Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Mitsuo Sakaba on August 26 signed two agreements of aid worth nearly 162,000 USD to develop infrastructure in two far-flung districts in northern mountainous Cao Bang province.

Of the total aid package, close to 89,000 USD will be spent on constructing a suspended bridge in Na Bang village of Bao Lam district, where local people have to use rafts to cross the river, which is dangerous during the rainy season from May to October.

The remaining 73,000 USD of aid will be earmarked for building a primary school in Ma Ba commune of Ha Quang District to replace the 40-year-old school and provide more classrooms to local children.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Sakaba said: “I hope that this project funded by the government of Japan will somehow improve infrastructure and primary educational environment of Cao Bang province. I also hope that through this project, the friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Viet Nam will be further deepened”.

Since resuming its aid for Vietnam in 1981, Japan has taken the lead in granting official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam , accounting for nearly 30 percent of international donors’ total committed amount./.