The Danish government has signed four cooperative documents to provide a total of DDK162.7 million ($29.15 million) for development projects in Vietnam, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said. Of the sum, DDK60 million will be funded to public administration and administrative reform program for the 2012-2015 period, DDK100 million for a water supply and rural environmental sanitation project and DDK2 million for a maritime preservation project and the rest for intellectual property services. Denmark is one of the leading countries providing official development assistance (ODA) worth over $1 billion for Vietnam during past years. It is the biggest donor of the communist country. The Danish support focuses on infrastructure, poverty eradication, sustainable development, environment protection, climate change response, and financial-banking for small and medium enterprises. Demark now ranks the 25th among investors in Vietnam with 92 valid projects with a total pledged capital of $622.9 million. The two-way trade stood at $311.4 million in 2010, including Vietnam’s trade surplus of $78.63 million. Danish Crown Prince Frederik started his official five-day visit to the communist nation from November 27 in a move to boost cooperation between two sides. (vietnamplus.vn Nov 29)
