Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has funded $2 million for a project to study an environmentally-friendly express bus system in Ho Chi Minh City. KOICA and Sub-Institute of Hydrometeorology and Environment of South Vietnam signed an agreement for the fund on June 3, the Quan doi Nhan dan newspaper reported June 4. The project will include detail planning of bus lanes, bus stops, and automatic toll systems and calculation of effects from carbon reduction. Construction of the express bus system will cost only one tenths of total expenses and one fifths of time of a metro project, South Korean experts said. Vietnam always tops among ODA recipients from the South Korea, Ock Yee-ho, chief of representative office in Vietnam said, adding that KOICA provided $50 million in non-refundable aid for the country in 1991-2004. South Korea pledged to provide $270 million in official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam this year.
