Why Vietnam’s new leader is worried
Our podcast on markets, the economy and business. This week: the country’s economy is the envy of others in South-East Asia. But there’s a problem
Vietnam’s economy may be booming—but To Lam, its new leader, isn’t happy. Over the past 15 years, the country has achieved 6% average annual growth, powered by new factories—which have sprung up from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City—to make goods destined for export, largely to America. But many of those factories are foreign-owned and don’t work much with Vietnamese firms. In addition Vietnam now risks being caught between a feuding Washington and Beijing. So what can Mr Lam do to revolutionise Vietnam’s economy?
Hosts: Ethan Wu and Mike Bird. Guests: David Dapice, emeritus professor of economics at Tufts University; and Nguyễn Khắc Giang, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
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