THÔNG BÁO

VỀ VIỆC ĐIỀU ƯỚC QUỐC TẾ CÓ HIỆU LỰC

Thực hiện quy định tại Điều 56 của Luật Điều ước quốc tế năm 2016, Bộ Ngoại giao trân trọng thông báo:

Hiệp định vay (Các nghiệp vụ thông thường [Ưu đãi]) cho Chương trình đầu tư phát triển mạng lưới y tế cơ sở vùng khó khăn giữa Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam và Ngân hàng Phát triển châu Á, số khoản vay 3758-VN(COL), ký tại Hà Nội, ngày 06 tháng 8 năm 2019, có hiệu lực từ ngày 04 tháng 02 năm 2020.

Bộ Ngoại giao trân trọng gửi bản sao Hiệp định theo quy định tại Điều 59 của Luật nêu trên./.

LOAN NUMBER 3758-VIE(COL)

LOAN AGREEMENT

(Ordinary Operations [Concessional])

(Local Health Care for Disadvantaged Areas Sector Development Program)

BETWEEN SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM AND ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

DATED 6 August 2019

VIE 50285

LOAN AGREEMENT

(Ordinary Operations [Concessional])

LOAN AGREEMENT dated 6 August 2019 between SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM (“Borrower) and ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (“ADB”).

WHEREAS

(A) ADB has received from the Borrower a development policy letter dated 14 November 2018 (“Policy Letter), setting forth certain objectives, policies and actions, described in Schedule 1 to this Loan Agreement, designed to develop die Borrower’s local health care sector for disadvantaged areas ("Program’’);

(B) by a grant agreement of even date herewith between the Borrower and ADB (“Project Grant Agreement"), ADD has agreed to provide a grant equivalent to the amount of twelve million Dollars ($12,000,000) from ADB’S Special Funds resources in support of the Local Health Care for Disadvantaged Areas Sector Development Program (“Project") as described in Schedule 1 to the Project Grant Agreement;

(C) the Borrower has applied to ADB for a loan for the purposes of the Program; and

(D) ADB has agreed to make a concessional loan to the Borrower from ADB's ordinary capital resources to finance the Program upon the terms and conditions set forth herein;

NOW THEREFORE the parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

Loan Regulations; Definitions

Section 1.01. All the provisions of ADB’S Ordinary Operations

(Concessional) Loan Regulations, dated 1 January 2017 (“Loan Regulations’), are hereby made applicable to this Loan Agreement with the same force and effect as if they were fully set forth herein, subject, however, to the following modifications:

(a) Section 2.01(v) is deleted and the following is substituted therefor:

“Program” means die program for which ADB has agreed to make the Loan, as described in the Loan Agreement and as the description thereof may be amended from time to time by agreement between ADB and the Borrower;

(b) The term “Project- wherever it appears in the Loan Regulations shall be substituted by the term “Program”;

(c) Section 2,01 (x) is deleted and the following is substituted therefor:

“Program Executing Agency” means the entity or entities responsible for the carrying out of the Program as specified in the Loan Agreement;

(d) The term “Project Executing Agency” wherever it appears in the Loan Regulations Shalt be substituted by the term “Program Executing Agency”; and

(e) Section 5.01 (b) is deleted.

Section 1.02. Wherever used in this Loan Agreement, the several terms defined in the Loan Regulations have the respective meanings therein set forth unless modified herein or the context otherwise requires. Additional terms used in this Loan Agreement have the following meanings:

(a) "Counterpart Funds” means the local currency generated from the Loan proceeds under the Program and referred to in paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 to this Loan Agreement;

(b) “Deposit Account" means the account referred to in paragraph 3 of Schedule 3 to this Loan Agreement;

(c) “Loan Disbursement Handbook" means ADB's Loan Disbursement Handbook (2017, as amended from time to time);

(d) “MOH” means the Ministry of Health of the Borrower or any successor thereto;

(e) “Policy Matrix” means the policy matrix as agreed between the Borrower, through MOH, and ADB, which sets forth actions accomplished or to be accomplished by the Borrower under the Program and is attached to the Policy Letter; and

(f) “Program Executing Agency” for the purposes of, and within the meaning of, the Loan Regulations means MOH or any successor thereto acceptable to ADB, which is responsible for the carrying out of the Program.

ARTICLE II

The Loan

Section 2.01. (a) ADB agrees to lend to the Borrower from ADB's ordinary capital resources an amount of eighty-eight million six hundred thousand Dollars ($88,600,000).

(b) The Loan has a principal repayment period of 20 years, and a grace period as defined in subsection (c) hereinafter.

(c) The term "grace period” as used in subsection (b) hereinabove means the period prior to the first Principal Payment Date in accordance with the amortization schedule set forth in Schedule 2 to this Loan Agreement.

Section 2.02. The Borrower shad pay to ADB an interest charge at the rate of 2% per annum during the grace period and thereafter, on the amount of the Loan withdrawn from the Loan Account and outstanding from time to time.

Section 2.03. The interest charge and any other charge on the Loan shall be payable semiannually on 1 May and 1 November in each year.

Section 2.04. The Borrower shall repay the principal amount of the Loan withdrawn from the Loan Account in accordance with the amortization schedule set forth in Schedule 2 to this Loan Agreement

Section 2.05. The currency of repayment of the principal of the Loan and the currency of payment of the interest charge for the purposes of Sections 4.03(a) and 4.04 of the Loan Regulations shall be the Dollar.

ARTICLE III

Use of Proceeds of the Loan

Section 3.01. The Borrower shall cause the proceeds of the Loan to be applied to the financing of expenditures on the Program in accordance with the provisions of this Loan Agreement

Section 3.02. The proceeds of the Loan shall be withdrawn in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 3 to this Loan Agreement, as such Schedule may be amended from time to time by agreement between the Borrower and ADB.

Section 3.03. The Loan Closing Data for the purposes of Section 8.02 of the Loan Regulations Shalt be 31 March 2020 or such other date as may from time to time be agreed between the Borrower and ADB.

ARTICLE IV

Particular Covenants

Section 4.01. In the carrying out of the Program, the Borrower shall perform, or cause to be performed, all obligations set forth in Schedule 4 to this Loan Agreement.

Section 4.02. As pert of the reports and information referred to in Section 6.05 of the Loan Regulations, the Borrower shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, to ADB all such reports and information as ADB shall reasonably request concerning (i) Counterpart Funds and the use thereof, and (ii) the implementation of the Program, including the accomplishment of the targets and carrying out of the actions set out in the Policy Letter.

ARTICLE V

Suspension; Acceleration of Maturity

Section 5.01. The following is specified as an additional event for suspension ofthe right of the Borrower to make withdrawals from the Loan Account for the purposes of Section 8.01 (m) of the Loan Regulations: the grant under the Project Grant Agreement shall have become liable for suspension or cancellation.

Section 5.02. The following Is specified as an additional event for acceleration of maturity for the purposes of Section 8.07(d) of the Loan Regulations: the grant under the Project Grant Agreement shall have become liable for suspension for 30 days or cancellation.

ARTICLE VI

Effectiveness

Section 6.01. The following is specified as an additional condition to the effectiveness of this Loan Agreement for the purposes of Section 9.01(f) of the Loan Regulations: the execution and delivery of the Project Grant Agreement on behalf of the Borrower shall have been duty authorized or ratified by all necessary action and all conditions precedent to its effectiveness (other than a condition requiring the effectiveness of this Loan Agreement) shall have been fulfilled.

Section 6.02. A date 90 days after the date of this Loan Agreement is specified for the effectiveness of the Loan Agreement for the purposes of Section 9.04 of the Loan Regulations.

ARTICLE VII

Miscellaneous

Section 7.01. The Minister of Finance of the Borrower is designated as representative of the Borrower for the purposes of Section 11.02 of the Loan Regulations.

Section 7.02. The following addresses are specified for the purposes of Section 11.01 of the Loan Regulations:

For the Borrower

Ministry of Finance

No. 28 Tran Hung Dao Street

Hoan Kiem District

Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Facsimile Number

(84-24) 2220-8020

For ADB

Asian Development Bank

6 ADB Avenue

Mandaluyong City

1550 Metro Manila

Philippines

Facsimile Numbers:

(632) 636-2444

(632) 636-2305.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto, acting through their representatives thereunto duly authorized, have caused this Loan Agreement to be signed in their respective names as of the day and year first above written and to be delivered at the principal office of ADB.

SCHEDULE 1

Description of the Program

1. The principal objective of the Program is to improve the quality of and access to local health care services for people in disadvantaged and remote areas of the Borrower. The scope of the Program indudes (i) strengthening public investment management for local health care; (ii) improving service delivery models for the local health care network; and (iii) strengthening the development and management of the local health care workforce.

2. The Program is described in more detail in the Policy Letter.

3. The disbursement of Loan proceeds under the Program is expected to be completed by 31 March 2020

SCHEDULE 2

Amortization Schedule

The arrangements for payment are subject to the provisions of Sections 3.04 and 4.03 of the Loan Regulations

SCHEDULE 3

Withdrawal of Loan Proceeds

1. Except as set out in this Schedule or as ADB may otherwise agree, the Loan proceeds shall to disbursed in accordance with the Loan Disbursement Handbook.

2. An application for withdrawal from the Loan Account shell be submitted to ADB by the Borrower and shall be in a form satisfactory to ADB.

3. (a) Prior to submitting the first application to ADD for withdrawal from the Loan Account, the Borrower shall nominate an account (the Deposit Account) at a commercial bank into which all withdrawals from the Loan Account shall be deposited. The Deposit Account shall be established, managed and liquidated in accordance with the applicable regulations and procedures of the Borrower.

(b) Separate accounts and records in respect of the Deposit Account shall be maintained in accordance with accounting principles acceptable to ADB. Upon ADB's request, the Borrower shall have the financial statements for the Deposit Account audited by independent auditors, whose qualifications, experience and terms of reference are acceptable to ADB, in accordance with international standards for auditing or the national equivalent acceptable to ADB. Promptly after their preparation but in any event not later than 6 months after the date of ADB’s request copies of such audited financial statements and toe opinion of the auditors on the financial statements, in the English language, shall be furnished to ADB.

4. No Loan proceeds shall be withdrawn to finance any item specified in the Attachment to this Schedule.

5. The Borrower may withdraw the Loan upon effectiveness of this Loan Agreement.

Attachment to Schedule 3

Negative List

No withdrawals of Loan proceeds will be made for the following:

(i) expenditures for goods included in the following groups or sub-groups of the United Nations Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC, Rev. 3) or any successor groups or sub-groups under future revisions to the SITC, as designated by ADB by notice to the Borrower:

Table: ineligible items

Source: United Nations.

(ii) expenditures in the currency of the Borrower or for goods supplied from the territory of the Borrower;

(iii) expenditures for goods supplied under a contract that any national or international financing institution or agency will have financed or has agreed to finance, including any contract financed under any loan or grant from the ADB;

(iv) expenditures for goods intended for a military or paramilitary purpose or for luxury consumption;

(v) expenditures for narcotics;

(vi) expenditures for environmentally hazardous goods, the manufacture, use or import of which is prohibited under the laws of the Borrower or international agreements to which the Borrower is a party; and

(vii) expenditures on account of any payment prohibited by the Borrower in compliance with a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

SCHEDULE 4

Program implementation and Other Matters

Implementation Arrangements

1. The Program Executing Agency shall oversee and coordinate the timely implementation of the policy actions.

2. The Borrower shall ensure that the Loan proceeds are made available to the Program Executing Agency for development and implementation of health policies and plans consistent with the Program.

Policy Actions and Dialogue

3. The Borrower, through MOH, shall ensure that all policy actions adopted under the Program, as set forth in the Policy Letter and the Policy Matrix, continue to be in effect for the duration of the Program.

4. The Borrower, through MOH, shall keep ADB informed of policy discussions with other multilateral and bilateral aid agencies that may have implications for the implementation of the Program and shall provide ADB with an opportunity to comment on any resulting policy proposals. The Borrower shall take into account ADB's views before finalizing and implementing any such proposal.

Use of Counterpart Funds

5. The Borrower shall ensure that the Counterpart Funds are used to finance the implementation of certain programs and activities consistent with the objectives of the Program.

Governance and Anticorruption

6. The Borrower and the Program Executing Agency shall (a) comply with ADB's Anticorrption Policy (1998, as amended to date) and acknowledge that ADB reserves the right to investigate directly, or through its agents, any alleged corrupt fraudulent collusive or coercive practice relating to the Program; and (b) cooperate with any such investigation and extend all necessary assistance for satisfactory completion of such investigation.

Monitoring and Review

7. The Program reviews shall be carried out and performance shall be monitored in conjunction with the Project reviews and monitoring, as detailed in the Project Grant Agreement.