Vietnamese leaders resign

Hanoi: Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and two other top leaders have handed in their resignations to the National Assembly on Saturday.

President Tran Duc Luong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An also stepped down. All three men are in their late 60s or early 70s.

The men officially asked the legislature to allow them to step down almost a year before their terms ended to make way for younger leaders, as their full term officially expires in July 2007.

The change in Vietnam's leadership was expected after the three men were not re-elected to the Politburo, the ruling party's innermost circle of leaders, in April.

The National Assembly will elect three new leaders next week before legislature wraps up its six week session on Thursday.