Vietnam has planned to ship abroad some 20 million tons of coal of different kinds next year, down from 22.8 million tons in the first 10 months of this year, according to sources from the country's Ministry of Industry on Wednesday.

Coal items either with high export value and limited domestic demand or with abundant sources will be exported mainly to China, Japan, South Korea and Europe in 2007.

Vietnam plans to increase export tax on coal to 3 percent from the current zero percent, aiming to ensure sufficient supply of the material for domestic industries, mainly electricity, paper, fertilizer and cement. The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment has asked the government to reduce coal export between 2006 and 2010.

Vietnam earned 713 million U.S. dollars from selling coal overseas in the first 10 months of this year.

Last year, Vietnam exported roughly 17.9 million tons of coal valued at 658 million dollars, up 53.8 percent and 85.2 percent respectively, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Source: Xinhua