PANO - Colonel Patrick D. Reardon, Defense and Army Attaché at the US Embassy in Hanoi, has travelled to two central provinces of Quang Nam and Nghe An to hand over two schools and a flood management center to the local leadership.

According to a press release by the US Embassy in Hanoi yesterday, Ky Son School in Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district, Nghe An province; Hoa Phu School in Hoa Phu commune, Hoa Vang district, Danang city; and the Tam Ky Flood Management Operations Center in Tam Ky town, Quang Nam province, were handed over during Colonel Patrick D. Reardon’s three day trip from August 13th to 15th.

The three structures, worth over VND 20.18 billion (US $1.18 million), are part of the recently completed projects, under the auspices of the US Department of Defense (DoD) Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) program.

Since 2000, the US Government has been active in Vietnam with a wide range of construction and donation projects using the Department of Defense OHDACA program.

So far, this program has made contributions to nine different provinces with construction projects, or property and equipment donations, with a total value of several million US dollars.

The assistance from the USA is to help promote the growing defense relationship between the USA and Vietnam.

Mai Huong