The author presents an empirical study on Vietnam's national competitiveness by using mixed methods research (qualitative and quantitative) with a combination of hard and soft data. The result shows that production resources (human, infrastructure, capital and natural resources) have played the most important role in improving competitiveness, productivity and living standard in Vietnam in the last two decades. The author also analyzed and evaluated the competitiveness of the Vietnamese economy, and pointed out the remaining weaknesses of competitiveness compared to the selected regional countries such as shortage of production resources supply, a dominance of inefficient state-owned enterprises and its slow reform, and weak public institutions as well as inefficient government governance. These weaknesses have led Vietnam's competitiveness, productivity and economic growth to remain low, especially compared to China. Finally, the author attempts to provide some recommendations enhancing the competitiveness, productivity, and citizens' living standard in Vietnam in the long term.

The author presents an empirical study on Vietnam's national competitiveness by using mixed methods research (qualitative and quantitative) with a combination of hard and soft data. The result shows that production resources (human, infrastructure, capital and natural resources) have played the most important role in improving competitiveness, productivity and living standard in Vietnam in the last two decades. The author also analyzed and evaluated the competitiveness of the Vietnamese economy, and pointed out the remaining weaknesses of competitiveness compared to the selected regional countries such as shortage of production resources supply, a dominance of inefficient state-owned enterprises and its slow reform, and weak public institutions as well as inefficient government governance. These weaknesses have led Vietnam's competitiveness, productivity and economic growth to remain low, especially compared to China. Finally, the author attempts to provide some recommendations enhancing the competitiveness, productivity, and citizens' living standard in Vietnam in the long term.

Drawing on the studies by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS), this book titled Balanced, Sustainable and Competitiveness Enhancement Study for Vietnam: A Critical Evaluation with Development Potentials, which is a joint research collaboration between the National Research Project on Improving Vietnam's Competitiveness and ACI-LKYSPP-NUS, provides a detailed assessment of the Vietnamese economy. We contend that Vietnam is at a critical juncture in its development whereby a new wave of far-reaching reforms is required to address persistent structural weaknesses and unleash the country's economic potentials. In addition, Vietnam's new growth model must tackle widening regional disparities which puts Vietnam at risk of becoming one country with two economies where the southern region of Vietnam pulls too far ahead of its northern and central counterparts. Based on our analysis, we propose a comprehensive policy roadmap for Vietnam to achieve balanced and sustainable development for enhanced competitiveness. The successful completion of this reform agenda will set Vietnam firmly on a dynamic growth path which will allow the country to catch up with the more advanced ASEAN member states by 2040.

Report on socio-economic development in a 10-year period in Vietnam.

Vietnam has attained a strong record of economic growth and poverty reduction since the adoption of market-based economic reforms and pro-poor policies starting in the mid-1980s. Much of this achievement was driven by an untapped, rapidly-growing labor force and the enablement of greater labor participation in higher-productivity sectors of the economy. Yet, as Vietnam has restructured its economic activity towards manufacturing, more mechanized primary sector production and, increasingly, services, and as the labor force is projected to expand at a markedly lower rate than before, finding new sources of productivity improvements has become the key to sustaining economic growth going forward. Improvements in freight logistics can unlock productivity gains across the Vietnamese economy for years to come. The shippers and carriers that operate the supply chains that connect Vietnam to the global economy generally perceive that logistics costs in Vietnam—those incurred when moving, storing and inspecting goods—are more onerous than in peer economies like China, Malaysia and Thailand, even as they are also perceived to be more competitive than those in other developing Asian countries. While many factors may contribute to costly logistics, the main source of underperformance in Vietnam’s logistics sector appears to be the inventory-carrying implications of unreliable freight itineraries, unpredictable inspection and clearance procedures, and an uncertain planning, legal and regulatory framework. By making commerce more predictable, particularly for regional and inter-continental trade, more efficient logistics can lower the cost of doing business, boost competitiveness, attract investment and generate employment. In short, efficient logistics can become a driver of lasting growth. Directed at industry practitioners and policy makers alike, this report highlights five key initiatives to improve the reliability and cost-effectiveness of transportation and logistics in Vietnam’s domestic and international supply chains. These include: (i) modernizing the customs system more broadly to enable goods clearance in a consistently timely manner; (ii) enhancing regulatory transparency to minimize discretion in the regulation of commerce; (iii) promoting multimodal transport corridor planning; (iv) enhancing competition and professionalism in the trucking industry; and (v) deploying capacity more strategically at major gateways, particularly at Cai Map-Thi Vai.

Is Vietnam competitive? With the globalization of markets, the increased mobility of corporate assets, and the need for productive human resources, this question has become all the more complex to answer. This report was prepared to tackle this question by focussing on certain fundamentals: financial performance and labor productivity.

This Palgrave Pivot provides an introduction to the economy and business environment of Vietnam, a member of the ASEAN Economic Community whose economy is rapidly growing. The introduction argues that though there may be perceived disadvantages in investing in Vietnam, there are a number of benefits as well, such as the country's openness to trade and foreign direct investment, the increasing ease of doing business there and the dynamism of the economy. The book then provides an overview of Vietnam's economic policy since 1975, covering reunification, attempts at a command economy, and finally renovation under Doi Moi Policy. Further chapters cover the expansion of the private sector, interest in foreign investment, and the peculiarities of marketing and finance in Vietnam. As an edited volume with chapters written by Vietnamese scholars across economics, history, and business, this book is critical reading for researchers studying Vietnam and other Asian economies and for businesses interested in expanding into that market.