Three NGOs licensed to open rep. offices in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge Three foreign non-governmental organisations, which have been involved in aid providing programmes in Vietnam for years, have been licensed to extend their operation and open representative offices in the country. President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong on August 23 handed over the licenses to the three organisations, namely the Atlantic Philanthropies Limited (AP), the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the Caritas Switzerland (CARSWI). On this occasion, AP announced that it would provide Vietnam with 25-30 million USD each year for the next three years. AP Vietnam representative Le Nhan Phuong said the continued commitment is based on the satisfactory results of AP’s previous projects in the country. The organisation, which began its operation in Vietnam in 1999, has financed several projects to develop health care infrastructure in the country, including 6.3 million USD for phase 1 of a project to upgrade the Central Paediatrics Hospital, 5 million USD for a plan to protect children from injuries, and 10.5 million USD for a cardiovascular centre of the Hue Hospital. AP’s financial commitments to Vietnam now total 220 million USD with an average 25 million USD disbursed every year. Meanwhile, AUF focuses its help on Vietnam’s tertiary education development with up to 1 million USD in annual commitment. The international NGO has coordinated with local universities to carry out projects to teach French at tertiary level and other subjects that are strength of France. It also provides local students with scholarships for their training in France. CARSWI started its operation in Vietnam in 1996 with a bevy of projects to assist disabled children and rural development. The organisation pledges to provide 500,000 USD in annual aid in coming years.