PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - Sept 20

HANOI, Sept 20,2012

HANOI, Sept 20 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

FINANCIAL NEWS:
TUOI TRE
- It is difficult for Vietnam to settle bad debt in the banking system as the debt has not been assessed and classified, economists said.

ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:
VIETNAM NEWS (vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn)
- Vietnam started work on its first space research centre in a high-tech park outside Hanoi on Wednesday. The $688 million project, funded mostly by Japanese official development assistance, is expected to help the nation master space technology by 2020.

SAIGON GIAI PHONG
- Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni will visit Vietnam during Sept. 24-26, the ministry of foreign affairs said.

THANH NIEN
- The National Assembly is scheduled to discuss important issues during a month-long sitting beginning on Oct. 22. The main topics include amendments to the country's constitution, casting prestige ballot, and examining the amended laws on anti-corruption and personal income tax, the Assembly's standing committee said.

- Ho Chi Minh City-based Asia Commercial Bank said its management board has voted Tran Hung Huy, the son of one of the bank's ex-chairmen, to be the new chairman after the resignation of Tran Xuan Gia.

- The central bank has assigned Saigon Jewelry Co (SJC) to produce 350,000 taels of gold, equivalent to 13 tonnes, from deformed SJC gold bars and gold of other brands, for supply in the domestic markets, the deputy head of the bank's branch in Ho Chi Minh City said.

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM
- Japanese companies' investments in Vietnam totalled $4.33 billion in the January-August period, accounting for 51.1 percent of the country's foreign investment, the planning and investment ministry said. (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Jijo Jacob)