The Vietnamese Economy at the Crossroads

Abstract

Under one of the last remaining single-party communist regimes, Vietnam’s in-progress transition is a hybrid between post-Soviet reforms and Chinese authoritarian compromise. This chapter provides a brief account of the historical events and cultural attributes that have shaped the current political and economic configuration of the country, a coverage of globalization and entrepreneurial endeavours in relation to trade liberalization, an analysis of growing consumerist tendencies and the solidification of a circle of economic elites, an overview of Vietnamese foreign trade, with a focus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China as significant partners, and a macroeconomic assessment of the country.

Appendix

Fig. 3.15

Total accumulated FDI by economic activity as of May 2018 (USD Million). Source: Foreign Investment Agency Vietnam 2018

Fig. 3.16

FDI by economic activity: 2017 (USD Million). Source: Foreign Investment Agency Vietnam 2018

Table 3.4 State-owned enterprises under committee control

Fig. 3.17

Structure of exports by standard international trade classifications: 2005–2015. Source: GSO 2018

Fig. 3.18

Structure of imports by standard international trade classifications: 2005–2015. Source: GSO 2018

Table 3.5 Structure of exports by commodity groups: 1995–2005 (%)

Table 3.6 Structure of exports by commodity groups: 2006–2016 (%)

Table 3.7 Structure of imports by commodity groups: 1995–2005

Table 3.8 Structure of imports by commodity groups: 2006–2016