ENERGY

Arco to Invest in Vietnam Exploration: Los Angeles-based Atlantic Richfield Co. has confirmed that its subsidiary, Arco Vietnam Inc., will buy a 50% interest, for an undisclosed amount, in a British Gas project to hunt for oil and natural gas off Vietnam. The exploration area is 80 miles northeast of the Dai Hung oil and gas field. In December, Mobil Corp., in a consortium with several Japanese companies, was awarded the right to explore a separate prospect. In February, Oklahoma City-based Kerr-McGee Corp. said it had made a 35% investment in another consortium exploring off the coast of Vietnam.