Vietnam is hot. In 2017, the country’s VN stock market index rose 48% year on year, the steepest hike in Asia. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew an estimated 6.8%, compared with 6.2% in 2016; exports were up 21% to $214bn; while actualised foreign direct investment (FDI) hit $17.5bn, compared with $15.8bn in 2016.
More importantly for the country’s economic future, the government’s privatisation programme for its huge stable of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) picked up steam, culminating in the divestiture of $4.8bn-worth of state shares in Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverage, the country’s largest beer brewery, to Thai Beverage in December.
