BP to supply up to 70,000 bpd to Vietnam refinery

HANOI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - State oil monopoly Petrovietnam has signed a preliminary agreement with BP Plc (BP.L) for supply of up to 70,000 barrels per day of foreign crude oil to Vietnam's Dung Quat refinery, a Petrovietnam official said on Tuesday.

"This is only the first step for BP to prepare to become a supplier of crude oil to Dung Quat," said the official, who declined to be identified.

The 140,000-bpd Dung Quat refinery, Vietnam's first, is scheduled to come onstream on Feb. 25, Petrovietnam has said. (Reporting by Nguyen Nhat Lam)