The World Bank (WB) has pledged to lend $200 million to an urban water supply and wastewater project in Vietnam, the government said on its website late July 13. The State Bank of Vietnam’s governor Nguyen Van Giau and WB Country Director in Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa signed a loan agreement and legal documents in Hanoi July 13. The project’s first phase is aimed to upgrade water supply and wastewater treatment systems in 11 provinces of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Lam Dong, Quang Tri, Dak Lak, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Kien Giang. On the same day, the WB and Vietnam’s representatives also inked another $160-million loan to a water resources management project in the Mekong Delta region, aiming to protect and boost the use of water resources for agriculture production, supply clean water and contribute to tackling climate change. The global bank, which is among the biggest donors for Vietnam, has pledged around $2.6 billion in official development assistance for Vietnam this year and also announced to finance over $6 billion for the country in the 2011-2013 fiscal years. (baodientu.chinhphu.vn July 13, Lao Dong –Labor July 14 p3, Kinh Te & Do Thi – Urban & Economy July 14 p3)
