According to the report, Vietnam's economy, despite being affected by unpredictable global and domestic issues last year, still recorded some highlights in terms of government policy, thanks to its efforts in maintaining macroeconomic stability.
A record 15.8 billion USD in foreign investment capital was disbursed.
The foreign exchange market stabilized thanks to a reference interest rate. The year's inflation rate increased at 4.74%, below the 5% target set by the National Assembly.
Business confidence increased, the number of newly-established enterprises reached a record of over 110,000.
The report also pointed out some of the failed targets such as annual economic growth only reached 6.21%, below the 6.3-6.5 % target set by the government, or the budget deficit of 5.64% GDP below the target set for 2016.
Although the report of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research suggests the National Assembly's economic growth targets and inflation rate set for 2017 are difficult to achieve, experts believe these goals could be fulfilled if the appropriate measures are taken.
2016 was characterized by many unexpected events, including Brexit, or the US presidential election results to natural disasters in the Vietnam. These are unpredictable factors, but they had a significant impact on Vietnam's economy. Experts believe 2017 could be equally unpredictable, so Vietnam's economic reforms need to improve to increase the country's competitiveness.
