THE PRIME MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT
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SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
Independence - Freedom – Happiness
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No. 17/2004/CT-TTg
Hanoi, May 24, 2004
 
DIRECTIVE
ON STEPPING UP THE DISBUR-SEMENT OF OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) CAPITAL SOURCE
Thanks to the success of the renewal cause and the wide-open, diversifying and multilateralizing external policy of the Party and the State, our country has mobilized and attracted a considerable official development assistance (ODA) capital volume for the socio-economic development. Since 1993, the committed ODA capital has risen year after year, reaching a total of USD 25.34 billion now. The ODA capital source has been used for construction of socio-economic infrastructure; settlement of such social issues as hunger eradication and poverty alleviation; development of healthcare, education, science and technology, environmental protection, administrative and judicial reforms; and as supports for a number of production fields. Many ODA-funded projects have been put to use, thus contributing to the economic growth and improvement of people's life. The State management over ODA has been enhanced and step by step become a routine work. The system of ODA-managing agencies at all levels has been formed. The capacity of ODA management officials at the central and grassroots levels has been raised one step further.
However, the disbursement rate of ODA capital over the recent period has reached just 70-80% of the set plan, lower than the average disbursement rate of the regional ODA-receiving countries. The slow disbursement was attributed to numerous causes, but largely to subjective ones, such as lack of synchronous planning and policies for the ODA attraction and use; complicated and non-transparent order and procedures for evaluating and approving programs and projects; prolonged and inadequate compensation, resettlement and ground clearance; cumbersome, multi-door and multi-stage administrative procedures; failure of the leaderships of some ministries and localities to hectically direct and strictly urge and inspect the implementation; weak capacity of ODA management officials at all levels.