Macroeconomic targets were built with the presumed crude oil price at below $50 per barrel. However, the price has exceeded the $90 per barrel threshold, nearing $100.

VietNamNet Bridge - Curbing the inflation rate at below 4 percent in 2018 is within reach, but this will be a difficult task in 2019.

VietNamNet Bridge - The heavier environmental tax on petrol is expected to seriously affect businesses and burden the poor.

Following a prosperous 2017, Vietnam’s economy has been growing well despite the uncertainties of the global economy. However, problems are still ahead, especially those rising from the China-US trade war.

VietNamNet Bridge - The government has applied measures to force the prices of essential goods down in an effort to curb inflation at 4 percent or lower.

The government of Vietnam wants to keep the interest rate low and stable in order to encourage economic sectors to expand business, thus helping economic growth.

Not many economists believe in the theory that economic crisis happens once every 10 years. However, they are showing concerns about the internal problems of the economy.

Spending VND13 trillion on food and drinks alone each month, the members of Z generation (Z Gen) in Vietnam are believed to be major consumers in the future.

VietNamNet Bridge - In the context of pressure on inflation and exchange rate, macroeconomic stabilization must be the top priority, experts say.

Some weak points of the economy still have not been settled, while the prices of many kinds of goods are predicted to increase. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The economic performance in recent months, especially in May, shows that the national economy may not maintain the high growth rate seen in the first quarter.

VietNamNet Bridge - High inflation may put pressure on the exchange rate and prompt foreign investors to withdraw capital from Vietnam’s stock market, analysts say.

VietNamNet Bridge - The CPI soared by 0.55 percent in May as reported by the General Statistics Office (GSO), a six-year high. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Just within one year, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) proposed raising a series of taxes, citing international practices and the goal of increasing tax collections for the state.  

VietNamNet Bridge - Jim Rogers, the co-founder of Quantum Fund, a familiar name in investors’ circles, has predicted an eventual global recession. How is Vietnam preparing for the scenario?

VietNamNet Bridge - In 2014, Vietnamese were the most economical consumers in South East Asia in a Nielsen survey. However, their spending habits have changed.  

Stable inflation rates have helped attract depositors. However, the recent incidents of depositors losing money at some banks, plus the rise of many attractive investment channels, will divert cash flow from banks.

VietNamNet Bridge - Tran Du Lich, a respected economist, said at a recent annual workshop on the  economy that there are two risks for Vietnam – the middle-income trap, and the risk of growing older (working-age population) before becoming rich. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Many in the Vietnamese entrepreneurial community believe the arrival of Amazon, the e-commerce giant, will be a ‘threat’, not an ‘opportunity’.

Vietnamese companies leading the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market could be acquisition targets for foreign firms in the near future.