Vietnam signs trade pact

Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong has passed a landmark trade agreement with the United States, as international donors met in Hanoi.

A World Bank official, Andrew Steer, told the donor conference that it had been a remarkable year for Vietnam, and the bank had been impressed with the government's progress on reform.

But he warned that Vietnam was facing a very hostile world economy as it moved to implement a difficult reform agenda.

He said pledges from donors are likely to be lower than the $2.4bn promised last year because of a weaker Japanese yen.

Despite pleas from human rights groups overseas, human rights are not on the agenda of the donor meeting.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service