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This space provides the latest data that is available to us on key financial indicators.  This is for the most part the official government picture on the economic climate in Vietnam.   Please read this data in conjunction with Vietnam Vignettes ,  the various Business Articles , and our Service pages in order to learn how VVG may be able to meet your specific needs.  Please write to us if you have questions.

Current as of  the month reported, data sources include VVG original research,  General Statistical Office, MPI, International Herald Tribune, Vietnam Investment Review, and Vietnam Economic Times

Rates of Inflation & Currency Exchange

Current Annual Rate of Inflation:  < 0.1%  [Chart VET July  2000]  NOTE:  This is the lowest rate since October 1999 when for that month alone a negative 0.8% was reported.

Current Rate of Exchange (exchanging cash in new bills denominated in $100 or $50 only)
US dollar to Vietnam dong  1 : 14,100

[Unofficial projections remain that this will drop to 15,000 or 16,000 this year. While Vietnam and China both deny that their currencies will drop, the dong is floating lower.  As stories are still heard that the Chinese economy is in a conservative down spiral and that the Yuan will drop below 8.3 to the dollar, we recommend investors closely watching the dong as well.]

Outstanding External Debt in US$ millions (ADB): 1997 - 11,612;  1998 - 14,861; 1999 - n/a; 2000 - n/a

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Balance of Trade ¹ US$ billions (1999 forecast figures: VET)

1.  Annual currency transfers from overseas Vietnamese adds an estimated $2.5 billion into the quiet economy, while smuggling adds approximately $1.5 billion more each year. These sums are not accounted for in this tabulation of only official reports.

2.  First five (5)  months in 2000 [VET July 2000].

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Growth Rate of Merchandise Exports as a percent of change from the prior year (ADB)

Change in Consumer Prices expressed as a percent of change from the prior year (ADB)

GDP Growth (%)                                                     Government Statistics Bureau/Asian Development Bank

1. VET - May 2000
2. VET - July 2000, first half
3. World Bank - July 2000

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GDP (converted to US$ billion)   VND 1 = US$  14,000 (constant) Reported in billion dollars

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GDP per capita (converted to US$)  VND 1 = US$  14,000 (constant) Reported in actual $ (VBJ/VET July 2000)

* The reports of Vietnam's per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are all over the mark.  VBJ, an early source of our numbers, is no longer publishing these numbers.  While VET has been reporting that the GDP per capita was at and above US$ 301 since 1996, Vietnam Investment Review - a publication of the MPI - reports "the average income [broke] $250 a year for the first time....  Monthly income per person reached VND 295,000 ($21.07) last year, a 30.1 per cent increase on 1996 and equivalent to an annual $252.86" (455 VIR 4, 3-9 July 2000).  VIR cites figures from the General Statistics Department of Vietnam.  The actual number is as elusive as are most official numbers in Vietnam and will remain so until Vietnam's reporting becomes transparent. However, as the GDP numbers are substantially under those of the "news" media, we suspect the GDP numbers are the more accurate.

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Foreign Capital Investment 

All Nations: 2,986 projects with Total Investment Capital $36.57 billion (VET - July 2000). The numbers reported here are the most current and best data available from public sources, and their accuracy is highly suspect. The number of overall projects increased from last month's number (2,964) but the overall investment capital decreased from last month's number ($36.7 billion). 

Changes from the immediate prior month's report that appear without explanation are noted with an asterisk (*).

Note: readers of these pages should note and compare prior months' reports.  All publications in Vietnam are subject to strict State censorship and State propagandizing.  The number of projects seem to be increasing month to month (see Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Britain, and the United States numbers from March 2000) while the Total Capital changes or does not.  As for Thailand, in one month the number of projects increased from 76 to 122 while the Total Capital decreased by $100 million.

In addition, note that following our December 1999 Economic Indicator, the overall number of projects as reported by VET  jumped dramatically (from 1,802 to  2,855) while the number of dollars invested increased by less than $2 billion.  There were no reports of any dramatic, year end boost in foreign investment to justify a difference of these proportions.

Top Twelve Nations (July 2000 by VET)  

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Foreign Investment By Sector  Total Foreign Investment by Sector (US$) (July 2000 VET)   Note: as reported in  December's Economic Indicator, the number of projects as reported by VET grew dramatically (> 1,000) from the prior month while the number of dollars reportedly invested  increased by less than $2 billion. However, there was no report, and certainly no indication, of any dramatic, year end boost in direct foreign investment to justify a difference of such proportions. The numbers reported below must therefore be highly suspect. Changes since the prior month's report are noted with an asterisk (*). 

Construction was added as a new category in February 2000.  Categories now eliminated from the above list (see archives of Economic Reports) are Industrial Zones, Export Processing Zones, and Housing Development. 

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Foreign Investment By Province: Top Ten Locations by Total Investment Capital. (VET May 2000 )(VIR 8-14May00) 
NOTES: Accurate figures for are not readily available. There is no logical reason for apparent reporting discrepancies. There are no longer any official reports on actual Capital Committed .  Estimates differ among multinational institutions but currently run at between $4 billion to $8 billion. 

(1) These figures are reported by Vietnam Economic Times (VET). The month to month data is not always consistent.  (2) These figures are reported by Vietnam Investment Review (VIR). The month to month data is not always consistent. VET and VIR figures are rarely the same. There has been no change in these numbers by VIR since 4 April 2000.  (3) Year to date (ytd) investments are reported by VET. Inconsistent changes (in project numbers or investment dollars w/o corresponding change in both) from the prior month are marked with an asterisk (*). It is curious to note changes in one or the other of either number of projects or total investment, but not both, or where project numbers increase while total investment dollars decrease.  (4) The change noted from the prior month (in parentheticals) of total numbers of projects is rarely if ever matched by a corresponding change in overall projects in the Sector Report, above.

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