VNA reported that on the morning of May 15, at the Government Headquarters, Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Ms. Mariam J. Sherman, Country Director of the World Bank (WB) Office for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
The Prime Minister said that the Vietnamese Government always considers the WB an important, close and trustworthy partner that has provided many supports and actively contributed to Vietnam's socio-economic development, contributing to the great achievements that Vietnam has achieved on the path of innovation, international integration and sustainable development.
Ms. Mariam J. Sherman highly appreciated Vietnam's new-era national development strategy; the World Bank supports and will accompany and support Vietnam in this process, especially in areas that Vietnam prioritizes and proposes, including the proposal to give Vietnam a loan of more than 11 billion USD within the next 5 years.
Welcoming the WB's proposal to provide Vietnam with a loan of more than 11 billion USD over the next 5 years, the Prime Minister affirmed the Government's determination to promote public investment disbursement, especially in key infrastructure sectors.
The Prime Minister suggested that the WB continue to support Vietnam with preferential interest rates in priority areas such as: infrastructure, especially large-scale transport projects with the nature of situation tournament, status change; energy, including energy transition and renewable energy development; agriculture, especially projects with a positive impact on the environment, climate change adaptation; supporting private economic development.
In particular, the Prime Minister requested the WB to support capital for Vietnam to implement the investment project to build the North-South high-speed railway line, expected to start construction in 2026 with a total capital of about 67 billion USD.
According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam is making efforts to improve institutions, remove institutional and policy barriers to reform administrative procedures and handle differences between domestic regulations and the requirements of donors.
Ms. Mariam J. Sherman said that she will report to the WB President on the Prime Minister's opinions, especially on interest rates, capital support for high-speed railways, and capital support for the private economic sector of Vietnam.
Proposing that the two sides consider establishing a strategic partnership mechanism between the WB and Vietnam on cooperation in developing Vietnam's strategic infrastructure at the macro level, Ms. Mariam J. Sherman pledged to find other sources of capital with more incentives, and at the same time provide policy advice, technical and professional advice for Vietnam to prepare and effectively implement projects using loans from the WB and other donors.
The Prime Minister agreed to establish a Vietnam - WB Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; propose a mechanism for contacts between the Prime Minister and the WB President to promote increasingly practical and effective cooperation between the two sides.
