The RoK diplomat elaborated that the meeting will take place at a time when the Vietnamese Government is trying its best in the fight against corruption. He added that donors at the meeting will hear the Vietnamese government and agencies reporting on Viet Nam's socio-economic development plan in the next five years and its effectve use of official development assistance (ODA) so that the donors could build medium- and long-term assistance plans.

The PMU 18 case, in which a project management unit embezzled a large amount of ODA meant for transport infrastructure projects, has really attracted donors' attention, Mr. Yoo said, adding the case is a big problem.

Speaking to a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent on June 8, the diplomat said that in 2006 Viet Nam has detected a number of large-scale corruption cases. However, corruption in Viet Nam is not at an alarming level as compared to other developing countries, he added.

Explaining the remark, he said that from January to May, 2006, Viet Nam attracted about 2 billion USD in investment capital, a 20 percent year-on-year increase, and that the increase reflected investors' confidence in Viet Nam. In addition, Viet Nam's economic growth rate of  more than 7 percent and impressive achievements in poverty reduction showed that corruption in the country is not at an alarming level currently, and that the Vietnamese Government has been making great efforts in its struggle.

As a donor to Viet Nam over the past 15 years, the RoK pays much attention to the effectiveness of the use of ODA and the fight against corruption, which can cause great losses of ODA. Therefore, Mr. Yoo voiced his support for the enactment and enforcement of the Law on Fighting Corruption.

He said: "I believe that with the enforcement of the Law on Fighting Corruption as of June 1, 2006, corruption will be prevented and driven back in Viet Nam. The number of corruption cases will reduce." He added that it's not enough to enact the law, but the Vietnamese Government should issue proper policies to ensure its efficiency of the important law.

Questioned about Viet Nam's investment environment, the diplomat said that generally, Viet Nam's investment climate is very good. With its advantages, including a stable political situation, completion of laws and codes and low production costs will certainly lure larger amounts of foreign investment if it pays more attention to training a skilled work force and making adjustments to goods transport charges./.