Topic: How To Invest

SPECIAL REPORT FOR INNER CIRCLE MEMBERS ON VIETNAM

Article Excerpt

Vietnam has a fast-growing economy, largely thanks to its low wages and rising exports. The country’s labour and production costs are as little as one-third of similar costs in China. Plus, over 50% of Vietnam’s population of 85 million is under 25 years of age, so it has a large future labour pool. The country is steadily integrating itself into the global economy. Vietnam hosted the 2006 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi. While there, President Bush visited the Vietnam stock exchange in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and rang a gong to open trading. Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007. This gave the country’s businesses improved access to more markets and investment capital worldwide. Vietnam is a major producer of agricultural products—it’s currently the world’s biggest exporter of cashew nuts and the second-largest exporter of coffee and rice. However, the country is quickly adding manufacturing to its export base—and it’s doing that by…