JICA to Help Vietnam Speed up ODA Projects This Year

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said that it will help Vietnam quicken the construction of projects funded with Japanese official development assistance (ODA) this year, the Dau tu newspaper reported Jan. 29, citing a JICA official. The projects include a terminal at Noi Bai International Airport, North-South Railway route, Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park and Lach Huyen International Seaport, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, Tsuno Motonori, said. Other projects are Nhat Tan Bridge, the remaining path of Thanh Tri Bridge, a project to improve Hanoi’s water quality in the second phase, the two metro routes in Hanoi of Gia Lam-Giap Bat and Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao and Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro in Ho Chi Minh City. The JICA official added that Japanese ODA for the Southeast Asian country this year may be lower than the record-higher figure of JPY202.3 billion in 2009 as its economic situation is better and the country will not need urgent aids.  Currently, Japan is Vietnam’s biggest donor and one of the leading investors in the Southeast Asian country. Japan ranked the fourth among foreign investors in Vietnam with 1,154 projects with total registered capital of $17.69 billion as of October 20, 2009.