Published:  00:00 Wednesday - November 12, 2008

Japan has so far provided a total of US$236 million in development aid for central Thua Thien-Hue province to implement a series of projects on public services and social issues, said a provincial official on November 11.

According to the Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Ngo Hoa, the Japanese aid came in the form of grants and official development assistance (ODA) projects from the Japan Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) and preferential loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Prominent among Japan’s assistance programmes was a US$30 million project to provide equipment and build an intensive healthcare centre for the Hue Central Hospital.
In addition, Japan’s non-governmental organisations have supported nearly US$5 million for educational programmes and projects assisting street children in the province.

The WASEDA Heritage Institute has coordinated with the province to implement projects worth over US$4 million in total to preserve Hue is ancient royal relics and Hue court music, which has been recognised as part of the World Cultural Heritage.
Hue city has also established economic, cultural and tourism ties with several Japanese cities, including Shizuoka, Okinawa and Yokohama.