HANOI, Jan 10 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

FINANCIAL NEWS:

TUOI TRE

-- Banks had settled 45 trillion dong ($2.16 billion) of bad debt at the end of November last year and made risk provisions worth 78.6 trillion dong, said central bank Governor Nguyen Van Binh.

-- The State Securities Commission has suggested the finance ministry to allow strategic foreign investors to own more than 49 percent of a listed company in a pilot scheme, a move that will support the stock market, said chairman Vu Bang. The extra shares would be non-voting, he said.

SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- Commercial banks are to resolve non-performing loans as the state budget will not have funds to deal with the debts, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

TUOI TRE

-- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who assumed office in December, is scheduled to visit Vietnam next week, Vietnam's foreign ministry said.

-- Three Chinese naval ships have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for a friendship visit until Jan. 11.

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Vietnam's 2012 trade with Cambodia rose 18 percent from 2011 to more than $3 billion, the Vietnam Customs said.

($1=20,820 dong)

(Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Jijo Jacob) Keywords: PRESS DIGEST VIETNAM/

(hanoi.newsroom@reuters.com)(+844 3825 9623)

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