PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - April 21

HANOI, April 21 (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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FINANCIAL NEWS:

TUOI TRE

-- The Ho Chi Minh City government will spend 1 trillion dong ($62.5 million) to help farmers and businesses accelerate production in order to reduce selling prices of essential goods by 5 percent to 10 percent.

-- Rice prices are rebouncing in the Mekong Delta after farmers finished harvesting the winter-spring crop with yield in several provinces reaching seven to eight tonnes per hectare.

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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- The Hanoi People's Council approved plans to convert nearly 3,330 hectares (8,230 acres) of agricultural land into non-agricultural land in the next two years.

-- The southern region has seen a sudden surge in cement prices due to a supply shortage.

-- Bao Viet Securities BVS.HN has established a $37.6-million venture with two Vietnamese companies to operate a hydro power plant with annual capacity of 90 megawatts.

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DAU TU

-- Vietnam is scheduled to auction five-year government bonds to raise 1 trillion dong on April 29, the Hanoi stock exchange .HATSCI said.

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ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS: