IV. Conclusion
Vietnam has enjoyed two decades of rapid economic growth, averaging 7.4 per cent per annum from 1989 to 2008. This is a remarkable achievement by any standard, and one that has transformed the lives of millions of Vietnamese people. Growth will slow in 2009 as the external environment deteriorates. Export growth will be difficult to sustain, and inward investment is likely to decline significantly. As a small, relatively open economy with a fixed exchange rate and dollarized liabilities in the banking sector, Vietnam’s policy options are limited. A unilateral monetary stimulus would increase the current account deficit, which is already running at unsustainable levels. Lowering VND interest rates too quickly could result in a run on the domestic currency, as savers abandon the dong in expectation that the difference between dollar and dong interest rates does not cover the risk of dong depreciation. Adding to the fiscal deficit could once again ignite price inflation. The most pragmatic response would be to gradually move the dong lower against the currencies of the Vietnam’s main trading partners to reclaim some of the export competitiveness lost during the recent real appreciation of the VND. A weaker dong would also prove some protection from the flood of imports from China and other countries in the region attempting to cope with demand contraction in the United States and the euro zone. SBV needs to monitor interest rates spreads between dong and dollar deposits to ensure that savers still have an incentive to hold dong balances despite the gradual depreciation of the domestic currency.
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