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Coca-Cola opens

new plant in

Vietnam

NGOC HOI (Vietnam): The makers of Coca-Cola, fighting Pepsi-Cola in the new Vietnamese market, opened a new plant near Hanoi on Saturday that will double its production capacity in the country.

"The cola market is very vibrant... We are projecting very, very strong growth," Andrew Angle, president for Coca-Cola's Southeast Asia and West Asia Division, said.

He described Vietnam as "soft drink heaven, hot and humid," with a young population and a dynamic economy.

The $24 million Coca-Cola Ngoc Hoi Soft Drinks Company plant plant in Ha Tay province will supply 30 million people in the north, the Singapore-based leading partner, F&N Coca-Cola, said in a statement.

The company has also recently signed a $33 million joint venture for a plant in central Vietnam and a $49 million agreement to quadruple production in Ho Chi Minh City and the south, which accounts for 60 per cent of Vietnam's market.-REuter