WB, UK Fund US$131.25M for Vietnamese Rural Transport Project

The World Bank (WB) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) have pledged to finance for the US$173.27-million third rural transport (RT3) project of Vietnam, said the Transport Ministry.

 

The WB will lend Vietnam US$106.25 million and the DFID will provide US$25 million in non-refundable aids while the remaining of US$42.5 million will be allocated from the State budget.

 

The information was released at a seminar in Hanoi September 11, to review the second rural transport (RT2) project implementation and to launch the RT3 project.

 

The RT3 project will build and upgrade some 2,150-3,150 kilometers of rural roads, 20 kilometers of bridges and maintain nearly 17,500km existing roads in impoverished districts and communes of 33 northern and central provinces, Nguyen Hong Truong, the deputy Minister said.

 

Truong added that the roads will help local residents in highly remote areas to connect to inter-district, provincial and national road systems.

 

Since 1997, the WB and DFID have supported the RT1 and RT2 projects with total funding of US$200 million. Under the US$55-million RT1 project, 4,403km of rural roads and nearly 10km of bridges have been built in 15 provinces and 7,577km of roads and 25.5km of bridges constructed under the US$151-million RT2 project in 40 provinces.