Work started on November 25 for the construction of the Son Duong cement plant with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes a year in the mountainous northern province of Tuyen Quang. The plant is being financed by the Vietnam-France joint-stock cement company with a total investment capital of VND 393.6bn.

Of the investment capital, the Vietnam Commercial Bank, the Asia Commercial Bank and the International Commercial Bank funded US $10.3m (VND 165bn), and the Vietnam Development Support Fund contributed VND 120 billion.