HCMC economy rebounds ‘faster than expected’

It had contracted last year.

The economy has “recovered quickly, uniformly and quite comprehensively,” city Party secretary Nguyen Van Nen said.

People’s Council chairwoman Nguyen Thi Le said the recovery was “faster than expected.”

The index of industrial production has been rising since February, and is up 3.1 percent for the first six months.

Eight out of nine service sectors grew with real estate bucking the trend, shrinking by 5.82 percent.

The fastest growth was seen in finance and banking, information and communication and logistics.

Some other key indicators also rose, including import-export (by 13.8 percent), tourism revenues (29.9 percent) and foreign direct investment (60 percent).

But rising costs, driven by the Russia-Ukraine crisis and higher fuel prices, has affected consumption and recovery.

Public spending occurred at the slowest pace ever, with only 17 percent of the targeted amount spent in the first half of the year.

During the rest of this year the city will focus on promoting public spending, mitigating difficulties faced by companies, improving the business environment, and enhancing tourism activities.

Each district should develop a specific tourism product, deputy chairwoman of the People’s Committee, Phan Thi Thang, instructed.

The city will also roll out price stabilization programs and closely monitor fuel and gold prices to reduce inflation risks.