The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held a conference in Hanoi on January 30 to review Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam over the last 20 years and its future orientations.
Under these orientations, Japan will help Vietnam achieve its industrialisation goal by 2020. Japanese ODA will focus on promoting economic growth, increasing competitiveness, as well as the restructuring of State-owned companies, the financial sector and public services. Addressing the event, JICA Head Representative to Vietnam Tsuno Motonori said Japan has been the largest provider of ODA to Vietnam for 20 years, with a total of more than JPY1.8 trillion. Furthermore, Japan has sent around 5,000 experts and 500 volunteers to Vietnam, and trained 18,000 Vietnamese employees in Japan .Japan considers Vietnam a leading partner in terms of ODA and will continue to provide a high level of aid to Vietnam. It will boost bilateral cooperation, despite its recent natural disasters and the global economic crisis, said Motonori. Japanese ODA has contributed to improving the friendship between both Governments and peoples. At the 2012 Consultative Group (CG) Meeting held recently, Japan pledged to provide about JPY110 billion in ODA to Vietnam .Presently, Japanese funds are helping the construction of the international terminal T2 at Noi Bai international airport, Nhat Tan Bridge in Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City’s urban railway No 1.
