The French government is determined to maintain official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam next year, Minister for la Francophonie Yamina Benguigui said at a meeting with Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan in Hanoi on Feb 7. Ms. Benguigui also affirmed that France is accelerating its plan to upgrade the Hanoi University of Science and Technology into a school meeting international standards. For her part, Ms. Doan valued France’s role and confirmed that the European nation is one of Vietnam’s key economic partners and ODA donors in the European Union.Vietnam attaches great importance to cooperation with France and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as well as with its members, she noted, adding that Vietnam is a proactive and responsible member of the OIF.Earlier, the French Development Agency (AFD) said that it will provide Vietnam with EUR80 million-EUR100 million per year in ODA during Vietnam’s socio economic development from 2012 to 2015. “After 2015, further ODA from AFD for Vietnam will depend on the Vietnamese government’s demand and ODA-related risks in Vietnam as assessed by France’s government and banks,” Jean-Marc Gravellini, AFD director in Vietnam.AFD’s total ODA for Vietnam has amounted to EUR1.1 billion since 1997 and 11.2 million Vietnamese people have benefited over the past seven years. AFD ranks third among donors for Vietnam, after Japan and the South Korea. (vov.vn Feb 7, vietnamplus.vn Feb 7)
