Three vessels of the Malaysian Navy anchored in the port of Vietnam's southern hub Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, beginning a friendship visit to the city.

The Tanzanian Court of Appeal of on Friday ruled the release of a Vietnamese ship which had been detained for 13 months in Tanzania due to an unrelated trade dispute.

A Vietnamese ship and its crew continue to languish in captivity even after a trial over a trade dispute that caused their capture originally finished almost a fortnight ago.

The Dung Quat shipyard in the central province of Quang Ngai is expected to finish its first oil tanker next year, having received strong financial commitments from foreign banks.

Foreign shipping lines have announced shipping rates from Vietnam to northern European countries will be raised by $250/TEU from July 1.

About 10 minutes after leaving Ben Beo Port on Cat Ba Island, the hydrofoil Victory HP-1088 of the Tan Hai joint Venture Company, struck an underwater rock on its way back to Haiphong City, forcing the 27 passengers including National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, to abandon the damaged high speed craft.

A cruise ship with nearly 1,000 American tourists on board has reached Phu My port in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province July 5, according to a travel company.

About 10 minutes after leaving Ben Beo Port on Cat Ba Island, the hydrofoil Victory HP-1088 of the Tan Hai joint Venture Company, struck an underwater rock on its way back to Haiphong City, forcing the 27 passengers including National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, to abandon the damaged high speed craft.

The ship INS MAGAR of the Indian Navy on Friday docked at a port in Ho Chi Minh City for a five-day visit.

There are an average of five to six oil spills in Vietnam each year that seriously pollute the marine environment, with some as large as 1,000 litres of diesel oil. However, the country has only one oil spill management centre, which is operated by the Song Thu Company under the Ministry of Defence, according to statistics released by the National Commission for Search and Rescue (NCSR).