I think so. Vietnam is developing way too fast and not paying attention to what needs to be done and precautions. I think the old stale leaders are to blame. Its sad that Vietnam doesnt let yougner generations easy access to govt with all that bureaucratic crap.

I think VietNam's infrastructure is developing too slowly and with poor standard. Emphasis must be placed on technology so the country can compete against the world.

I think Vietnam's infrastructure needs a new world standard...if you want to catch other countries so you have to go 2 steps forward...you know...a more modern and efficient infrastructure...as HappyAsian is saying new world technology should be use to compete with the world...

I hope you meant, Vietnam's economy develops so fast compared to its infrastructure development.

This article, Dec 2005, has lots of good details:
Vietnam risk: Infrastructure risk

In short, Vietnam has very poor infrastructures (especially seaports, public trasportation, roads, powers, drainage/sewage) , mainly due to poor urban management, lack of fund, unbalanced population growths. As a result, it greatly hinders our true growth potential, as costs of business are quite a bit higher than other ASEAN regional countries. The new, righ-rise urban areas mushrooming across the nation seem to have state of art infrastructures, comparatible with international standards. Hopefully, we continue to have more and more of these new urban areas built, so more people can be efficiently consolidated, and more land can be freezed up for new infrastructures development.

Frankly, we are in a headlong race against economic disaster. Our population is growing, and people have to have jobs. People have to eat. And the poorest part of our population needs to be taken care of.

If we don't have economic growth, we can't begin to cope with human trafficking, drug trafficking, HIV/AIDS and assorted goodies such as environmental degradation that have appeared since we opened up our country. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that dealing with these problems will cost us, and if we want to deal with them effectively and in a timely way, the costs will have to come out of our pockets. Period. We just can't wait for international NGO's and foreign donors to donate the money - When your house is on fire, you can't be sitting around and waiting for the rain.

Yes, fast economic growth brings its own set of problems including stressing the $hit out of the existing infrastructure, which is why the government should be working around the clock planning and improving it. Because if the infrastructure is not improved, economic growth collapses and famine and other disasters catch up with us. It's do or die.

Without better and modern infrastructure, you will keep hearing about entire villages getting wiped out after a rain storm.

Definitelly vietnam's infrastructure is still lacking

education Check (isnt it like 94% literacy rate)
population control check

what more do we need on the checklist?

jobs?

too fast???? are u serious?

And without economic growth, there is no way to pay for that infrastructure.

^^^ can't we borrow some money????? and also if we want the economy to grow then we need better infrastructure

The government is borrowing, even as we speak. Fortunately, the lenders have the good sense to insist on accountability and transparency.

Depending on how you view how one views the world will be an important factor in responding this question.

An excerpt from this web page is from my point of view adequate: http://www.us-asean.org/vietnam.asp

“US-Vietnam Business Council Chairman:
Sandra Kristoff,
New York Life
Vietnam

Vietnam is a country with rich natural resources and a well educated (literacy rate is over 90%), diligent population of 80.4 million. Since 1986 the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has committed itself to economic reform, or "Doi Moi" (New Changes) a move from a centrally planned economy to a multi-sectoral one based on open market principles, and thus opened the door to foreign investment.

The Government has abolished price control, devalued the Dong, legalized private ownership, freed the private sector, withdrawn support from a number of loss making state enterprises, opened up the country for foreign investment and has begun to introduce a modern legal framework and pursued monetary and fiscal policies. These reforms were introduced in an attempt to double Vietnam's GDP and to becoming an industrialized nation by 2020. The pace of reforms has been slow, but must be looked at in context that Vietnam has only been open to the west for less than 20 years. Its growth has therefore been remarkable.”

I place emphasis on legalizing private ownership, freed the private sector, withdrawing support from a number of loss making state enterprises, and more importantly opening up the country for foreign investment and introducing a modern legal framework and of course monetary and fiscal policies. I personally believe the country has come a long way in a short period. The past twenty years have been very progressive. Think about it, how long have we had the internet? When you take into consideration that people are hesitant to change and that traditional generation-to-generation social values are obstructive creating a new government to represent a country is not easy.

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