BANGKOK (AP) - Two major Coca-Cola bottlers signed a contract on Jul. 12 for a

U.S. $24.5 million joint venture with Vietnam's largest soft drink company to modernize

its production facilities, Coca-Cola said.

The contract, to be executed once the U.S.government economic embargo on Vietnam

is lifted, was signed in Vietnam's Southern Commercial Center, Ho Chi Minh City,

Coca-Cola added in a statement.