(Bloomberg) — Vietnam’s economy accelerated more than forecast in the second quarter, buoyed by a recovery in trade and increased business activity aided by foreign investment.
Gross domestic product rose 6.93% in the April-June period from a year earlier, according to data from the General Statistics Office in Hanoi on Saturday. That’s faster than the 6% median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, and a revised 5.87% expansion in the first quarter.
The industrial sector remained strong in the first half of the year with manufacturing output growth at 8.67%, the driver of the country’s economic expansion, the statistics office said in the statement.
Double-digit growth in exports alongside resilient foreign investments helped support manufacturing activity in the Southeast Asian nation. The International Monetary Fund forecasts Vietnam’s GDP to expand 6% this year, up from 5% in 2023 — a pace that will make it among Asia’s fastest growing economies.
While the IMF expects Vietnam’s inflation to be contained this year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, speaking at a World Economic Forum event in China, urged countries to reduce interest rates in the their respective economies to help boost demand in global markets.
–With assistance from Nguyen Xuan Quynh and Nguyen Kieu Giang.
(Updates with manufacturing output in the third paragraph and a chart.)
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