HANOI - Vietnam's top rice exporters have sought government approval to build a rice bonded warehouse in the Philippines, the world's largest importer of the grain, a state-run newspaper reported on Thursday.

Vinafood 1 and Vinafood 2, with a combined 61 percent of Vietnam's rice exports, plan a storage facility in the Philippines to hold 1.7 million tons, the Liberation Saigon daily said.