International relation activities in 2006

In 2006, the international relations of the VBSP was continuously further improved and strengthened through some following specific operations:

VBSP continuously maintained and developed a close relationship with international financial institutions such as: World Bank (WB), Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA); the French Development Agency (AFD); International Foundation for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the Japanese National Life Financial Cooperation (NLFC); Policy Research Institution (Finance Ministry of Japan); AusAid (Australia), etc, and set up new relationships with the organizations as: Ford Foundation (USA), Rabobank (Netherlands), etc.

An early year meeting was held by VBSP in the first time to welcome the international organizations in Hanoi at the aim to propagandize the VBSP’s operations and to attract the new opportunities of cooperation and investment.

VBSP actively took part in the activities of APRACA and of ASEAN Banking Association. Within the cooperation framework with these organizations, VBSP sent working delegations to participate the Lending Workshop to the Students in Thailand (February, 2006), the study tour in BAAC Bank of Thailand (June, 2006) and the Annual Meeting of ASEAN Banking Association in Singapore (November, 2006). Additionally, to strengthen the co-operational relationship between VBSP and international partners, some staff of VBSP were appointed to study and collect experience in the foreign countries as: Microfinance course in Thailand (April, 2006), 3 microfinance courses financed by Citigroup in Philippines (February and July, 2006) and in Indonesia (December, 2006), a study-tour at the Japanese National Life Financial Corporation (June, 2006) and at Rabobank (Netherlands) in June, 2006.

A part from exchanging experience in the international countries, VBSP also met, worked, propagandized operations and exchanged the experience with international delegations during their working visit to VBSP.

To broaden the international relationship incessantly, VBSP participated meetings, workshops held by APEC Business Consultancy Council in Vietnam; a Workshop on preparation of project proposal held by InWent organization, etc. For more effective promulgation of VBSP’s operations, VBSP’s International Cooperation Department continuously provided operational documents, information of VBSP in English on VBSP’s website.

Additionally, VBSP also proactively and actively got in touch with, worked with some relevant Ministries, agencies to attract their concerns, directions and ODA funding sources for poverty reduction in Vietnam (the Government’s Administration Office, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the State Bank of Vietnam). In 2006, VBSP received a part of ODA for the Vietnamese Government to supplement in charter capital with USD 100 million from Poverty Reduction Support Program (PRSC4), signed a new agreement on co-operational project  (KFW6) with Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Forest Sector Development Projects  (the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam) and an agreement on extending next 2 year co-operational project with the Policy Research Institution (Finance Ministry of Japan).

Project management

Besides the international relations, the project management of VBSP also attained many important achievements.

By the end of 2006, VBSP implemented 11 technical cooperation and lending projects in collaboration with the international organizations, including: OPEC, IFAD Tuyen Quang, GRET, KfW (lending to small and medium enterprises), KfW6 (forestry management account opening), WB for forestry plantation, Central Westland Development Project (CWDP), RIPD Tuyen Quang, pilot microfinance project I&II, a technical assistance project in collaboration with the Policy Research Institution under Japan’s Ministry of Finance. Of which, 10 projects which used loans from the international partners to lend to the end users: RIPD Tuyen Quang, pilot microfinance project I & II, WB for forestry plantation, OPEC, IFAD Tuyen Quang, KfW (lending to small and medium enterprises), KfW6 (forestry account opening), Central Westland Development Project (CWDP), the technical assistance project with the Policy Research Institution under Japan’s Ministry of Finance with total capital of VND 965,984 million; and the project uses funding source of VBSP to lend on basis of guaranty payment and in collaboration with the GRET(France NGO).

Some projects were under implementation in next stage by VBSP as: UNICEF, IFAD Ha Giang and Quang Binh, AFD’s borrowing project, technical assistance from Rabobank. At the same time, newly-signed agreements are including:

- February, 2006: an agreement on extending next 2 year project (February, 2006 to February, 2008) was signed with the Policy Research Institution (Finance Ministry of Japan) by VBSP;

- November, 2006: an agreement on opening deposit accounts for households in KfW6 project areas was signed with PMU of Forestry projects (the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) by VBSP;

- In 2006, VBSP conducted some training courses for project implementation, namely: start-up Conference and Training Courses for Forestry Sector Development Project (during August and September, 2005) in 4 project implementation provinces (Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh), a training course of microfinance in framework of ASEM project.

The achievements in international relations and project management of VBSP in 2006 contributed to introduce and spread VBSP’s image to domestic and international partners. In this way, VBSP can attract further technical and investment funding assistance of the international organizations for VBSP in various forms and broaden further cooperation opportunities in the future, making contribution to development of the whole VBSP system.