VZCZCXRO8257
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #0339/01 1031120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131120Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9483
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 5777
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000339 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
SINGAPORE FOR TREASURY 
TREASURY FOR SCHUN 
USTR FOR DBISBEE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV KTDB VM
 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM'S 1st QUARTER NUMBERS BRING REALITY AND NEW 
STIMULUS PLANS 
 
HANOI 00000339  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary: Vietnam's economic growth in the first quarter of 2009 
was 3.1 percent, down by more than half from 7.49 percent for the 
same period last year.  Committed FDI came in at USD 6 billion, 40.4 
percent lower year-on-year.  First quarter 2009 exports grew 
modestly at 2.4 percent, but imports dropped precipitously by 45 
percent, and Vietnam ran a small surplus of $1.7 billion compared to 
a deficit of $7.4 billion in the same period of 2008.  The Prime 
Minister subsequently announced that the GVN would seek to reduce 
its 2009 growth target from 6.5 to 5 percent.  Additional fiscal 
stimulus via interest rate subsidies have also been announced.  End 
Summary. 
 
GDP GROWTH DOWN BY OVER HALF 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Vietnam's GDP grew by 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 
2009, a steep decrease from the 7.4 growth rate for the same period 
last year.  Shortly after the first quarter figure was announced, 
Prime Minister Dung stated that the GVN would reduce its growth 
estimate for the year and the National Assembly has been asked for 
approval to lower the growth target for 2009 GDP from 6.5 percent to 
5 percent.  (Note:  The General Statistics Office also recently 
revised its 2008 GDP growth rate from 6.23 percent down to 6.18 
percent, saying that greater than anticipated decreases in 
production, trade and investment made its initial estimate too 
optimistic.)  All the components of GDP increased during the first 
quarter, but at a very modest pace. 
 
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH SLOWS 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) As a result of the global economic slowdown, growth of 1.5 
percent in the industrial sector in the first quarter of 2009 was 
substantially slower than the 8.1 percent growth over the same 
period last year.  Industrial products showing marked growth in the 
first quarter of 2009 included crude oil (16.9 percent), beer (10.4 
percent) and cement (10 percent), while most other products 
declined.  Construction came in strongly at 6.9 percent growth 
(against a 0.4 percent decrease in the first quarter of 2008), due 
to lower material costs and state and provincial efforts to 
accelerate disbursements on new and existing projects. 
 
 
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND FISHERY CREEPS UP 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) The agriculture, forestry, and fishery sector grew by 0.4 
percent in the first quarter 2009, down from 2.9 percent growth for 
the same period in 2008.  The modest increase was due to slower 
production while farmers shifted towards higher-quality rice with 
lower yields and bad weather during the winter-spring crop in the 
southern region.  In the Mekong River Delta, the rice yield reached 
9.7 million tons, down by 1.3 percent compared to the first quarter 
of 2008, while aquaculture output grew at 5.2 percent.  The Ministry 
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) subsequently revised its 
growth forecast for agricultural production for 2009 from 3.5-3.8 
percent to 2.8 percent. 
 
 
SERVICE SECTOR GAINS THE MOST 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) In the first quarter of 2009, the service sector witnessed 
the highest growth of all the sectors at 5.4 percent, though lower 
than the 8.3 percent growth in the first quarter of 2008.  Retail 
and wholesale operations, the largest part of the services sector, 
was up 6.6 percent compared to the first quarter of last year, while 
hotels and restaurants, which are largely dependent on tourism, 
dropped by 1 percent. 
 
¶6. (U) The number of international visitors decreased by 16.1 
percent over the first quarter of last year, contributing to the 
drop in hotel and restaurant output.  Contrary to anecdotal 
evidence, tourists from industrialized countries arrived in greater 
numbers, with tourists from the U.S. increasing by 17.2 percent, 
Canada by 11.1 percent, Australia by 4.8 percent.  However, tourists 
from other countries in the region decreased (Chinese, Thai and 
Korean tourists were down by 23.6 percent, 30.8 percent, and 25.7 
percent, respectively). 
 
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION GROWS BUT FDI PLUMMETS 
------------------------------------------- 
 
HANOI 00000339  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) In inflation-adjusted terms, total retail sales of consumer 
goods and services rose by 6.5 percent against the same period last 
year, lower than the 11 percent growth seen in the first quarter of 
¶2008.  Committed FDI in the first quarter of 2009 was USD 6 billion, 
down by 40.1 percent against the same period in 2008.  Newly 
registered capital from 93 new projects accounted for $2.2 billion 
of the USD 6 billion total, down by 72.2 percent in terms of project 
numbers and by 69.7 percent in terms of registered capital.  The 
remaining USD 3.8 billion was from additional registered capital on 
existing projects. 
 
 
STEEP IMPORT DROP CAUSES SMALL TRADE SURPLUS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Exports in the first quarter of 2009 were USD 13.5 billion, 
up 2.4 percent over the first quarter of 2008.  Most major export 
items decreased compared to the same period in 2008, including 
rubber (down by 46.3 percent), crude oil (down by 45.5 percent in 
value but up by 22.4 percent in volume, wood (down by 22.9 percent), 
electronics (down by 12.8 percent), seafood (down by 10.4 percent), 
and footwear (down by 10.8 percent).  The big story was gold exports 
of USD 2.3 billion in the first three months of 2009 (comprising 17% 
of total first quarter exports), up over 4,800 percent compared to 
the first quarter of 2008.  Historically, Vietnam has been a net 
importer of gold but rising international gold prices finally 
surpassed domestic prices, resulting in a sudden rush to export the 
precious metal.  Without gold, export growth for the first quarter 
would have fallen 15 percent. 
 
¶9. (U) Vietnam's imports in the first quarter reached USD 11.8 
billion, a decrease of 45 percent compared to the same period last 
year.  With the exception of pharmaceutical products, all imports 
fell, including petroleum down by 17.7 percent in volume and 60.2 
percent in value; animal feed by 51.9 percent, steel by 71 percent 
and wood by 55.9 percent.  As a result of plummeting imports and the 
modest export gains, Vietnam had a small trade surplus of $1.7 
billion compared to the trade deficit of $7.4 billion in the first 
quarter of 2008. 
 
INFLATION UP Y-O-Y, BUT DOWN COMPARED TO FEBRUARY 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶10. (U) The average consumer price index (CPI) in the first quarter 
of 2009 rose by 14.47 percent against the first quarter of 2008. 
CPI in March, however, fell by 0.17 percent compared to February, 
though it increased by 11.25 percent compared to March 2008. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  The PM's recent and very public request to revise the 
2009 growth target, combined with the reduction in the official 2008 
number, should ease some concerns that those at the highest levels 
of the GVN were in denial about the effects of the global economic 
slowdown on Vietnam.  The multilateral banks are split in their 
forecasts, with the IMF in the process of revising their 2009 growth 
estimate down to 3 - 4 percent from 4.75 percent, but the World Bank 
at a more optimistic 5.5 percent.  The GVN made preliminary 
announcements last week about additional fiscal stimulus measures, 
including USD 3 billion in interest rate subsidies over the next 21 
months for new investment and infrastructure projects in certain 
sectors (septel).  It is still unclear, however, how the GVN plans 
to pay for either ongoing or new stimulus programs. 
 
¶12.  (U) This message was coordinated with Consulate Ho Chi Minh 
City. 
 
MICHALAK 
 
2 
 
 
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