrol in May and June to meet domestic demand, the Industry and Trade Ministry said.

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NHAN DAN

-- Over the past year, more than 1,000 people have joined a competition in the northern province of Tuyen Quang to tell exemplary stories about the life of Ho Chi Minh.

-- There is a great risk involving a new wave of bird flu outbreaks, especially in Mekong Delta provinces, Deputy Agriculture Minister Bui Ba Bong said.

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HANOI MOI

-- The government said it will spend an additional 260 billion dong ($16.2 million) to buy food and boost the national reserves for 2008.

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SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- The Vietnam Cement Corporation has instructed cement makers in the northern region to send an emergency package of 60,000 tonnes of the product this month to help cool an ongoing cement shortage in Ho Chi Minh City.

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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Farmers in Long My district of the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang have been switching their sugarcane crop to growing rice following a strong rise of paddy prices in recent months, a district official said.

-- The government opened Vietnam Online channel, a news platform that provides information on all areas of government activities, details on social policies and political guidelines by the Vietnam Communist Party.

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