PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - March 12

HANOI, March 12 (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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VIETNAM NEWS

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung returned from a nine-day trip to Britain, Germany and Ireland, which he said was marked by progress in trade, investment and long-term cooperation.

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-- Vietnam was wrapping up preparations to take part in United Nations peacekeeping operations, said Hoang Chi Trung, deputy permanent representative at the U.N. in New York.

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NHAN DAN

-- State oil group Petrovietnam said it was speeding up 10 major oil and gas projects, including power plants, gas pipe installation and the construction of oil refineries.