Saudi Arabia will provide more than $37 million in official development assistance (ODA) for two road projects in Vietnam's central provinces of Phu Yen and Quang Tri, Vietnam news agency reported. The first project will link three communes of Xuan Phuoc, Ky Lo and Phu Hai in Phu Yen province at a cost of $16 million, of which $14.5 million will come from Saudi Arabia's ODA fund. The remaining $22.6 million will go toward a $38.4 million road project in Thach Kim, Hien Hoa, Lam Thuy and Ben Quan communes in Quang Tri province, with the extra funds to be provided by Vietnam. The announcement was made at a meeting here between Finance Minister Vuong Dinh Hue and Saudi Arab's Ambassador Salah Ahmed Sarhan Thursday. At the meeting, minister Hue urged Saudi Arabia to increase its investment and funding for Vietnam, with priority to be given to infrastructure in disadvantaged provinces and the health and education sectors. In November last year, the two countries signed two agreements on loans totaling $25.5 million to provide medical equipment for a general hospital and a health centre in Bac Kan province and equipment for a vocational training centre in central Ninh Thuan province.
