Vietnam: Asia's Rising Star

The drivers behind the world's most exciting growth story.

For more than 25 years, Vietnam has been one of the most dynamic countries in the world in terms of GDP growth, trade, investment, and other business metrics. The key question is whether or not the country can continue this growth for another 25 years. If it can, Vietnam will become a high-income country like South Korea and Taiwan, the original Tiger Economies of Asia.

Engaging in conversations about Vietnam’s future is challenging. Locals are often too focused on the present while foreigners are caught up in legacy and political issues of the past. Many observers also focus on the short term, a specific economic metric, or inevitably Vietnam’s political system without considering the big picture or recognizing long term trends. The authors researched and analyzed a broad range of drivers to assess a possible future for Vietnam, and Vietnam – Asia’s Rising Star is the result of these efforts.

About the Authors

BROOK TAYLOR is a New Zealander with more than 26 years of finance and management experience in Vietnam. He is the CEO of Asset Management at VinaCapital, Vietnam's most diversified asset management company, and has an Executive MBA from INSEAD.

SAM KORSMOE is an American who has lived and worked in Vietnam for 20 years as a journalist, writer, teacher, entrepreneur and published author. He speaks Vietnamese and wrote his Master’s thesis on the Doi Moi reforms.

What Others Are Saying

“Vietnam – Asia’s Rising Star should be read by anyone with an interest in Vietnam and anyone else with an interest in the future of Asia.” —Carlyle A Thayer, professor emeritus, University of New South Wales, Canberra

Contents

Foreword
Carlyle A. Thayer

Preface 

My Extended O.E.
Brook Taylor

My Thirty-year Journey
Sam Korsmoe

Chapter 1: The Hypothesis 

Chapter 2: The First Two Thousand Years 

Chapter 3: This is Who We Are 

Chapter 4: Open for Business 

Chapter 5: Free Trade Better Work 

Chapter 6: Policymakers 

Chapter 7: Is Vietnam a Tiger and Can It Jump? 

Chapter 8: What the Asian Tigers Had 

Chapter 9: The Cards It Holds 

Chapter 10: Six Case Studies 

Case Study 1: Education 
Case Study 2: Leapfrog Technology 
Case Study 3: The Role of Women 
Case Study 4: Tourism, Cuisine, Art, and Olympic Dreams 
Case Study 5: Value-added Agriculture 
Case Study 6: Public Works 

Chapter 11: The Risks Ahead 

Chapter 12: Vietnam in 2050 

Abbreviations and Acronyms 

Index