Hanoi - The United States "would like to increase military- to-military relations" with its former adversary Vietnam, said US Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain at a press conference in Hanoi Tuesday.

McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot who spent five years as a prisoner of war (POW) in Hanoi during the Vietnam War, said such ties might include the training of Vietnamese officers at US defence institutions.

Hanoi  - Vietnamese private businesses Tuesday expressed mixed feelings at a government decision to raise the minimum wage at some companies by 20 per cent.

The government announced Monday that the minimum wage for workers at state-owned companies and at private companies in the service sector would rise from 540,000 dong to 650,000 dong (31 to 37 dollars) per month. The raise takes effect May 1.

"This decision conflicts with the government's efforts to support business," said Pham Thi Lieu, deputy director of the MSA garment company in Hanoi.

Hanoi  - A hotel project in a popular Hanoi park is to be relocated following a public campaign, Vietnamese press said Wednesday, but city officials would not confirm the reports.

An article in the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper said construction of a Novotel hotel located inside Hanoi's Reunification Park would not be completed and that the Hanoi People's Committee, the city's governing body, was reviewing alternative sites for the project.

Hanoi  - Vietnamese authorities Wednesday ordered Taiwanese-owned condiment company Vedan Enterprise Corp to halt operations at one of its factories and fix pollution problems, making the second Vedan plant charged with environmental violations.

Last year, government inspectors found Vedan's factory in the southern province of Dong Nai was discharging untreated waste water through concealed pipes for at least 10 years, destroying the ecosystem along a stretch of the Thi Vai River.

Hanoi  - A Vietnamese government official Tuesday regretted Egypt's decision last week to temporarily halt imports of Vietnamese catfish.

"I am very sad about this decision," said Luong Le Phuong, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development in charge of aquatic products. Phuong said the sudden decision had been taken on the basis of "information from the media, instead of from scientific sources."

Hanoi - Vietnamese authorities Tuesday criticized India's decision to impose anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese textiles.

"This decision is unfriendly and unreasonable," said Nguyen Thanh Bien, Vietnam's deputy minister of trade and industry.

India on Friday imposed anti-dumping duties on thread and fabrics imported from China, Thailand and Vietnam.