The figure includes US$1.217 billion in loans, and US$96 million in non-refundable aid, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

The ministry said that in the first half of this year, about US$1.1 billion was disbursed, accounting for 58 percent of the yearly target. However, Vietnam’s ODA capital disbursement rate is still lower than other countries in the region.

Vietnam plans to disburse more than US$2 billon of ODA capital in 2008, the MPI said. It is expected to attract approximately US$1.342 billion in the form of ODA from international donors in the remaining months of the year, including US$1.19 billion in loans and US$250 million in non-refundable aid.

The country is prepared to sign several ODA agreements and projects with international donors, such as the Vietnam-Sweden framework agreement on cooperation and development (US$100 million), the sixth Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC) granted by the World Bank (US$170 million), the Hanoi urban traffic network development project (US$100 million) and the Mekong Delta traffic network development project (US$150 million).