Viet Nam mobilizes US$624 million in new ODA in 2025

As of December 31, 2025, the ODA disbursement rate reached nearly 45 percent. Tran attributed delays to land clearance and resettlement, difficulties in approving construction projects in forest areas, as well as bottlenecks related to bidding procedures, tax issues, and prolonged loan negotiations.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son reaffirmed that ODA and foreign concessional loans are a key resource for Viet Nam's socio-economic development, particularly for major infrastructure and high-impact projects.

During the 2021–2025 period, VND 300 trillion—equivalent to 10 percent of total public investment—was allocated to ODA-funded projects.

Entering 2026, the start of a new development phase linked to the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and the 2026–2030 socio-economic development plan, the Government views public investment, including ODA, as a critical driver to achieve a GDP growth target of 10 percent and to build modern, synchronized infrastructure nationwide.

In 2026, Viet Nam plans to mobilize US$5.5 billion in foreign loans to accelerate the construction of large-scale national infrastructure projects and address persistent bottlenecks in the disbursement of development finance.

The Ministry of Finance has been tasked with improving the legal framework for public investment and public debt management, streamlining procedures, enhancing decentralization, resolving regulatory differences with World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) rules, strengthening coordination with donors, and applying digital tools to speed up disbursement. The ministry will also finalize the orientation scheme for the use of ODA and concessional loans in the 2026–2030 period.

Ministries, sectors, and localities were urged to take stronger responsibility for project implementation, address bottlenecks—particularly in land clearance and staffing—enhance transparency, and actively coordinate with central agencies and donors to accelerate disbursement.

The Deputy Prime Minister also called on donors and UN organizations to share information on future funding availability and consider simplifying funding procedures, while assigning relevant ministries to improve coordination, guidance, and timely feedback on ODA-funded projects to enhance effectiveness and disbursement.

Last year, Viet Nam amended its public debt management law to streamline procedures, delegate greater authority in negotiating ODA agreements, and address long-standing procedural inefficiencies./.