PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - April 23

Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:53pm EDT

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HANOI, April 23 (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

-- Vietcombank's assets last month eased 0.3 percent from the same month last year to 195.58 trillion dong ($12.22 billion), the first asset fall during its 45 years of operation, chairman Nguyen Hoa Binh said, citing slower global growth and rapid changes in Vietnam's money market.

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THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- The government has approved an investment of $3.7 billion to build a six-lane highway linking My Thuan bridge with the southern province of Ca Mau, said Nguyen Tan Quyen, secretary of the Communist Party chapter in Can Tho city.

-- Hanoi has suspended four construction and environmental projects worth more than 1.3 trillion dong ($81.4 million) due to funding shortages or delays in site clearance, the municipal People's Committee said.

-- Vietcombank, the country's third-largest lender, would hold its first shareholders' meeting on Saturday to discuss listing of the bank's shares on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange .VNI and selection of its strategic partner, Chairman Nguyen Hoa Binh said.

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DAU TU CHUNG KHOAN

-- Asia Commercial Bank ACB.HN plans to spend 1.13 trillion ($81.4 million) to buy shares in public companies in 2008.

-- The government would remove cement businesses and road, bridge, railway and small-sized hydropower plant construction from its list of preferential investment credit, Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh said.

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ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

HANOI MOI

-- The government will invest about $400 million, funded by loans from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to establish four international-standard universities.

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SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- Utility group Vietnam Electricity expected power shortages to worsen next month as demand is forecast to rise up to 21 percent.

- - - - (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)