VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2004.

HANOI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Following are highlights of Vietnam's major newspapers today:

NHAN DAN (The People)

- Vietnam and China exchanged presidential ratification in Hanoi yesterday of an agreement on territorial water demarcations, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in the Gulf of Tonkin. The demarcation agreement, signed in Beijing on December 25, 2000, became effective as of yesterday, June 30, 2004, which was also the start date for the two countries' agreement on fishing co-operation in the Tonkin Gulf.

- Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien signed yesterday a temporary regulation that exempts visitors who are holders of passports issued by Japan and the Republic of Korea from entry and exit visas. Under this regulation, as of today all Japanese and RoK passport holders are allowed to enter Vietnam without entry and exit visas, provided that their stay in Vietnam does not exceed 15 days.

TIN TUC (News)

- About 88 overseas Vietnamese-invested companies have been founded in Ho Chi Minh City since the beginning of 2004, up 10 percent as compared to the same period last year. These businesses have invested over 165 billion VND in their projects, a 13 percent increase over the reviewed period.

- Viet Nam's industrial export earnings reached US$11.798 billion in the first six months of this year, accounting for 71.5 percent of the country's total export turnover, or a 19.8 percent increase over the same period last year. Of the sum, foreign-invested enterprises earned US$6.45 billion and Vietnamese businesses made up the remainder, up 30.2 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively.