The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a fund worth about $450 million for Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) in Vietnam in the next five years, state media reported on March 26. The CDCS would focus on raising capacity of administration system; improving healthcare, social welfare, response to climate change and natural disasters; and mitigating war aftermaths namely dioxin and unexploded ordnance (UXO) cleanup. The first goal is aimed at tackling problems in state administration that are limiting economic growth in order to promote Vietnam’s trade and competition capacity as well as to better the country’s tertiary education. The second goal is to raise the capacity of the government, civil society, private sector and vulnerable populations to ease the impacts of natural calamities, climate change and bird flu; prevent HIV/AIDS; to empower women; and better support people with disabilities. The third one targets to solve the legacies left from the Vietnam War, including cleaning up dioxin at Danang airport, which was a military base of the U.S. army, and conducting environmental assessment in Bien Hoa airport. Solving the war remnants, including dioxin residue and UXO, is one of the important activities bringing Vietnam and the U.S. closer, the agency said in a statement. Since 2000, the USAID has provided roughly $588 million to Vietnam. (Lao Dong – Labor March 26 p2, Sai Gon Giai Phong – Saigon Liberation March 26 p7, www.hochiminhcity.gov.vn [1] March 26)
