DECREES:

Article 1.- To amend and supplement Article 14 of the Government�s Decree No. 183/CP of November 18, 1994 detailing the implementation of the Ordinance on Overseas-Based Representations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam into the following new Article 14:

"Article 14.-

1. Funding for the representative agencies includes the funding for maintaining the agencies� activities and the funding for cost-of-living allowance payment to the agencies� staff members according to the State�s current regimes and norms, of which the funding for the Military Attaché Bureaus and the Commerce Bureaus shall be allocated separately by the Finance Ministry. The Military Attaché Bureaus� funding shall be managed by the Defense Ministry; the Commerce Bureaus� funding shall be managed by the Trade Ministry. The Military Attaché Bureaus and the Commerce Bureaus shall use the representative agencies� seals in their transaction activities.

2. The heads of representative agencies shall base themselves on their agencies� activities to make annual cost-estimates and budget collection-expenditure final settlement reports strictly according to the regulations and send them to the Minister for Foreign Affairs for approval; manage the use of representative agencies� funding and assets strictly according to the State�s current regulations; and make monthly final settlement reports and send them to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

3. The chiefs of the Military Attaché Bureaus and the chiefs of the Commerce Bureaus shall base themselves on their bureaus� activities to make annual cost-estimates and budget collection-expenditure final settlement reports strictly according to the regulations and consult with the heads of the representative agencies before sending them to the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Trade; manage the use of their bureaus� funding and assets strictly according to the State�s current regulations; and make monthly final settlement reports and send them to the Defense Minister and the Trade Minister.

4. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Trade shall have to consider and synthesize annual collection-expenditure plans; approve and synthesize annual final settlement reports of the relevant divisions and send them to the Finance Minister according to the current regulations."

Article 2.- This Decree takes effect 15 days after its signing. All previous regulations which are contrary to this Decree are hereby annulled.

The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Trade in guiding the implementation of this Decree.

Article 3.- The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government, the presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities and the heads of Vietnam�s representative agencies in foreign countries shall have to implement this Decree.

On behalf of the Government
Prime Minister
PHAN VAN KHAI