WB pledges US$4 billion in IDA preferential loans for VN (VOV) - Vietnam is the second largest country to be provided with nearly US$ 4 billion from the WB’s International Development Association (IDA), the visiting WB President, Jim Yong Kim, told President Truong Tan Sang at their meeting in Hanoi on July 17. President Truong Tan Sang praised the World Bank (WB) cooperation with Vietnam and its effective assistance for Vietnamese localities in poverty reduction and noted with satisfaction the achievements from his meeting with WB leaders during the US trip. “Vietnam is restructuring the national economy and State-owned enterprises (SoEs) to ensure sustainable economic growth. The country is focusing more on improving the quality of human resources and vocational training.” Sang noted. As a country heavily impacted by climate change, Vietnam is paying heed to carrying out programs and projects on disaster prevention, environmental protection and clean energy, Sang said, adding that Vietnam desires to boost fruitful cooperation with the WB to achieve the best performance.   President Truong Tan Sang (R) welcomes WB President Jim Yong Kim in Hanoi. WB President Jim Yong Kim said he is happy to witness drastic changes of the capital city after 15 years of his return to Vietnam. The country’s achievements have encouraged the international community to implement UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) more effectively. The WB is keen to step up cooperation with Vietnam, assisting it to develop an effective comprehensive development strategy. Vietnam is the second largest country to be provided with nearly US$ 4 billion in preferential loans from the WB’s International Development Association (IDA) to promote public-private partnership (PPP) and achieve higher economic growth. The WB pledges to help Vietnam insure the effective use of capital, build training programs, improve the health system, adapt to climate change, find renewable energy resources aiming to elevate per capita GDP growth to a higher level, Kim said. VOV