Multi-dimensional Country Reviews are the result of a collaborative effort of the OECD and the country under review. The MDR of Viet Nam was carried out jointly by the OECD Development Centre, the Development Co-operation Directorate, the Economics Department, the Directorate for Education and Skills, the Environment Directorate, the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, the Statistics and Data Directorate, with excellent support from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam. The review was initiated with a high-level seminar in Ha Noi in February 2019.
The review was produced under the guidance of Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre and Special Advisor to the OECD Secretary-General on Development, with contributions from Laurence Boone, Chief Economist and Martine Durand, former Chief Statistician, both at the OECD (Paul Schreyer is now the current acting Chief Statistician of the OECD). The review was led and co‑ordinated by Jan Rieländer, Head of Multi-dimensional Reviews, together with Andrea Colombo, Economist, both at the Development Centre. Marco Mira d’Ercole, Head of Household Statistics and Progress Measurement in the OECD Statistics and Data Directorate, and Patrick Lenain, Assistant Director at the OECD Economics Department, provided additional supervision. Part I of the MDR (“Initial Assessment”) was drafted by Andrea Colombo, Jan Rieländer and Nhung Tran (OECD Development Centre), Patrick Lenain and Hidekatsu Asada (OECD Economics Department), Olivier Cattaneo, Jieun Kim and Konstantin Poensgen (OECD Development Co-operation Directorate), and Lara Fleischer (OECD Statistics and Data Directorate). Part II of the MDR (“In-depth analysis and recommendations”) was drafted by Andrea Colombo (OECD Development Centre), Hans Christiansen and Chung-A Park (OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs), Andrea-Rosalinde Hofer (OECD Directorate for Education and Skills), Aayush Tandon (OECD Environment Directorate) and David Corderi (Consultant), with the support of Hidekatsu Asada (OECD Economics Department). Part III Part III of the MDR (“From Analysis to Implementation”) was drafted by Jan Rieländer and Andrea Colombo. Theodore Berut provided analytical inputs throughout the report. Vararat Atisophon (OECD Development Centre) and Isabelle Luong (OECD Economics Department) provided superb statistical support. Secretarial assistance was provided by Myriam Andrieux (OECD Development Centre). Mai Hai Yen (Hanns Seidel Foundation, Viet Nam) provided crucial logistical support throughout all stages of the review.
The team is grateful for insightful contributions and comments by Juan De Laiglesia, Diana Hanry-Knop, Thang Nguyen, Alexander Pick and Kerstin Schopohl (OECD Development Centre), Coralie Martin and Martin Wermelinger (OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs), Daniel Trujillo and Thomas Weko (OECD Directorate for Education and Skills), Lisa Danielson, Jeremy Faroi, Mikaela Rambali, Dirk Röttgers, Cecilia Tam and Robert Youngman (OECD Environment Directorate) and Masahiro Katsuno (OECD Global Relations).
Member countries of the OECD Development Centre meet in the Mutual Learning Group to review Multi-dimensional Reviews and share insights of their own development experience. The European Union, represented by Koen Duchateau and Agnes Kovacs, and Thailand, represented by Arnunchanog Sakondhavat of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council of Thailand and Sasilada Kusump served as lead reviewers. Brazil, Costa Rica, Finland, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico and Switzerland also contributed valuable comments and examples. A special thanks goes to Ruaidhri Neavyn who presented the experience of Ireland’s Higher Education Authority at a workshop in Ha Noi.
This report benefitted from extremely valuable comments from the supporting partners to this review in Ha Noi, in particular Colette O’Driscoll, Ngo Thi Kim Thu, Koen Duchateau and Tom Corrie (Delegation of the European Union), Marcel Reymond (Embassy of Switzerland), Dongbae Kim (Embassy of Korea) and Axel Neubert and Mai Hai Yen (Hanns Seidel Foundation). The discussions with the members of the Development Partners Working Group at the multiple meetings throughout the report were equally important and appreciated. Among partner institutions in particular Caitlin Wiesen and Cengiz Cihan, Catherine Phuong, Do Thi Thanh Huyen and Le Thi Thu Hien (UNDP), Ousmane Dione, Do Viet Dung, Sebastian Eckart and Jacques Morisset (World Bank), François Painchaud and Ha Thi Kim Nga (IMF), Eric Sidgwick, Nguyen Minh Cuong (ADB), Valentina Barcucci (ILO), Nguyen Thi Thanh An (UNICEF) provided valuable material and insights. A special thanks goes to Moritz Michel for moral and logistical support throughout the project.
Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh and his colleagues at Fulbright University in Ho Chi Minh City, Prof. Nguyen Duc Khuong (AVSE and IPAG Business School), Prof. Cuong Le Van (Emeritus Professor at the Paris School of Economics), Dr. Tran Kien (Vietnam National University), Prof. Luong V. Hy (University of Toronto) and Prof. Edmund Malesky (Duke University), Huynh Buu Son, Tran Si Chuong, Albert Franceskinj and Murli Metharam contributed to the analysis with valuable insights. The report also benefitted from discussions with the participants of the 2019 Viet Nam Development and Reform Forum particularly Jonathan Pincus, David Dollar and Yogeesvaran Kumaraguru.
On the side of the Vietnamese government, the review has benefitted from the strong support of H.E. Vuong Dinh Hue (former Deputy Prime Minister). We extend special thanks to H.E. Pham Binh Minh (Deputy Prime Minister), H.E. Nguyen Chi Dung (Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment), H.E. Bui Thanh Son (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), H.E. Le Quang Manh (former Deputy Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment), H.E. Nguyen Van Trung (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment), H.E. Vu Dai Thang (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment) and H.E. Mai Tien Dung (Minister, Chairman, Office of the Government) for bilateral meetings and continued support. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Van Thao (Assistant Minister), H.E. Nguyen Thiep (Ambassador to France), Nguyen Hoai Nam and Tran Viet Anh were very supportive counterparts. At the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Phan Ngoc Mai Phuong (Vice President of the Viet Nam Institute for Development Strategies, VIDS) and her team, particularly Nguyen Truong Linh and Nguyen Viet Dung from VIDS, were tireless supporters. The General Statistical Office, especially Pham Quang Vinh (Deputy Director General) provided precious data. The report benefitted immensely from the repeated insightful comments of the Standing Members of the Editorial Team for the 2021-2030 Socio-Economic Development Strategy.
The MDR team is grateful to the representatives from ministries, agencies, private sector and non-governmental organisations that took part to the numerous bilateral meetings organised throughout 2019 and the workshops held in October 2019: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Office of the Government, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Information and Communication, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, General Confederation of Labour of Viet Nam, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Central Economic Commission, Government Inspectorate, State Bank of Viet Nam, Commission for the Management of State Capital, Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi University of Industry, Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, TVET programme, FPT University, Viet Nam Institute for Economic and Policy Research, Mekong Development Research Institute, Viet Nam Development Bank, Vietinbank, Viet Nam Electricity (EVN), Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Viet Nam SME Association, Viet Nam Energy Association, Viet Nam Association for Women Entrepreneurs, Viet Nam Environment Protection Fund, the European Chamber of Commerce, Samsung, Viet Nam Cleaner Production Centre Co. Ltd, Pan Nature Viet Nam, GRET Viet Nam, Care International Viet Nam, Green ID, Viet Nam Rural Industries Research and Development Institute (VIRI), Live and learn for Environment, Asia Pacific Biogas Alliance and WARECOD/VRN. The team is moreover grateful to all the representatives of local administration and private sectors interviewed in Ha Noi and during field trips to Quang Ninh province, Vinh Phuc province and Ho Chi Minh city, and in particular Le Thanh Liem (Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee, First Vice-Chairman).
Finally, the team acknowledges David McDonald for editing the manuscript. Aida Buendia, Delphine Grandrieux and Elizabeth Nash from the OECD Development Centre’ Communications, Publications Unit, and Adem Kocaman (Consultant) edited, laid out and produced the report.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union, Switzerland and the Republic of Korea. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the OECD Development Centre and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Switzerland and the Republic of Korea.