ABSTRACT
There is a consensus that foreign direct investment (FDI) has played an important role in the economic development of Vietnam during the last decade. Although foreign-invested companies employ less than 1 per cent of the total workforce in Vietnam, they cumulatively account for around 27 per cent of the country’s (nonoil) exports, 35 per cent of total industrial output, represent almost 13 per cent of Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP), and contribute around 25 per cent of all tax revenues.1 Nonetheless, there seems to be some disagreement on the actual size of FDI inflows that the country has received. Estimates given by international organisations – such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) – are often different from the corresponding figures published by Vietnamese national authorities. This chapter explores this issue, and provides reasons for the discrepancies in reported FDI data.
