Vietnam Market Watch: GDP Growth Projections, State Divestment Plans, and Aviation Guidance

April 21, 2017 Posted by Vietnam Briefing Reading Time: 3 minutes

Government to sell stakes in 137 state-owned enterprises by 2020

Vietnam’s State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) is planning to divest its entire capital in 137 state-owned enterprises (SOE) by 2020. Changes in foreign ownership limits, a growing economy, and a strong performing stock market have attracted considerable interest from foreign investors for earlier SOE’s divestments. However, a lack of transparency and the slow progress of divestments are affecting investor sentiment.

Vietnam’s GDP forecast to grow at 6.5 percent in 2017

Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to grow by 6.5 percent in 2017 and at 6.7 percent in 2018, according to the 2017 Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Outlook report. While the results remain largely upbeat, Vietnam’s first quarter growth, which came in slightly below prevailing estimates in March, has led to a more conservative outlook from the ADB. From the perspective of investors, however, aggregate GDP figures are likely to play a less significant role than the performance of key industries within the Vietnamese economy such as agriculture and manufacturing.

Government rejects airfare price floor proposal

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has rejected a bid to set price floors on air tickets as proposed by the country’s national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, as well as its subsidiary, Jetstar Pacific. Under the proposals, Vietnam Airlines advocated for a floor price for domestic travel between US$68 (VND 1.5 million) and US$185 (VND 4.2 million), while Jetstar Pacific proposed rates between US$26 (VND 600,000) and US$53 (VND 1.2 million).

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