New leader in Vietnam speaks of challenges ahead

The newly-elected head of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Le Kha Phieu, has said that political and social stability in the country are threatened by economic problems and corruption.

In remarks broadcast by Vietnamese radio, General Phieu said there had been notable achievements in Vietnam but waste, bureaucracy, corruption, and other social ills still needed to be curbed.

Correspondents say the Vietnamese authorities have been battling corruption since the introduction of economic reforms in the late l980's.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service