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In the morning, Mr Lee met Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Ho Hai to discuss issues of mutual interest. Noting the rapid economic development of Ho Chi Minh City and its aspiration to develop into an international financial centre, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is willing to share its experience as a leading international financial centre and explore collaboration opportunities with it.

Andrew Harker, Economics Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: “The fact that the Vietnamese manufacturing sector was able to sustain the strong expansion seen in June through into July adds to optimism that we are at the start of a good spell of growth that will help drive the wider economy forward.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has asked proactive, flexible, timely and effective monetary policies to be continued to promote the country’s socio-economic development while ensuring the safety of the national financial and banking system.

“Although Vietnam has entered the ecosystem, it has only contributed human resources, not the entire market,” said Nguyen Thanh Yen, CEO of semiconductor design services provider CoAsia Semi. “Vietnam has successfully attracted many major semiconductor corporations over the years, not because it is a potential commercial market, but because these tech giants choose to invest and expand here. Samsung, Intel, Hana, and Micron come to Vietnam primarily to leverage its workforce.”

Currently, 20 countries and territories have investment projects in the province. South Korea has the most investors, with 231 projects and more than US$3 billion of registered capital. These figures show that FDI flows into Vinh Phuc province continue to grow and set new records in the context of challenging economy.

In July alone, the value was VNĐ528.3 trillion, a rise of 9.4 per cent from the same period last year, with food sales up 12.1 per cent, household utensils 5.3 per cent, garments 6.9 per cent, lodging and catering services 13.9 per cent and tourism 6.8 per cent.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) maintained its growth forecasts for Vietnam at 6.0% and 6.2% in 2024 and 2025, respectively, on the back of strong growth in the first half of 2024. However, the trade-related manufacturing - one of the main drivers of recovery - is expected to slow down in the coming time while domestic demand will remain subdued. Inflation is projected to stabilize at 4% in 2024 and 2025.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.48 per cent in July on rising domestic petrol prices, higher demand for electricity and higher health insurance premiums following a 30 per cent increase in base salaries from the beginning of this month, data of the General Statistics Office (GSO) showed.