Filming has started in Vietnam of a major foreign feature movie -- the first time such a project has ever been permitted by the Vietnamese government.

The film, The Quiet American, portrays the last days of French colonial rule in Vietnam and the start of United States involvement.

The Vietnamese authorities said they were allowing filming because the novel condemned the manoeuvres of hostile forces and foreign aggressors against the Vietnamese people.

The film-makers had lengthy talks with the authorities in Ho Chi Minh City on the logistics of closing off busy streets to stage two big explosions.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service