I don't expect to hear or promise anything...

(Baonghean) - At the Vietnam Business Forum held in early June, organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the World Bank, in addition to representatives from foreign associations and organizations, the forum was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and several high-ranking officials of Vietnam. From the very beginning, the forum created a very interesting surprise. As the first speaker, Mr. Mark Gillin, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), did not hesitate to state frankly that he hoped the Vietnamese government would not just come to listen, express their thoughts on solutions, and make promises, but wanted to see concrete actions to address the issues raised. He also disagreed with the view that, due to Vietnam's unique characteristics, it would be difficult to implement solutions such as reforming state-owned enterprises, corruption, and poor management...

It seems that Mark Gillin's remarks hit the nail on the head for many delegates attending the forum. Kim Jung In, President of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (KorCham), stated that KorCham members frequently face delays in the approval process for important projects and policies. He cited the example of a Korean company granted an investment certificate in 2007 to build a large industrial park capable of attracting hundreds of millions of USD in FDI. However, six years later, the project has still not been implemented due to prolonged review by the relevant authorities. Meanwhile, Motonobu, President of the Japan Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (JBAV), emphasized that Vietnamese laws are contradictory, mechanisms vary from one locality to another, and each locality interprets the law differently; regulations are applied differently between the central and local levels...

The frankness of opinions expressed at such forums has almost "unmasked" the reality that the calls and promises to reform policies and administrative procedures to create a more favorable environment for FDI businesses, which have been made quite frequently in recent years, seem to remain merely... calls and promises! This has led to the results of a survey of European businesses in Vietnam on the business environment index conducted in March of this year, showing that Vietnam's business environment index only reached 48 points, below the average (50 points).

Too many fundamental reforms remain only on paper and in speeches, yet to be implemented, and the economy is bearing the brunt of it. This is a fairly accurate and fitting assessment of the current situation. The economy is currently almost at a standstill. The majority of businesses, from large to small, remain inactive. People and businesses are becoming tired and bored with the constant assessments, proposals, calls for restructuring, and the frequency of discussions aimed at presenting solutions on paper. Even the 30 trillion VND support package for low-income earners to buy social housing, hoped to be a boost to break the stagnant real estate market of the past few years, has been implemented, but so far, not a single individual has been able to borrow a single penny from that support package.

It's safe to say that listening to feedback on the situation, promising to implement corrective measures and solutions, and then... leaving things as they are, has become a familiar refrain over the years. No questioning session at the National Assembly is without promises to address this or that issue from leaders of ministries and agencies. But after the session, many of these promises are forgotten. They even reappear in the next questioning session.

Instead of just hearing promises, they want to see concrete actions. This is not only the wish of the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam and representatives of foreign associations and organizations at the aforementioned forum, but also a great desire of the people.

Duy Huong