PHU QUOC ISLAND, Vietnam, March 12 -- A senior Vietnamese official said here Wednesday that his country is suspending part of its search efforts for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 pending Malaysia's response to its enquiries.

The Vietnamese side has asked twice for Malaysian confirmation and response over the widely circulated reports that it has found signals of the ill-fated flight and located the rear part of the Boeing 777 aircraft, but the Malaysian side has so far failed to respond, Deputy Transport Minister Pham Quy Tieu said at a press conference.

However, some of Vietnam's search efforts will continue, added the official, who is also the chief coordinator of the frontline search command.