In an effort to stamp out corruption, military leaders in Vietnam have ordered the security forces to reorganise their wide range of business activities to make sure that they are focussed on national security.

The Defence Minister Pham Van Tra quoted in the Communist Party youth newspaper today said firms run by the military which had no direct relevance to security or providing supplies for the army would be sold off to other sectors or broken up entirely.

The Vietnamese army is thought to have about two hundred businesses under its control, including several joint ventures with foreign firms.

The move follows a similar directive in China, where smuggling by soldiers was said to be costing the country about twelve billion dollars a year.