Smuggled cloth seized in HCM City

Market management officials in HCM City have found a large volume of smuggled goods in the last few weeks.The City Market Management Division last week seized 1.1 tonnes of cloth allegedly illegally imported from China and Taiwan at an entrepot in District 12's Tan Thoi Nhat Ward. They also found about 5,000 pairs of smuggled jeans. Also last week, market management officials in Cu Chi District seized 580kg of fabric and 226kg of other materials without proper documentation in Tan Thanh Commune.

TUOI TRE (YOUTH)

Delta poor get new homes for Tet

Some 360 new homes for the poor have been built in the districts of Mo Cay Nam and Giong Trom in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre after three months of construction. These are part of the first phase of a programme launched by the Ho Chi Minh Youth League in Ben Tre Province to build 666 homes for poor households. Construction of each home costs between VND25 million and VND45 million. The Sai Gon Commercial Bank has supported the programme with VND10 billion.

Meanwhile, the Sponsors' Association for Poor Patients in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kien Giang has handed over 300 homes to poor families in the province. These homes were built with a donation of VND4.5 billion provided by US charity organisation Chen Yung.

LAO DONG (LABOUR)

Ministry to boost trade promotion campaigns

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has approved a plan to organise 56 national trade promotion programmes in 2010. Under the decision signed by the minister last week, a funding of VND72 billion will be provided for these programmes. The organisers of overseas trade promotion campaigns have been asked to coordinate their efforts with Trade Commissioners at Vietnamese embassies in the host countries.

THOI BAO KINH TE (VIETNAMESE ECONOMIC TIMES)

VND3 trillion power plant breaks ground

The An Khanh Thermo-power JSC has broken ground for the An Khanh Power Plant in the northern province of Thai Nguyen's Dai Tu District. With a total investment of VND3 trillion ($162 million), the two-turbine, 100MW plant will supply 800 million kWh per year to the national grid when it becomes operational in September 2012.

THOI BAO TAI CHINH  VIET NAM (VIETNAM FINANCIAL TIMES)