ADB maintains Vietnam’s 2019 growth forecast at 6.8 percent

The predictions in the Asian Development Outlook Supplement are unchanged from the forecasts made in the April report.

Photo for illustration: baodautu.vn

In the latest version, the ADB said Vietnam has been the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia this year, noting that growth in the first half of 2019 is estimated at 6.8 percent year on year despite agriculture being hobbled by a prolonged drought and African swine fever.

Growth in industry and especially manufacturing remained robust, though moderating from the first half of 2018.

Sustaining growth were strong inflows of foreign direct investment, up by 27 percent in the first five months of 2019 from a year earlier. China overtook the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Singapore to become the largest overseas provider of newly registered capital. Meanwhile, the US remained the largest export market for Vietnam, whose exports to this country growing by 28 percent in the first five months over the same period of last year.

According to the ADB, Vietnam’s inflation will be at 3.5 percent in 2019 and 3.8 percent in 2020.

Source: VNA