Bãi Bằng
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Bãi Bằng is an industrial area northwest of Vietnamese capital Hanoi, home to the large paper mill of the same name, completed in 1996.
Controversial development project
The construction of the papermill was a controversial[1] project was signed as a cooperation between Sweden and Vietnam in 1969, the construction begun in 1975. The idea was to build a paper mill in North Vietnam, but a multitude of problems in the war-torn country caused the project to take until 1996 before reaching the projected capacity. The projected cost was 770 million Swedish kronor, but the final cost was 2.8 billion Swedish kronor. The project was for many years seen as problematic but in the long run it become a success, the biggest paper mill i Vietnam.[2]
Sweden also launched a vocational school to provide the Bai Bang project with Vietnamese personnel with the right skills and competence.
Construction was evaluated by the Chr. Michelsen Institute, an independent, non-profit research foundation based in Norway. At present,[when?] the paper mill is one of the more successful in the country.
Production and importance
Now[when?] the machines in the paper mill are operating at maximum. Bai Bang is producing about 40 percent of all paper in Vietnam and is one of the largest manufacturers of toilet paper in the country. In 2008 they produced 110,000 tons of paper, twice as much as planned (55,000 tons).
The paper today is made from bamboo, eucalyptus, and acacia.[citation needed]
Around 2,000 people work at the mill. This investment has contributed to a high standard of living in society around Bai Bang. The village has grown into a small town with about 20,000 inhabitants. Gymnasiums and schools have been built.[1]
100 km northwest of Bai Bang is Ham Yen, which is the center of the forest part in the project.
Many Swedes who worked and lived there are going back there now as tourists and there is currently also a Swedish travel agency TravelBase who arrange special tours to Bai Bang Paper.
References
- ^ a b "Pappersbruket Bai Bang i norra Vietnam har fått svidande kritik och kallats det största svenska biståndsfiaskot genom tiderna." translation from Swedish: "The papermill Bai Bang in northern Vietnam has received scathing critique and been labelled the largest Swedish development fiasco ever."
- ^ SIDA
External links
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