World Bank Pledges $20B ODA for Vietnam So Far: Ministry

The World Bank (WB), the biggest multilateral donor of Vietnam, has pledged $20.1 billion in soft loans and grants in the 1993-2015 period, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Of the sum, $17.32 billion came from the International Development Association (IDA), focusing on transport, urban, agriculture, energy, education, health and policy reforming projects. The lender 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, the Vietnam Investment Review earlier reported. The WB will provide $2.1 billion, including $1.42 billion from the IDA and the rest from the International Bank for Res-construction and Development (IBHD) in 2016. It is going to lend $1.3 billion to Vietnam in 2017. (tienphong.vn Dec 5)