According to Konaka Tetsuo, as the Japanese’s ODA implementing agency, JICA has been supporting Vietnam to achieve sustainable economic development in line with national objectives. The development strategy of the Japanese government for Vietnam follows three pillars.
The first pillar is “promoting economic development and enhancing international competitiveness”.
JICA is helping the Vietnamese government to improve its investment climate through dialogue and policy advice; develop long-term industrialization strategies for six key areas; reform SOEs and restructure the banking sector.
Moreover, JICA is supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and implementing a lot of activities in human resource development through upgrading of universities, technical units and vocational training. In terms of infrastructure, JICA’s projects for Vietnam, in particular with projects to build vital transport infrastructure (such as roads, seaports, airports, and railways) have adopted the advanced technology of Japan.
The second one is “Supporting vulnerable subjects”. In spite of the high speed of economic growth, Vietnam faces many social and environmental issues such as poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, the need to prevent natural disasters, the problems of environmental pollution and climate change, etc.
JICA supports Vietnam in addressing these challenges through a number of activities: Building infrastructure to meet basic human needs; Agricultural and rural development; Health services improvement through upgrading major hospitals; Disaster preparedness assistance.
The last one is “Strengthening governance”. Governance is one of the cornerstones of sustainable socio-economic development. In judicial and legal reform, JICA assists Vietnam in developing and revising civil codes and procedural law; strengthening the implementation of laws and regulations, etc.
Konaka Tetsuo said that in general, the implementation of Japanese’s ODA projects is effective. Projects’ aims are completed and the public have benefits from these projects. Japanese’s ODA projects have contributed to promote the economic development and improve the quality of the Vietnamese life.
“However, there are a number of factors that affect the implementation of ODA projects in Vietnam, two of which are delayed payments and delays in the implementation of administrative procedures related to ODA projects. In order for Japanese ODA projects to be implemented smoothly and in accordance with the plan, JICA expects that Vietnam will continue reviewing administrative procedures to make timely decisions on budget allocation for ODA projects as well as simplify related procedures, etc", he said.
2018 marks 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. Konaka Tetsuo shared that JICA will achieve the vision of "Connecting the world by faith" through the implementation ODA projects fast and efficently.
New cooperative activities will be included in JICA's plan in the coming time, including supporting Japanese SMEs to invest abroad. In particular, JICA will focus on promoting ongoing projects, restarting delayed projects such as the Hanoi Railway 1 and 2 projects. Besides, JICA will consult with relevant units and develop new projects based on Vietnamese government’s policy.
In the future, JICA will also promote the cooperation forms through financial investment of the private sector. The first co-financing project in this form was between JICA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that focuses on the development of Vietnam's coffee value chain. JICA provided a loan of US$75 million. This is the first project in the agriculture field supported by private sector.
Konaka Tetsuo, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam
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JICA is helping the Vietnamese government to improve its investment climate through dialogue and policy advice; develop long-term industrialization strategies for six key areas; reform SOEs and restructure the banking sector.
Moreover, JICA is supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and implementing a lot of activities in human resource development through upgrading of universities, technical units and vocational training. In terms of infrastructure, JICA’s projects for Vietnam, in particular with projects to build vital transport infrastructure (such as roads, seaports, airports, and railways) have adopted the advanced technology of Japan.
The second one is “Supporting vulnerable subjects”. In spite of the high speed of economic growth, Vietnam faces many social and environmental issues such as poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, the need to prevent natural disasters, the problems of environmental pollution and climate change, etc.
JICA supports Vietnam in addressing these challenges through a number of activities: Building infrastructure to meet basic human needs; Agricultural and rural development; Health services improvement through upgrading major hospitals; Disaster preparedness assistance.
The last one is “Strengthening governance”. Governance is one of the cornerstones of sustainable socio-economic development. In judicial and legal reform, JICA assists Vietnam in developing and revising civil codes and procedural law; strengthening the implementation of laws and regulations, etc.
Konaka Tetsuo said that in general, the implementation of Japanese’s ODA projects is effective. Projects’ aims are completed and the public have benefits from these projects. Japanese’s ODA projects have contributed to promote the economic development and improve the quality of the Vietnamese life.
“However, there are a number of factors that affect the implementation of ODA projects in Vietnam, two of which are delayed payments and delays in the implementation of administrative procedures related to ODA projects. In order for Japanese ODA projects to be implemented smoothly and in accordance with the plan, JICA expects that Vietnam will continue reviewing administrative procedures to make timely decisions on budget allocation for ODA projects as well as simplify related procedures, etc", he said.
2018 marks 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. Konaka Tetsuo shared that JICA will achieve the vision of "Connecting the world by faith" through the implementation ODA projects fast and efficently.
New cooperative activities will be included in JICA's plan in the coming time, including supporting Japanese SMEs to invest abroad. In particular, JICA will focus on promoting ongoing projects, restarting delayed projects such as the Hanoi Railway 1 and 2 projects. Besides, JICA will consult with relevant units and develop new projects based on Vietnamese government’s policy.
In the future, JICA will also promote the cooperation forms through financial investment of the private sector. The first co-financing project in this form was between JICA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that focuses on the development of Vietnam's coffee value chain. JICA provided a loan of US$75 million. This is the first project in the agriculture field supported by private sector.
