~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]

Vietnamese Economy Grows in First Quarter

Vietnam's economy maintains a high growth rate in the first quarter of the year despite the sweeping Asian financial crisis and severe natural calamities, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said on Friday.
He said farmers in the south have harvested a bumper winter-spring rice crop. Thanks to the mechanisms restructured by the government, farmers are gaining profits through selling rice at higher prices and buying fertilizer at lower cost.
The output of crude oil, gas fuel, cement, garment and textiles continue to rise, Phan said.
Although Vietnam's total export volume is on the rise, he added, major exports including crude oil and farm produce have dropped.
Compared with the same period of 1997, Vietnam's export turnover increases 12.3 percent while import turnover slips by 3.3 percent. As a result, trade deficit decreases by 50 percent.
He reminded his people that economic efficiency has not been improved although the country enjoys a high growth, and factors hindering the economic development are still on the way.

XINHUA English Newswire - March 20, 1998.