Economy

The World’s Impressions of Vietnam’s Economic Achievements in “Doi moi” Period

Nearly  30  years after “Doi moi” (Renewal) initiated in 1986, Vietnam has gotten out of a post-war serious socio-economic crisis, gradually doing away with poverty and backwardness, embarking upon national industrialisation and modernisation and taking an initiative in international integration.
At the international workshop entitled “Economic Reform for Growth and Sustainability: International Experiences and Lessons for Vietnam”, jointly organised by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Helen Clark, UNDP General Director, confirmed that the socio-economic achievements attained  by Vietnam over nearly 30 years were very impressive.

She held that with the average annual growth rate of 7.3% from 1990 to 2010, Vietnam was a first-rank fast- growing economy with an average per-head income at the end of these two decades increasing by nearly five fold over that at the beginning of the period. The rate of extremely poor people dropped from 63.7% in 1993 to 4.3% in 2010.

Over 97% of the Vietnamese families have been supplied with electricity or other energy sources. Important progress was also recorded in gender equality, education, employment and healthcare.

Helen Clark evaluated Vietnam as having many advantages such as a relatively young and competitive work force, rich natural resources and a geographical position in the centre of a dynamic region. She believed that with its clever policy selection, Vietnam has a bright future.


After 30 years of “Doi moi”, some cities in Vietnam such as Ho Chi Minh City
have become new-styled and modern urban areas of regional stature. Photo: Nguyen Minh Tan

Vietnam has exported many agricultural and aquatic products
which are prestigious brand names in foreign markets. Photo: VNP’s file

From a rice importer in the 90s,  Vietnam has now become one of the top rice exporters in the world. Photo: VNP’s file

In terms of healthcare, medical treatment is provided for ethnic groups
in every hamlet in remote areas. Photo: Hoang Ha/VNP

The education sector has seen basic and comprehensive reforms,
meeting the demand for society’s development. Photo: Hoang Ha/VNP


Vietnam promotes research and high - tech application to agricultural production. Photo: Anh Tuan/VNA

The model of growing F1 hybrid gourd at the Hi-tech Agricultural Area in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thanh Vu/VNA
 
In February of this year, the Vietnamese Embassy in France coordinated with the Asia Studies Centre of the International French Relations Institute (IFRI) in organising the seminar  “Vietnam Economic Reform: The Role of New Strategic Partners”.

At the seminar, attorney Oliver Massmann, General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC law firm, provided through his speech the participants with Vietnam’s economic picture with positive and encouraging results in 2014. He spoke of the positive changes in Vietnam during his 25 years’ living and working there.

From an extremely poor country which had to import rice when he arrived in the country in 1990, Vietnam has become one of the top rice-exporting countries in the world. He expressed optimism about the current reforms and his belief that many reforms would be furthered in the coming period, which will help Vietnam take firm steps forward in the future.

Later, in April of the same year, an international workshop themed “Vietnam– 40 Years  of Reunification, Development and Integration (1975-2015)” was jointly organised by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City), Thu Dau Mot University (Binh Duong province), the University of Social Sciences and Humanities University (Vietnam National University - Hanoi) and the Sciences School of Hue University.

The workshop attracted many scientists and research institutions with more than 300 allocutions, including 20 presented by scholars from the United States, France, Australia, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, China, India, and Malaysia.

Many scholars and researchers at the workshop shared this assessment: For 30 years now, Vietnam has travelled on “Doi moi” road, recording many achievements in various domains, including economics, society, culture, politics, security and defense.

At present, Vietnam is embarking upon industrialisation and modernisation, having developed at a fast rate and on a larger and more comprehensive scale as required by the progressive development of  national history. However, a number of scholars and researchers pointed to the challenges of a globalisation trend, which should be comprehensively identified by Vietnam for appropriate solutions.

Addressing the workshop, Prof., Dr.Tsuboi Yoshiharu, from the Waseda University of Japan, held that the international environment around Vietnam developed quickly, such as the ASEAN Economic Community being in the process of formation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks have neared the end.

To him, Vietnam should adopt a longer vision with 30-year or 50-year plans instead of 5-year or 10-year plans as before. He said that Vietnam could put forward a specific vision for 50  years to come so as to become a nation playing an important role among the ASEAN countries and having a position in the world.
 
By VNA/VNP

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