Trang Chủ
ADB is assisting Vietnam in the preparation of a high priority link in a Greater Mekong Sub-region transport corridor project, through a technical assistance loan of US$6 million.
The loan will help design and plan the Noi Bai-Lao Cai segment of a transport corridor connection < /SPAN>Kunming in Yunnan Province, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), large Haiphong port near Hanoi in Viet Nam.
Nationally, the road link will connect the relatively poor and isolated northwest region of < st1:country-region>Viet Nam< SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> with economic centers that have developed around Hanoi and the port of Haiphong< SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. Meanwhile, at the regional level, it will link the rapidly-expanding economy of the PRC's Yunnan province with Hanoi and Haiphong, promoting the rapid expansion of cross-border trade and commerce.
The total project cost for the planned highway is estimated at around US$620 million. Such a large scale infrastructure project involves substantial investment and study of the economic, social and environmental impacts. The technical assistance will provide the resources to undertake these studies and prepare the investment project.
The total cost of the technical assistance is estimated at about US$8 million, of which the Government will contribute US$2 million. ADB's loan comes from its concessional Asian Development Fund, and carries a term of 32 years, including a grace period of eight years. Interest is charged at 1% per annum during the grace period and 1.5% per annum subsequently.
The Ministry of Transport is the executing agency for the technical assistance, which is due for completion after two years around March 2008.
Source: ADB
