Nation lags behind peers in entrepreneurial zeal

Awareness of business opportunities among citizens in Vietnam is lower than in other countries with the same level of development, a new report reveals.
Awareness of business opportunities among citizens in Vietnam islower than in other countries with the same level of development, a newreport reveals.

However, those attending the launchingceremony of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Vietnam Report2013, held in Hanoi on April 27, were also told that entrepreneursin the country are increasingly valued and the number of citizensseeking to become businesspeople has also increased.

The firstreport of its kind in Vietnam revealed that the percentage of adultswho acknowledged opportunities to start a new business in 2013 was only37 percent, much lower than the average rate of 60 percent in countrieswhich have similar development levels to Vietnam.

LuongMinh Huan from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)'sBusiness Development Institute, said in term of business conditions inVietnam, there were three indices, including infrastructure, dynamiccharacteristic of domestic market and culture and social standards,which reached an average ranking of three.

Nine remainingindices, such as businesses supporting services, accounting, auditingand legal consultancy, were also not developed to their potential, saidthe report. The Government's support programmes, financing forbusinesses and business education at high schools were listed at thebottom of the list.

"This shows that the country has had a lack of consultancy and business supporting services," Huan said.

Further, VCCI chairman Vu Tien Loc said the report provided an overallpicture on business characteristics in Vietnam throughout variousperiods.

It also helped Vietnam have comparisons with other countries in the ASEAN region.

Loc also recommended that Vietnam should build trust forentrepreneurs by maintaining policies to stabilise the macroeconomy,making policies transparent and creating an equal environment forcompetition among economic sectors.

The report was expected to serve in creating polices and decisions for business development in the future.

The GEM report collected data from more than 200 respondents in 70countries accounting for 75 percent of the world's population and 90percent of global GDP.-VNA

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