Viet Nam 2024 Provincial Competitiveness Index highlights local reform efforts, ongoing challenges for businesses
Edmund Malesky served as the PCI research director and lead author of the 2024 report, which provides a comprehensive overview of provincial economic governance and business sentiment nationwide.
The release of the 2024 Viet Nam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) report marks the 20th anniversary of the index, an initiative designed to capture the business community’s voice regarding the quality of economic governance and the investment environment in Viet Nam.
This year’s report, produced by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), is based on feedback from nearly 11,000 domestic and foreign enterprises.
According to VCCI chairman and president Pham Tan Cong: “Businesses continue to demonstrate a level of confidence in local authorities, particularly in the dimensions information transparency, labor quality, and online administrative procedure reforms. However, the report also highlights several persistent challenges that warrant attention, such as land access remaining a major obstacle, high compliance costs, and signs of declining dynamism among local governments in certain areas.”
The report was prepared under the guidance of Edmund Malesky, professor of political economy, director of the Duke Center for International Development, and PCI research director, who was responsible for the development of the research methodology and the presentation of the analytical findings.
The 2024 PCI will be the final report to evaluate all 63 provinces and cities in their current form due to the country’s administrative restructuring. Under the Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW, several provinces will undergo administrative mergers.
The VCCI chairman hopes the PCI can serve as a vital reference data source to ensure that the provincial merger process proceeds smoothly, efficiently, and towards the goal of harmonious and sustainable development across regions.