Work started on the Vietnam – Republic of Korea Friendship Village in the mountainous district of Bac Ai, the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on February 23.

Ko Jae Seung, the director of the Vietnam – Republic of Korea Friendship
Village project (right), hands over the non-refundable aid provided by the
RoK to local leaders for the implementation of the project.

Funded by the Korean Cultural Centre, the project has a total investment of VND1.3 billion (US$56,407).

Located in Ma Lam village, Phuoc Tan commune, the project will comprise 21 houses, 36 sqm each, with a porch and an indoor toilet.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Ko Jae Seung, the project’s director, said the friendship village is funded by the RoK’s non-refundable aid. Each house will cost about VND63 million, of which VND53 million will come from the aid while the remainder will be sourced from soft loans provided the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and financial assistance from local authorities.

The project is the first funded by the Korean Cultural Centre in Bac Ai and Ninh Thuan.

Once completed, the project will not only accommodate poor people in the area but also promote Vietnamese and Korean cultures in the province.