Luxemburg has pledged EUR42 million ($58.19 million) in non-refundable aid for Vietnam’s socio-economic development projects from now until 2015. The aid will go to develop infrastructure system and help reduce poverty in the country, Luxembourg Minister for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Affairs Marie-Josee Jacobs said. As Vietnam is progressing in socio-economic development, it hoped Luxembourg will continue to consider the Southeast Asian country as one of the key ODA recipients from the European partner, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said. Jacobs noted that education was her country’s top priority besides health care and rural development, adding that she has just returned from the opening ceremony of a Luxembourg-funded vocational training in the northern province of Bac Kan. The program will focus on reducing poverty in provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Thua Thien-Hue. This is the third cooperation program between two sides behind two other ones worth a total of EUR85 million in 2002-2010 period. Vietnam is Luxembourg’s largest recipient of aid; meanwhile, the latter is the Europe’s fourth largest investor in the former with 17 projects valued around $1 billion. (Vietnam News Mar 3 p2, Dat Viet – National Land Mar 3 p10, www.vietnamplus.vn [1] Mar 2, news.gov.vn Mar 2)
