Vietnam has kick-started a $250 million program using financial support from the World Bank (WB) to develop seven cities in the northern mountainous region – where there is the highest concentration of extreme poverty in the country. The Results-Based National Urban Development Program in the Northern Mountains Region (RBNUDP-NM) is aimed at boosting the regional economic growth. It will help authorities in Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai better their urban management capacity. The growing urban centers will contribute to the development of this lagging region as economic and administrative hubs, commercial centers for regional or cross-border trade in a bid to reduce poverty and realize more inclusive growth, said World Bank Country Director for Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa. The mountainous northern region has the highest poverty rate of around 25%. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times Oct 1 p2)
