[VAN KAMPEN LOGO]

NEWS RELEASE     1 Parkview Plaza o P.O. Box 5555 o Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois
                 60181-5555 o www.vankampen.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chad Peterson
212/762-9612

                          VAN KAMPEN HIGH INCOME TRUST
                                       AND
                         VAN KAMPEN HIGH INCOME TRUST II
           ANNOUNCE ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING FOR PROPOSED REORGANIZATION

         CHICAGO (June 27, 2005) -- The joint special meeting of shareholders of
Van Kampen High Income Trust and Van Kampen High Income Trust II was held on
June 22, 2005 and has been adjourned to July 22, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. to allow
additional time to solicit the additional votes needed to approve the proposals
as outlined in the Notice of Special Meeting previously mailed to shareholders.

         Van Kampen Asset Management is a subsidiary of Van Kampen Investments
Inc. ("Van Kampen"). Van Kampen is one of the nation's largest investment
management companies, with more than $99 billion in assets under management or
supervision, as of May 31, 2005. With roots in money management dating back to
1927, Van Kampen has helped more than four generations of investors work toward
their financial goals. Van Kampen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley
(NYSE:MWD). For more information, visit Van Kampen's web site at
www.vankampen.com.

         The foregoing does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale.
The joint proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed reorganization
contains important information and shareholders are urged to read it. Free
copies of the joint proxy statement/prospectus are available by calling Van
Kampen's Client Relations Department at (800) 341-2929 or on the SEC's web site
at www.sec.gov.

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Copyright(C)2005 Van Kampen Funds Inc.  All rights reserved.  Member NASD/SIPC.