RoK maintains aid levels

Hanoi (VNA) - The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) would provide 268
million USD as official development assistance to Vietnam for 2009, said KOICA
President Park Dae Won said on Jan. 19.

This will make the Republic of Korea Vietnam 's second largest donor. Since
1991, KOICA has granted more than 90.5 million USD to Vietnam , Park said during
his visit.

He added that Korean aid to Vietnam was expected to continue.

Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc said in a meeting with Park that
unlike other developed countries that mainly implement large-scale projects in
cities such as Hanoi and HCM City , the RoK had focus on projects directly
assisting poor people by upgrading hospitals and building primary schools in
under-developed provinces.

RoK provided 286 million USD as ODA to Vietnam last year. The Vietnam -Korea
Friendship IT college in central Da Nang city, built at a cost of 20 million
USD, consists of 11 faculties with an annual enrolment of 800 students.

The college opened in December, 2007, and its first students will graduate in 2010.

RoK has also financed the upgrading of the Vietnam-Korea clinic at a cost of 1.8
million USD. The four-floor building is managed by Saint Paul hospital. There
are three Korean doctors working there.

KOICA implements and administrates grant aid and technical cooperation programmes
for the RoR Government.-Enditem