The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will lend the two Vietnamese largest cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City $2 billion to develop their public transport projects in the next five years, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported June 11, citing an the bank official. The funding is part of the ADB’s recent pledge to provide $6 billion for the Southeast Asian country between 2011 and 2013, the official said at a conference on public transport management held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 10. Earlier, Deputy Country Director of the ADB in Vietnam Yumiko Yumiko, said the bank will focus on supporting infrastructure, energy, education and health projects in the country in the coming years. As of end-2009, the ADB provided over $8 billion for 87 projects and programs in Vietnam, including $3.15 billion disbursed, making the Southeast Asian country become its third largest aid recipient behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.
