The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledges to fund an additional $239 million for Vietnam in the next five years, the agency said in a press release on Jan 8. The amount would focus on preventing bird flu and HIV/AIDS; supporting people with disability; conducting policies empowering women; and coping with climate change and natural calamity. The assistance aims to help Vietnam improve healthcare, social welfare, and climate change as mentioned during the visit to Hanoi in December 2013 by U.S. State Secretary John Kerry. Since 2000, the USAID has provided roughly $588 million to Vietnam. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan – People’s Army Jan 9 p4)
