To this effect, an agreement for Phase II of the Regional Project to support Trade and Market Access Capacity Building in the Mekong Region was clinched by Vice Minister of Science and Technology Bui Manh Hai, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Kjell Storlokken and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) representative Philippe Schotes in Hanoi on June 16.

The scheme will also help Vietnam strengthen its national testing capacity, implement the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and improve the capacity of local offices in charge of recognising assessing organisations.

The US$1.7 million second phase will be undertaken in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia through 2008.

The first phase of the project was conducted in the 2003-2005 period with a total cost of US$1 million.