[VN Courier 15/7] News Brief

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News Brief

Preparations for the 10th National Assembly election are proceeding on
schedule, said the National Election Council (NEC) on July 2. However,
the NEC added that further work needs to be done before the poll on July
20. 

The World Bank has agreed to provide the State Bank of Vietnam with a
loan of 98.61 million USD for water supply projects in four major
cities. The loan agreement was signed in Hanoi on July7 by World Bank
Resident Representative Bradley Babson and Governor of the State Bank of
Vietnam Cao Si Kiem.

The National Bidding Evaluation Office of the Ministry of Planning and
Investment discounted 51.8 million USD out of the 792 million USD worth
of 58 bidding contracts it evaluated over the past six months of the
year, making up 6.5% of the contracts' total value, said a source from
the office.

The Government has shown commitment to seeking solution for overcoming
serious, prolonged consequences of toxic chemicals of Vietnam war,
reported the Lao Dong bi-weekly newspaper. Deputy Prime Minister Phan
Van Khai has assigned the ministries of Science, Technology and
Environment; Health; and Labour, War Invalids and Social Welfare; and
other bodies to study and assess such consequences.

The World Bank will launch a 1.2-million programme to assist Vietnam in
auditing four major Vietnamese banks, namely Eximbank, Vietcombank,
Incombank and Vietnam Bank for Agriculture (VBA). Incombank and VBA have
opened biding, and chosen Price Waterhouse and Cooper & Lybrand. These
two auditors will audit Incombank and VBA repectively in August.

The Japanese government has agreed to help the Mekong River Delta
province of Dong Thap build an emergency medical centre in Thanh Binh
district a cost of 82,870 USD. Documents to this effect were signed in
HCM City on July 8.

Voice of Vietnam Radio inaugurated its second major transmitting station
on July 10 covering southern Vietnam and beyond. The new transmitting
complex VN2 was built in Can Tho province in the Mekong Delta and
includes a system of transmission lines of six kilometres long. It has a
total capacity of 3,500 KW.

The establishment of direct air links between Vietnam and the United
States is likely to have more immediate impact on many people than the
establishment of a trade agreement or Most Favoured Nation trading
status. The coming of such carriers as American Airlines, Delta Airlines
and Continental Airlines will be a significant for Americans because
they have been frustrated by wasted time on indirect flights.

The Canadian Fund for Local Innitiative has agreed to provide more than
22,000 USD for two projects, one to support vocational training in Dong
Thap province and the other for rural credit and savings programme in
Binh Phuoc province. The Fund will grant about 16,000 USD to the Good
Shepherd Sister project operating under the auspices of the Sa Dec
Vocational Training Centre for Women in Dong Thap province.

VNC