Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Mitsuo Sakaba

Official development assistance from Japan to Vietnam will reach record heights in 2009, and it will include earmarks for environmentally-friendly projects for the first time, said the Japanese ambassador.

Sakaba said most of the assistance – estimated to bring the total amount of Japanese ODA in Vietnam to $1.45 billion by the end of September – would go to key infrastructure projects. But he added that small and medium-sized enterprises in supporting industries would also benefit from the funds.

The new sum is much larger than the previous high of $1.1 billion in 2007, Sakaba said without disclosing an estimate of what the full 2009 figure would be.

Total ODA contracted to Vietnam reached $2.18 billion in the first seven months this year, up 45.4 percent compared to the same period last year, according to government figures.

Japan is the largest aid provider to Vietnam, having given the country nearly $16 billion since 1992.

Source: TN, VNA