A senior official in top coal miner Vinacomin was quoted as saying that Vietnam plans to reduce its coal exports next year by 18.2% from this year's projected shipments to 13.5 million tonnes.

Vietnam is a net coal exporter but it is expected to turn into an importer by 2015, when a series of thermal power plants start operation. It has already started reducing exports to save supplies for domestic consumption.

Mr Tran Xuan Hoa chairman of Vinacomin told the state run Tuoi Tre newspaper that annual exports will fall to 8 million tonnes in 2013 and between 4 million and 5 million tonnes a year from 2015, based on an Industry and Trade Ministry masterplan.

Mr Hao said that annual imports would be 5 million tonnes from 2015.

Vietnam has imported coal from Australia and has been looking to buy from Russia.

(Sourced from Reuters)