Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - (October 26, 2001) The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) has awarded a $143,918 grant to the People's Committee of the Hoc Mon District in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to partially fund a feasibility study on the development of an in-vessel composting project for the district. The grant was signed today in Ho Chi Minh City by the Deputy Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate General, Sharon White, and the Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoc Mon District, Nguyen Van Khoe.

TDA's grant funds will be used for a study to examine the technical and financial requirements of a specialized "in-vessel" composting system. This system would help generate a commercially-viable compost product, reduce the land area needed for local landfills, and control odors associated with high-moisture, organic solid waste in Ho Chi Minh City. TDA recently provided $83,717 in grant funding for a similar project in Da Nang, Vietnam. Lemna International, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, (Lemna) will perform the feasibility study and contribute additional resources towards its completion.

Since establishing its Vietnam program in 1997, TDA has approved $7 million in feasibility study and technical assistance projects to support the development of infrastructure and business priorities throughout the country. Active in various sectors of the Vietnamese economy, TDA has helped promote development of the Quang Trung Software City project, a new passenger terminal at the Da Nang International Airport, an information technology procurement plan for Vietnam Airlines, and a technical assistance and training program for Electricity Vietnam.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency promotes American private-sector participation by helping U.S. companies pursue business opportunities in developing and middle-income countries. Through the funding of feasibility studies, orientation visits, specialized training grants, business workshops, and various forms of technical assistance, TDA helps foreign project sponsors develop priority infrastructure projects with American technological and financial expertise. In addition, the agency promotes capacity building initiatives and supports U.S. government trade, economic policy and development objectives around the world.

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