Vietnam announced today, Tuesday, the launch of a massive package of infrastructure projects including laying the foundation stone and inaugurating about 250 projects across the country as part of efforts to stimulate economic growth. The government stated that the country is funding 129 projects in areas ranging from urban development to transportation with total investments of about 478 trillion dong (18 billion dollars). Additional investments worth approximately 30.5 billion dollars include 121 projects funded from other sources, including a few foreign companies, currently under implementation. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said estimates indicate these investments contribute about 13% of the country’s GDP, adding that the new projects will lead to a leap in the country’s strategic infrastructure status, calling on officials to take immediate and long-term measures to restructure the economy and support growth. Chinh aims for GDP growth between 7.8% and 8.5% this year.