An American returned the carefully-preserved arm bone of a Viet Cong soldier to its owner more than 40 years after he amputated it during the Vietnam War.

A mass grave containing nearly 40 sets of remains believed to be of communist soldiers killed during the Vietnam War has been uncovered in central Vietnam, it was reported today.

Vietnam will hold a mass trial in two weeks for 41 people accused of plotting unrest during mass protests in the Central Highlands, a court official said today.

Vietnamese authorities are launching a major law awareness campaign in the Central Highlands in an effort to prevent further unrest among ethnic minorities.