Vietnam approves new-look Cabinet

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A new-look Cabinet tasked with pushing forward Vietnam's economic reforms has been approved by the National Assembly.

The Cabinet includes two relatively young new deputy prime ministers, who have strong economic backgrounds.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has also trimmed back the number of ministries, from 26 to 22.

He told the assembly that he and his government were determined to "prevent and push back bureaucracy, corruption and wastefulness".

They would "create... favourable conditions for mobilisation of all resources to achieve the goal of high economic growth and social justice," he added.

Fast-growing economy

The assembly approved the promotion of Education Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, 54, and 48-year-old Industry Minister Hoang Trung Hai as deputy prime ministers.

Mr Hai is the first person under 50 years old to make it into the 28-member Cabinet.

Prime Minister Dung said the two men's economic credentials and fluency in English would "suit the country's economic integration".

In all, nine new ministers were approved. Those in the key positions of defence, foreign affairs and public security remain unchanged.

Prime Minister Dung - who has a reputation as a reformer - was himself re-appointed last week.

Vietnam enjoys one of the highest economic growths in South East Asia, and is hoping to build on that after joining the World Trade Organization in January.

But a crackdown on activists in the lead-up to the National Assembly elections in May - the outcome of which was in little doubt anyway, as only Communist Party-approved candidates could stand - has sparked international alarm.

Correspondents say that while political reform is under way in Vietnam, such changes will be allowed to continue only as long as they do not challenge the Communist Party's supremacy.