The O Mon Thermal Power Plant is under construction in the south Mekong delta of Vietnam in the city of Can Tho.

Construction is being funded through a yen loan from JBIC, and civil engineering is being carried out by Toa Corporation.

A billboard shows what the completed plant will look like

From 10 to 20 July, Nobuhiro Kadoi, Program Manager, JOICFP, expert on HIV/AIDS, and Makoto Yaguchi, Program Officer, JOICFP, in charge of IPPF Tokyo Liaison Office, were in Vietnam to support and facilitate a HIV/AIDS prevention project component of the construction.

On 17th July, an orientation seminar was held by the Vietnam Family Planning Association (VINAFPA) for members of the Can Tho People's Committee, with participation of representatives of Toa Corp., IPPF Regional Office, and JOICFP.

Sun Paranjothy, Director of Programs, IPPF ESEAOR, told the attendees that as AIDS was increasingly becoming a public health issue, it was essential for people to receive accurate information, and that VINAFPA as a IPPF member organization was suited to do this.

Paranjothy also paid thanks to the Japanese government for its support of IPPF, and to JBIC for the cooperation with VINAFPA.

A representative of Toa Corp. said many workers came from outside Can Tho and shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities had been established to provide services for them.

In this transient environment, he said HIV prevention was important, and Toa Corp. would do as much as it could to cooperate with VINAFPA.

A view of the orientation meeting

VINAFPA has already been very active, having conducted a knowledge/behavior baseline survey and speaking to around one-quarter of the workforce.

The local People's Committee has supported VINAFPA by giving land near the project for construction of a communication center where workers can drop by and receive information on HIV/AIDS and STIs and counseling for HIV and STI testing.

Working for the workers;
a member of VINAFPA with construction workers
during the baseline survey

On 18th July, JOICFP met with representatives of the local People's Committee, Women's Union, Youth Union, and the entertainment sector to explain the HIV prevention component and determine how each party could best contribute to and coordinate for it.

The Japanese government is particularly interested in the power plant project as it wants to take the initiative in HIV prevention in major construction projects, and at a donor's meeting in Vietnam in 2006, Japan's deputy ambassador spoke of this commitment.

Two previous major yen-loan construction projects, Sihanoukeville port reconstruction in Cambodia, and the "Bridge of Hope" project on the Thai-Laos border, provided valuable experience in the formulation of the O Mon project.

On her return from Vietnam, Yaguchi apprised the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs of progress in the project.