The World Bank (WB) is planning to lend about $6 billion to Vietnam to help the country to boost the medium-term socio-economic development in the 2015-2017 period, state-run Vietnam Investment Review reported on Nov 3. The bank will finance Vietnam over $1.6 billion, including $726 million from the International Development Association (IDA) and the remainder from the International Bank for Res-construction and Development (IBHD) in 2015. The fund will go to eight projects focusing on electricity distribution, environment, sustainable agriculture, poverty reduction and vocational training. The WB will provide $2.1 billion, including $1.42 billion from the IDA and the rest from the IBRD in 2016. The sum is expected to go to projects in industrial energy efficiency, reservoir safety, water resource management, healthcare and economic reform. It is going to lend $1.3 billion to Vietnam in 2017. The sum includes $400 million from the IDA and $900 million from the IBRD, focusing on major projects in water and environmental protection, university modernization, flooding management and sustainable development of river deltas. Another $2.8 billion will be provided for projects after 2017. The projects will focus on environment, road asset management, agriculture modernization and tax and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reform. Currently, the WB and Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment are discussing all of these projects. The WB, the biggest multilateral donor of Vietnam, had provided nearly $16.62 billion in loans and grants to help the country sustain growth and fight poverty by the end of 2013. The WB, the biggest multilateral donor of Vietnam, had provided nearly $16.62 billion in loans and grants to help the country sustain growth and fight poverty by the end of 2013. (Vietnam Investment Review Nov 3-9 p3)
