21.   Vietnamese officials said such cells are common in large enterprises and are already present in many joint ventures, attached to the Vietnamese partner company.

22.   Vietnamese officials have expressed their own impatience, with Trade Minister Vu Khoan warning that further delays could jeopardize the existing trade status of the United States.

23.   Vietnamese officials said they expected the liaison offices to open within a month or two but that they doubted Clinton would soon raise them to embassy status.

24.   Vietnamese officials say they remain confident that national targets can be achieved.

25.   Vietnamese officials will not say exactly when the market will open, though reports in government-controlled media have tipped a July launch.

26.   Vietnamese officials have been disappointed by the sluggish growth in tourism from the United States.

27.   Yet Vietnamese officials have allowed American officials to do the equivalent.

28.   A new government decree will encourage overseas Vietnamese to return and resume their original citizenship, a senior Vietnamese official said Thursday.

29.   A senior Vietnamese official said Friday he will visit China this summer to discuss the dispute over the Spratly Islands and other land and sea border issues.

30.   A U.S. trade delegation concluded a six-day series of meetings with Vietnamese officials Thursday.