-
 The
business environment in Vietnam has improved significantly for
foreign investors in recent years. It took me only 11 months to
get "The Bamboo Factory" up and running.
However, I find that there are still various unofficial costs
for business. Take the example of in-country transport. I have
to pay a number of "taxes" to take the bamboo out of forests.
The problem is that I have to pay these "taxes" at numerous
roadblocks at district and commune levels. These costs are
unpredictable and unofficial, and therefore are not
tax-deductible.
Mr. Thierry Mermet, General Director, The Bamboo Factory
-
To address the issue
of corruption, some countries follow a model of "small
government, large civil society". In a system of "big
government", where government administrative offices have a lot
of power, it is difficult to avoid corruption. As long as
citizens still have to "ask" and government officials can decide
whether or not to "give," opportunities for corruption will
remain.
Dr. Nguyen Si Dzung, Vice Chairman, Office of the National
Assembly
-
Increasing salaries
for public servants will not effectively eliminate corruption.
It is also not feasible–where would the resources come from? In
my opinion, the most effective and doable measure is to reduce
government intervention in business activities; the Enterprise
Law has accomplished this to some extent. Limiting the number of
cumbersome regulatory procedures will reduce opportunities that
government officials have to succumb to corruption.
Ms. Phan Thanh Ha, Vice Director, Macro-economic Policy
Department,
Central Institute for Economic Management, MPI (CIEM)
-
I think corruption
hurts at two levels. The direct impact is that it pushes costs
up, and this affects consumers' welfare and producers'
competitiveness. But its worse effect is to foster a sense of
cynicism by the Vietnamese public. If one sees that corruption
is part of everyday life–that is, if it is so common that it is
no longer seen to be wrong to pay or accept bribes–then it
becomes easier to accept corruption or even to participate. Even
limited corruption makes the public believe that it is
widespread, and honest and concerned officials–of whom there are
many in Vietnam–are tainted by implication. The current
crackdown on corruption gives me some confidence. The drive
seems to be both serious and broad.
Mr. Sesto Vecchi, Managing Partner, Russin&Vecchi Law Firm
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