A workshop titled “Improving the Vietnamese business environment” was organised on March 12 in Hanoi in order for local enterprises to learn from international experience.

The event, which was co-hosted by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), aimed to implement a key Government resolution on improving the business climate and national competitiveness in Vietnam.

The institute’s director, Nguyen Dinh Cung, told attendees about the Government’s strong commitment to realising its targets for Vietnamese businesses.

CIEM has consulted business associations to outline the challenges that Vietnam faces in improving its business climate, Cung said. He highlighted the institute’s action plans to attract investors to the Vietnamese market and to develop small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), both of which are important components of its USAID-funded Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) project. He said that the scheme will create jobs and boost economic growth.

An expert from the World Bank also took to the stage, outlining the need for typical and specific indicators that can accurately measure improvements in the Vietnamese business climate and assess overall business performance.

Participants discussed 10 indicators to measure the performance of enterprises, including the number of employees, tax contributions, level of cross-border trade and successful implementation of contracts.

They also suggested the reduction of administrative processes, red tape and costs by improving cross-border trading, tariffs and power access for enterprises.

The workshop was organised as part of the GIG project, which aims to promote trade and investment, enhance the private sector, strengthen law enforcement, improve management of public finances, and foster wide participation in socio-economic development.

The Government’s latest business resolution, introduced in March last year, calls for the implementation of three strategic measures: improving institutions, developing infrastructure and raising the quality of human resources. Restructuring the economy and changing the growth model are also important long-term goals.

The Government has committed to reforming administrative procedures this year and has pledged to ensure transparency and increased accountability from state agencies. By the end of 2015 it hopes that Vietnam has achieved the average key performance indicators set by several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.-VNA