HANOI, April 9 (Reuters) - Vietnam's top miner Vinacomin plans to invest 182 trillion dong ($7.3 billion) to ramp up its alumina-aluminium production to meet the country's rising demand for the metal, the government said on Tuesday.

The investment by the state-run firm will go to two bauxite exploration projects and five refining projects in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong, the government said in a statement. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)