This study is a collaborative effort between officials and researchers from the transitional economy of Vietnam and researchers from the market economies of Japan and ASEAN.The first section covers aspects of the reform process undertaken in Vietnam as perceived by Vietnamese officials and scholars, and includes rare data and statistics. Section two deals with relevant aspects of the process of deregulation, liberalization and privatization experienced in Japan and the ASEAN countries. The final section provides recommendations for consideration by Vietnam’s economic reform planners. Vietnam became a member of ASEAN on 1 July 1995. This study can possibly contribute to Vietnam’s integration into the ASEAN economies.

Being one of the former centrally planned economies, Viet Nam is still home to a substantial state-owned sector. From the implementation of the "Doi Moi" policy in the late 1980s, the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) since 1990 is considered as one of three crucial pillars in the process of economic reform toward a market-oriented economy under deeper international economic integration. This paper examines existing challenges in the process of reforming the SOE sector in Viet Nam. The outcome of analysis indicates that SOE reform has made progress that has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of SOE, expansion in the production capacity, improvement of expertise and management ability, and enhancement of competitiveness. On the other hand, the reforming of SOEs has been confronted with a range of issues that require an overarching revised regulatory framework and legal enforcement to accelerate the speed of the privatization process combined with improving the accountability and transparency in evaluating SOE performance as well as applying formal and consistent measurement system to facilitate their reforming.

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) play significant roles in developing economies in Asia and SOE performance remains crucial for economy-wide productivity and growth. This book looks at SOEs in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, and Viet Nam, which together present a panoramic view of SOEs in the region. It also presents insights from the Republic of Korea on the evolving role of the public sector in various stages of development. It explores corporate governance challenges and how governments could reform SOEs to make them efficient drivers of the long-term productivity-induced growth essential to Asia's transition to high-income status.

This book analyzes state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which are still significant players in many Asian economies. They provide essential public services, build and operate key infrastructure, and are often reservoirs of public employment. Their characteristics and inherent competitive advantages as publicly owned enterprises allow them to play these critical roles. Their weaknesses in governance and inefficiencies in incentive structures, however, also often lead to poor performance. SOEs must be efficient, transparent, and accountable to level the playing field for private companies, secure the growth of a vibrant private sector, and achieve sustained and inclusive economic growth. This book analyzes the reform of SOEs in Asia, the results of which are mixed. The volume concludes that some key conditions generally need to be met for SOE reforms to be successful: national bureaucracies must have the capacity to implement the reforms, and adverse impacts on international trade and investment must be avoided.

The SME Policy Index is a benchmarking tool for emerging economies to monitor and evaluate progress in policies that support small and medium-sized enterprises.