VietNamNet Bridge - According to a global survey report on consumer confidence by Nielsen, Vietnam is the most economical country in Southeast Asia.

Specifically, 74 percent of the Vietnamese who participated in the survey said they would save money after they have covered essential living expenses.

Indonesia is ranked second (72 %), followed by the Philippines (68 %), Thailand (66 %) , Singapore (64 %) and Malaysia (63 %). These countries are in the top 10 economical countries in the world.

About 90 % of Vietnamese said they changed their shopping habits to save more money. In particular, spending on new clothes and entertainment outside the home are the first choices of cut, followed by gas and electricity.

Travel and leisure are the two areas of spending after savings. Singapore topped the world with 49 %, followed by Indonesia (42 %), Malaysia (40 %), Vietnam (31 %) and the Philippines (28 %).

In addition to the percentage of high savings, Nielsen's report also showed that the consumer confidence index (CCI) of Vietnam reached 98 points in the fourth quarter of 2013, the highest in two years and over 10 points compared with the same period of the previous year.

However, this is still not the highest level since the agency conducted its surveys in Vietnam (from the first quarter of 2006). In the second quarter of 2010, Vietnam’s CCI reached 119 points, up nearly 20 % over the previous 3 months but quickly dropped to 88 points in the next quarter.

Since 2011, this index has never exceeded 100 points. Compared with the world average (CCI 94), that of Vietnam is higher but it is lower than the average of Southeast Asia.

Indonesia continues to be the most optimistic country in the world, with the CCI increased by 4 points (124). The Philippines and Thailand fell but remained in the top 10 countries of the world with 114 and 109 respectively. Overall, the Southeast Asia region continues to be the most optimistic in the world in the Q4 of 2013.

However, personal financial situation is only moderate. Some 55 % of the said they felt their finances in a good or very good situation. This rate is 54 % in Singapore, Malaysia 56 %, Thailand 69 %, the Philippines 76 % and Indonesia 84 %.

The survey of consumer confidence has been made by Nielsen since 2005, measuring optimism, concerns and shopping plans of more than 30,000 online respondents in 60 countries. The level of optimism and pessimism is assessed according to a scale above and below 100.

Na Son