JICA to Further Assist with Vietnam’s Development Via ODA

In recent press publication issued by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Shimizu Akira stresed that JICA hopes to continue cooperating to assist Vietnam in making the most of its diverse capital resources.

March 04, 2023 | 15:02

The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relation establishment. According to, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Shimizu Akira, there are many exciting events that will take place soon in Vietnam and Japan to celebrate this special occasion.

JICA to Further Assist with Vietnam’s Development Via ODA

Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Shimizu Akira (Photo: JICA Vietnam)

Shimizu Akira also said cooperation on infrastructure projects using ODA loans will be the focus areas in JICA projects. He hopes Vietnam continues using ODA effectively as a convenient capital mobilization method to apply foreign advanced technologies in the country.

"The ODA with long-term payments, up to 30-40 years, and fixed interest rates, plays an essential role in infrastructure development in Vietnam."

Besides developing high-quality infrastructure, there are three focus areas, namely: human resources training, health care, and carbon neutralization.

In particular, JICA will continue to cooperate with Vietnam Japan University in training high-quality human resources. It is also providing a number of new loans for renewable energy projects such as the smart eco-industrial parks project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. This not only responds to climate change but also targets the program of carbon neutrality by 2050 of the Vietnam government.

The restoration and reconstruction of Cau Pagoda (Hoi An), the symbol of the Vietnam-Japan relationship, is also one of JICA's important projects, in cooperation with the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs. At the moment, many volunteers are working on the project, and JICA will send more of them to join in the future.

According to the Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, to deepen the Vietnam-Thailand, the two countries need to build up trust based on mutual understanding. JICA will continue contributing to the development of Vietnam not only through technical and financial cooperation projects but also promote people-to-people connections by sending experts, and training human resources, toward a win-win relationship. He believes this will boost the friendship and development of both countries.

Since 1992, JICA has provided over 3 trillion JPY (US $23.5 billion) in financial aid, sent about 15,000 Japanese experts to the Southeast Asian country, and trained 27,000 Vietnamese personnel.

Via close cooperation with Vietnamese partners, JICA projects have obtained substantial achievements, helping the country realize the Sustainable Development Goals and promote cohesion and development across the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), cited from VNA.

In the fiscal year 2021, 10.8 billion JPY in loans was committed for Japan’s ODA projects, 4.9 billion JPY in assistance supplied via technical cooperation projects, and another 700 million JPY for non-refundable aid projects. These projects numbered more than 100, according to Shimizu.

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