The Vietnam Ministry of Finance (MoF) will for the first time issue a bulletin on the country’s public debts in line with the government’s regulations on public debt management.
The public debt bulletin
According to Article 26 of Government Decree 79/2010/ND-CP issued on July 14, 2010, the MoF will provide information on the national public debt through the bulletin.
To date, the ministry has issued seven bulletins on Vietnam’s foreign debts, including government foreign debts and those debts guaranteed by the government. However, this only reveals a partial picture of the country’s public debt situation.
The bulletin will provide information on accurate and clear information on the government’s debt and is expected to play a small part in improving Vietnam’s business environment.
By the end of December 31, 2011, Vietnam’s public debts had reached VND1,392 trillion (USD66.7 billion), accounting for 54.9% of the national GDP. Of that sum, the government's debts were estimated at 1,096 trillion (USD52.7 billion), equal to 43.2% of the national GDP; government underwritten debts totalled VND285 trillion (USD13.7 billion) and with local government debts registered at VND10.7 trillion.
The public debt bulletin will be published every six months in both Vietnamese and English. It will be also be available on the Ministry of Finance's website.
