PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - March 23

HANOI, March 23 | Thu Mar 22, 2012

HANOI, March 23 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

FINANCIAL NEWS:

LAO DONG

- VietinBank, Vietnam's biggest partly private lender by assets, said it received central bank permission to raise registered capital to 26.22 trillion dong ($1.26 billion) via a share issue.

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

- VietinBank said it plans to raise a combined 7 trillion dong ($336 million) via issuing certificates of deposit in the Vietnamese dong, dollar and euro until May 20.

TUOI TRE

- The central bank has asked Agribank, VietinBank, Vietcombank, BIDV and Mekong Housing Bank to cut lending rates by an unspecified amount.

ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

THANH NIEN

- Two white tigers were born in captivity at a zoo in the central province of Nghe An, a zoo official said. Their parents were brought in from South Africa in September 2010.

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

- Vietnamese companies bought an equivalent 200,000 tonnes of milled rice within five days since starting purchases on March 15, or a fifth of the volume planned for stockpiling, the Vietnam Food Association said.

- Trade between Vietnam and the Czech Republic last year rose to $220 million from $205 million in 2010, which was not on par with the countries' potential, said Vice President Doan Duy Khuong of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

- U.S. firm Cargill Inc has opened its ninth animal feed factory, with an annual capacity of 240,000 tonnes, in the northern province of Ha Nam, raising its total annual capacity in Vietnam to 10 million tonnes.

DAU TU

- Officials from the police and trade ministries have proposed the government halt imports of goods for re-export to prevent smuggling and fakes, which often come from China.