The issue that Finland will further help Vietnam upgrade safe water supply systems in small towns throughout the country was being discussed at a workshop jointly held by the Vietnamese Construction Ministry and the Finnish Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on September 12.
Finnish Ambassador Pekka Hyvonen said his country began its cooperation with Vietnam in the year 1985 with 84 million Euro package for a 16-year programme to improve fresh water supply for Hanoi. The programme, ending in the 2001, helped to build and improve underground water wells, water stations and distribution systems for the capital city of Hanoi.
Finland also poured another 24 million euros into a project in Hai Phong, and an additional 20.8 million euros for similar projects in rural Vietnamese towns.
According to Deputy Construction Minister Tran Ngoc Chinh, Vietnam has 729 urban centers and close to 10,000 communes. With urbanization spreading like wild fire and annual growth rate of urban population rising by 2.9 percent, Vietnam is expecting to double its urban population by the year 2020.
He said the country would need close to 15 trillion VND (close to 1 billion USD) for urban water supply projects, 44 trillion VND (nearly 3 billion USD) for drainage and waste water treatment and 16.5 trillion VND (over 1 billion USD) for solid waste treatment.
