Viet Nam stands out as the only ASEAN economy to achieve positive growth in 2020 and rebound to an 8.1 percent growth rate in 2021 – the highest in Asia, the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) said in a recent report.

A corner of HCM City (Source: VNA)

In the report titled “Asia Economics: It's About Stamina”, HSBC affirmed that despite many significant challenges, Viet Nam's economy rose 1.8 percent in the first half of 2020.

The government's efforts to contain COVID-19 significantly contributed to the country’s economic achievements.

However, the resurgence of the pandemic in late July impeded Viet Nam's initial goal to bounce back early compared to other countries.

With its success in suppressing the new outbreak, Viet Nam is put in the top position among the ASEAN economies in terms of potential growth in 2020, HSBC said.

This year Viet Nam's GDP growth is expected to reach 2.6 percent, which is slightly lower than the previous forecast of 3 percent.

HSBC believes that Viet Nam will benefit from the technology-led recovery and stable foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in the year to come.

Therefore, the Southeast Asian nation still has a positive outlook with expected economic growth of 8.1 percent next year, compared to the previous projection of 8.5 percent.

“Viet Nam’s growth rate this year is still quietly ‘skyrocketing’ and will stand out as the fastest-growing economy in the region by 2021," HSBC added.

HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial service organisations.

Source: VNA