VietNamNet Bridge – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) planned to increase loans to Vietnam to US$2 billion in the future, said ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda in a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on February 28.

 
He also said that apart from measures taken by Vietnam to curb inflation, the country should focus on the gap between the rich and the poor and climate change.

 

Vietnam also needs to improve human resources and infrastructure to serve long-term economic growth and increase per capita income, he said.

 

President Kuroda expressed his hope that the relationship between Vietnam and the ADB would further flourish in the future. He pledged to continue to support Vietnam's infrastructural development, financial planning and education.

 

PM Dung highly valued the contribution of the bank to Vietnam’s development and wished to expand the scale of co-operation. He highlighted the effective co-operation of ADB operations in Vietnam, saying that Viet Nam effectively used the bank's loans.

 

He said Vietnam welcomed the upcoming ADB annual meeting and said Vietnamese agencies considered the meeting a significant event.

 

The ADB President also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pham Gia Khiem the same day.

 

Vietnam joined the ADB in 1966 as one of the founding members.

 

PV