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The private sector will be integral in Vietnam's recovery from COVID-19. Photo: baodautu.vn The Vietnam Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) report, by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank, says while the private sector has played a frontline role in Vietnam’s outstanding development in recent years, it is now time to fully exploit the potential of the private sector to boost productivity growth so Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. “The private sector has helped propel Vietnam to join the ranks of middle-income economies in just one generation, and the country was preparing for its next economic transformation when the COVID-19 hit,” said Kim-See Lim, IFC regional director for East Asia and the Pacific. “With another wave, it’s all the more imperative for Vietnam to help develop a dynamic, diversified, and innovative private sector for the post-COVID 19 recovery phase, as public resources become scarce.” The …

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The ADB has revised down Vietnam's 2021 GDP growth forecast from 6.7 percent to 3.8 percent due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic that has tightened the labour market, lowered industrial output, and disrupted agricultural value chains, according to a report released by the bank on September 22. At a virtual press conference, ADB country director Andrew Jeffries said the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns have weakened consumption and investment, hampering Vietnam’s growth prospects. “But the Vietnamese economy will bounce back if the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control by the end of 2021 and 70 percent of the country’s population are vaccinated by the second quarter of 2022," he said. ADB remains bullish on the country’s prospects in the medium and long term. Growth could be aided by a revival of domestic demand, an acceleration in the disbursement of public investment, and an expansion to new export …

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HCM City to implement third relief package worth 7.3 trillion VND Ho Chi Minh City will carry out the third relief package worth 7.3 trillion VND (around 320.7 million USD) sourced from the local budget to help more households and informal workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee. Speaking at a press conference held by the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on September 20, Hoan said given complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city and prolonged social distancing, people face more difficulties due to job loss and having no income. Therefore, in addition to the social security relief packages of the city's Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and other organisations and individuals, the municipal People's Committee continues to implement the third relief package to help ease difficulties for local residents. According to reports from the People's Committees of …

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Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand has increased the ceiling of its public debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to 70 percent from 60 percent, allowing the government to raise more funds to help a struggling economy. The decision was made by the State Monetary and Fiscal Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on September 20. The Southeast Asian country is dealing with its biggest COVID-19 outbreak to date and stricter containment measures have hit economic activities although some have been eased from this month. Last year, the government issued its first emergency loan decree last year to authorise it to borrow 1 trillion THB to fund its stimulus schemes to combat the pandemic. A second decree was issued this year to allow the government to borrow an additional 500 billion THB. Last month, Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said the country would need a further 1 trillion THB in fiscal measures to …

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