Denmark will provide Vietnam with US$57 million in official development assistance (ODA) in 2013. Danish Ambassador John Nielsen announced the allocation on December 7.

Under bilateral agreements on green growth, energy saving, and climate change adaptation, Denmark will offer an additional US$14 million to assist Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve energy efficiency.

 A tripartite green growth agreement signed by Vietnam, Denmark, and the Republic of Korea also focuses on helping the Southeast Asian country devise a green growth strategy.

 The Danish Ambassador pledged to prioritise assisting Vietnam’s efforts with legal reform, administrative reform, and capacity building for the National Assembly’s agencies.

Vietnam-Denmark relations have steadily advanced over recent years. In November 2012, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt visited Vietnam, aiming to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially politics, trade, and culture.

 Denmark is one of Vietnam’s leading EU partners in terms of ODA provision. Since the 1972 establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, Denmark has granted more than US$1 billion in ODA to Vietnam. Most of it has been allocated to infrastructure development, poverty reduction, administrative reform, environmental protection, SME assistance, and climate change adaptation.

VOV