Some sectors are now profitable enough to attract private capital. The state has done its part and is now starting to pull back. It is the obligatory step in the economic policy model followed by many Asian countries whereby the State is initially protectionist, with the aim of helping companies considered strategic to become competitive, and then gradually withdraws when companies are already launched on the markets. Thus, after the first wave of privatizations between 2001 and 2006, in 2011 the Vietnamese government decided to give another turn and direct its capital towards the most needy sectors, primarily infrastructure.
They are 330 small and medium enterprises which, under the control of the State Capital Investment Corporation (Scic) to date, will have to be sold quickly to private groups, local or foreign. The companies showcased range from the construction sector to the agricultural sector, from footwear to textiles, from the pharmaceutical to the mechanical industry. According to the data made public, these companies for sale (the complete list on the Scic website) have not closed their balance sheets with large profits in recent years but have many commercial structures capable of covering the whole territory.
Il Italian Government has launched a project, managed by Unido (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), which aims to select a group of Vietnamese companies in the textile-clothing, leather-footwear and wood-furnishing supply chains with the aim of promoting commercial partnerships to operate in the Asian markets.
The Asian country is already an excellent partner for Italy: in 2009 exports to Hanoi reached almost 500 million euros. Vietnam's GDP is growing at a rapid pace: +5,8% in 2011 according to World Bank estimates and an increase of 2012% is forecast for 6,1.
