Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 8
Vietnam Shifts to Fiscal Stimulus to Chase 10% Growth as Monetary Room Narrows
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 8

Vietnam Shifts to Fiscal Stimulus to Chase 10% Growth as Monetary Room Narrows

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 8

Summary

  • Vietnam will rely more on targeted expansionary fiscal policy to meet its at least 10% GDP growth goal, Deputy Central Bank Governor Pham Thanh Ha said, casting budget support as the main lever for high, sustainable growth.
  • Narrow monetary-policy room is driving that shift, Ha said, while the central bank keeps prioritizing macroeconomic stability and inflation control rather than sacrificing stability for faster short-term growth.
  • 4.5% inflation is still the official ceiling this year, but price pressures have accelerated and Vietnam's trade deficit widened to a record high in May as the Iran war hit the economy.
  • 3.83% lending growth by April 21 shows credit is still expanding, though Vietnam's 15% full-year credit target underscores how much the country has historically leaned on bank lending to support growth.

Insights

With banks hobbled by bad debt, can Vietnam’s infrastructure spending alone achieve its ambitious 10% growth target?
As Vietnam spends billions to spur growth, will this fiscal push simply ignite its already record-high inflation?
Amid a global energy crisis, is Vietnam's infrastructure boom building a green future or a fossil-fueled dead end?