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Competition Policy and SMEs in Vietnam

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Abstract

Vietnam stands at an important crossroad in its transition from a planned to market-oriented economy. Since the implementation of economic reform starting with Doi Moi in 1986, supplemented with further reform from 1989, the economy experienced rapid economic growth during the period of the 1990s until 1997. Since this time GDP growth has noticeably slowed, partly due to the onset of the financial and economic crisis to afflict the region in 1997-98, and partly due to a disconcerting, and related, decline in foreign direct investment flows. Despite this adverse development there has been a remarkable transformation of the economy that has seen it become more globally oriented, as exemplified by a rapid growth of both exports and imports and with a significant contribution to the economy from the foreign invested sector. For Vietnam to once again re-establish high and sustainable rates of economic growth will require further restructuring and reform efforts. In particular, this will require further progress in: establishing the institutional framework necessary for a market economy; ownership reform; encouraging foreign direct investment; allowing the private sector a larger role in the management and ownership of currently state owned enterprises; allowing unviable state owned assets to be liquidated and their assets put to more productive usage; and encouraging fair competition between different ownership forms, with the state, as a buyer, not discriminating against any form of ownership. These should form the core of the country's competition policy. This paper focuses upon the need for competition policy to encourage the nurturing, growth and development, specifically, of private sector small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Private entrepreneurship and enterprise reform can play a crucial role in the reform of the Vietnamese economy. Establishing a dynamic non-state manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on SMEs, will be a precondition for attaining the twin objectives of (1) restructuring and slimming state enterprises and (2) expanding non-farm employment and income opportunities. SMEs have the potential for job creation, contributing to sustainable economic development, allocating resources more efficiently, expanding exports, achieving a more equal distribution of incomes, and assist in rural and regional development.

Suggested Citation

  • Harvie, C., 2001. "Competition Policy and SMEs in Vietnam," Economics Working Papers wp01-10, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
  • Handle: RePEc:uow:depec1:wp01-10
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    File URL: http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@commerce/@econ/documents/doc/uow012113.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kurths, Kristina, 1995. "Private Small-Scale Industries in Vietnam: Development Environment and Empirical Results," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 57, Stockholm School of Economics.
    2. John McMillan & Christopher Woodruff, 1999. "Interfirm Relationships and Informal Credit in Vietnam," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(4), pages 1285-1320.
    3. Belser, Patrick, 2000. "Vietnam - on the road to labor-intensive growth ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2389, The World Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Le, K.N. & Hermes, N. & Lanjouw, G., 2003. "Irreversible investment and uncertainty : an empirical study of rice mills in the Mekong river delta, Vietnam," Research Report 03E40, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    2. repec:dgr:rugsom:03e40 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2021. "Determinants of successful adoption of the Balanced Scorecard in Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises," OSF Preprints 5hx2r, Center for Open Science.
    4. Souksavanh VIXATHEP & Nobuaki MATSUNAGA, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Human and Social Capital in Small Businesses in Vietnam - An Extended Analysis -," GSICS Working Paper Series 29, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University.
    5. Emad Harash & Suhail Nassir Al-Timimi & Fatima Jasem Alsaad & Abdulkhaliq Y. Zaier Al-Badran & Essia Ries Ahmed, 2014. "Contingency Factors and Performance of Research and Development (R&D): The Moderating Effects of Government Policy," Journal of Asian Scientific Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(2), pages 47-58, February.

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    Keywords

    Vietnam; small and medium enterprises; SMEs; competition policy;
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