Vietnamese should save more for development and spend less on weddings and funerals,

Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet told a new session of parliament, stressing that faster

growth was vital for continued stability.

"Slow economic development is our nation's greatest challenge," Kiet said.

Slipping behind in the world economic stakes could lead to "political and social

instability, limiting the ability to strengthen national defense...," he said.

In a campaign against waste, Kiet said the common practice among government workers

of using public money to pay for gifts to bosses during the Tet New Year celebrations

would be banned.

Unnecessary banquets and celebrations of events such as anniversaries of the foundation

of government offices would be frowned on, he added.

Kiet's speech to the 395-member legislature amounted to a fine-tuning of Vietnam's

policies as it builds a market economy - which he said was "still in a primitive

stage".