Nov 22, 2011

Vietnam - Lack of transparency results in increased speculation



Experts assessed that the real estate market was making banks and the whole economy become hostages who have to suffer consequence of lack of transparency and speculation, the Vietnam Economic Forum reported, citing Dr Pham Chi Dung’s writing.

Now, both the property market and the whole market have to suffer consequences due to previous speculation. As a result, the economy is going on flat instead of expected booming.

Super profit thanks to speculation

One question was raised how is the period of 20 years meaningful for development? After the certain extent of development, according to the law of economic moving, the economy will go down. So whether is Vietnam like US who had a continuous 20-year GDP growth and then fell in the period of compulsorily adjusting down economic targets.

Actually Vietnam’s GDP did not have a stable growth pace as US, or overheat as China’s. Being as the developing Asian country, maintaining GDP growth rate through years without coping with super inflation was a big luck for Vietnam whose management level remained weak.

Operation efficiency of most markets in Vietnam seemed to be “okay” in the last 15 years. “Okay” here means profits. Concerning the efficiency criteria of developed economies, most markets in Vietnam surpassed US and Europe in terms of profitability [due to a big gap created by lack of transparency].

The surprising thing for foreigners was that in a market like Vietnam with the lack of information and weakness of management, people were able to earn money easily.

Indeed, the real estate market is seen as a focus of lack of transparency in the Vietnamese economy. “Whispering business culture” or similar things pulled the market down to the closer bottom among the world list of 15 Asia-Pacific countries as well as among 56 nations selected to be rated in terms of transparency of the real estate market.

Less transparent realty market created good environment for speculators to earn super profits.

Loss decade?

2008 was seen as the first phase of “loss decade” of Vietnam’s realty market particularly. During the period of 2009 to 2010, Vietnam’s public debts exceeded 50% of GDP along with standstill in production in many sections, massive bankruptcy of at least 10% of enterprise number and unofficial unemployment on increase…

20 years might be enough for a growth period and this time Vietnam’s real estate market is forced to suffer consequences because less of transparency.

Earlier, Economist Le Dang Doanh said that since 1991, the country has not seen the worst economic and social situation like now. Otherwise, an economic recession is coming back to Vietnam, starting from property market.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised an alarm that US could fall in a loss decade like Japan facing the similar case in 1980s. In Vietnam, we should be more cautious as thinking of an expected “loss decade”. If not, the loss decade will be effective for Vietnam case.

Economy facing consequences

An article quoted an expert that the speculation of property market is pushing banks and the whole economy to become hostages.

Apparently, after the stock market, the huge volume of assets of property companies are risky as the dangerous lava hidden in a volcano that could explode to cover the economy and people’s life.

In this period, the realty market has to pay high prices for previously massive speculation because price floor is not matched to people’s average income.

VietBiz24



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