Economic Growth and Governance

USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene visits Optoelectronics International JSC (OEIC) Company, a professional optoelectronics cable manufacturer, in Ho Chi Minh City. OEIC is a participant of the USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (LinkSME) project.

Nguyen Thac Phuong/USAID

Vietnam has had considerable success with export-led economic growth in recent years. However, problems with governance and competitiveness represent potential challenges to continued growth and international integration. USAID supports Vietnam to strengthen the country’s legal and regulatory framework in order to promote investment, economic growth and rising incomes. Working directly with the Government of Vietnam, the private sector and other stakeholders, USAID supports Vietnam’s transition to a rules-based market economy more fully aligned to international markets and standards. This includes support for more transparent and participatory public policy processes, and assistance to help create economic opportunities, particularly for underrepresented and disadvantaged populations, as well as to advance female empowerment.      
    
ENHANCING INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE

Implementing USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy for Vietnam 2014-2019, the Governance for Inclusive Growth program works with the public and private sector to enhance the areas of governance that facilitate broader-based growth, with an emphasis on improving the regulatory environment, building systems for accountability and increasing social and economic inclusion. The project helps build capacity to improve policymaking through increased access to information for evidence-based decision making (for example building legal case reviews to combat wildlife trafficking), greater citizen participation (for example development of the revised Legal Aid Law), increased transparency and more effective oversight mechanisms (for example development of the Instant Support Systems used for oversight by National Assembly members). A second project - Enhancing Workers’ Voices supports Vietnam’s trade union by representing workers more effectively, educating them about their rights, and improving access to information.  By having better informed and better represented workers, international labor standards will be better respected, and Vietnamese workers will have a greater voice.  

CREATING AN ENABLING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Now in its thirteenth year, the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) is a nationally and internationally recognized index ranking measuring the effectiveness of economic governance across Vietnam's 63 provinces.  This robust national annual survey of domestic and foreign invested companies provides policy-makers with reliable indicators and recommendations on how to improve local regulatory and institutional quality to support private sector development. Each year, numerous diagnostic workshops at the provincial level provide a unique platform for public-private dialogue. In 2013, the project supported the development and launch of a mobile app to promote wide access to the PCI rankings, report and related data and today, all 63 provinces have PCI improvement plans.

See our Project List  |  See our Project Map

KEY GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM PARTNERS

• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Planning and Investment
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Office of National Assembly
• State Audit of Vietnam

Success Stories

• Vietnamese Businesses and Workers Benefit from Tax Reform
• Vietnam’s Provinces Vie for Best Business Enabling Environment
• Vietnam Applies International Standards to Environmental Audits
• Vietnam Eases Customs Regulations to Enhance Trade
• Vietnamese Lawmakers Learn to Better Engage With Voters
• Vietnam Advances in Business Competitiveness
• Repealed Regulation Saves Vietnam’s Textile Industry Time and Money
• Online Research Brings Vietnam’s National Assembly Up to Speed
• Vietnam's Women Farmers Realize Their Land Rights
• Women in Rural Vietnam Gain Financial Literacy
• Cocoa Farming Raises Incomes for Vietnamese
• Vietnam Promotes Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure

Photo Albums

• Launch of USAID Trade Facilitation Program
• USAID Governance for Inclusive Growth Program Close-out Event
• USAID Senior Trade Adviser Ana Guevara's Visit to Vietnam
• Launching of the Provincial Competitiveness Index 2017
• Launching of the Provincial Competitiveness Index 2016
• USAID's site visit to the Mekong Vitality Expanded Program
• Strategic Kick-off of Governance for Inclusive Growth Program
• International Women's Day 2014: USAID supports seminar for female entrepreneurs
• USAID Launches Five Year Partnership Strategy and Governance for Inclusive Growth Program
• USAID Trade Acceleration Project (USAID STAR Plus) Closing Ceremony
• USAID supports cocoa cultivation in central Vietnam