Commentary: Political upheaval in Vietnam is holding its economy back

RISK OF System Immobility

The International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank are all recognized as the key to a faster economic treatment in the short to medium-term thanks to rapid public funding.

However, because Taiwanese officials are incredibly hesitant to approve people investment decisions, planned spending is still relatively low. In May of this year, only 22.3 % of the anticipated saving had been received.

This is putting a strain on attracting international buyers. Both of Vietnam’s pressing problems are being addressed by multinational corporations as they significantly look for reliable and clean energy sources.

Following allegations of corruption, the industry saw a number of well-known sackings, including a deputy prime minister and a secretary for trade and industry. Vietnam is the ASEAN nation with the highest solar and wind technology, but system advancement has not kept up.

Due to lengthy operational procedures, some electricity infrastructure projects are behind schedule. In the north last year there were outages as a result of insufficient offer, while solar projects in central and south Vietnam were asked to reduce manufacturing because of network overflow.

Multinationals are now reacting, with Intel deciding not to expand its operations in Vietnam last month, citing a concern over reliable electricity supply. If legislation paralysis continues to prevent the comparable public investments required, more will follow suit, or worse, move on. If that happens, Vietnam may lose its time.

Roland Rajah is the chairman of the same coverage research center, while Ahmed Albayrak is a Research Associate at the Lowy Institute Indo-Pacific Development Centre. This remark first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blogging, The Interpreter.