Official: Vietnam needs to look at its dependence on world economy

HANOI, Dec. 23 (Chinese media) -- With its export and import activities and investment dependent much on the external world, Vietnam needs to take a deeper look at its economic health to identify how far it relies on the world economy, said an official here Tuesday.

The remark was made by former Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan at the online discussion with the theme "Vietnam on the threshold of the New Year 2009", hosted by the website of Vietnam net on Tuesday.

The year of 2008 has been seen as the year of gains and losses for Vietnam as the country has undergone changes in climate, prices, economy and financial markets, he said.

Looking back into the year 2008, the most significant loss experienced by Vietnam is the interruption of the country's impetus for its economy which has seen the continuous growth in recent years, said Khoan.

Khoan contributed such loss to Vietnam's transforming process from the socialist-centralized economy to the market economy, and the country's newly-integration into the global economy.

Vietnam, for the first time in 2008, had to cope with both internal and external difficulties, said Khoan.

Such difficulties urge Vietnam to refresh itself and to make a number of modifications to the national economy, he said.

However, Khoan believes that Vietnam will finally overcome such difficulties.