Residents in Dong Nai province and local officials told Reuters the situation remained charged. Reports spoke of protesters blocking a section of the country's main north-south expressway in a region to the northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. There was no mention of the troubles in state press. However, a report said two senior local officials had been dismissed following separate unrest in a northern province, Thai Binh, earlier this year. Across Hanoi final preparations were still being put in place on clean-swept streets and boulevards as guests arrived for the week's events.
Analysts say the event is a largely symbolic celebration of Vietnam's open door and reform policies.
The organisation is expected to use the occasion to elect a general-secretary. Sources close to the presidency in Benin said the former Benin head of state, Emile Derlin Zinsou, had pulled out of the race for the position, meaning it is likely to go to former U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. There was no formal announcement of the decision, but the sources said Benin had failed to secure sufficient support for his candidacy.