VUONG QUAN HOANG: “For foreign securities companies, I think this is going to be a good thing.”

But Vuong Quan Hoang says the changes will likely not be felt for another twelve months, when the economy is stronger. He says there is a lot of work to be done now. And, he adds, there could be trouble in the Vietnamese real estate market.

VUONG QUAN HOANG: “Right now there are issues with the real estate market, which is something big, and the interconnection between the real estate market, the securities market and the banking system.”

There are already growing signs of public dissatisfaction with the economy. Recently, a group of students protested near the offices of PetroVietnam and the gas company Petrolimex. One student says rising fuel prices hit poor people hardest.

And there is growing anger over corruption.

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This student says people are expected to pay bribes, providing money or gifts to officials to get the most basic services, like hospital care. Observers have welcomed the actions Vietnam has taken. But politics and the economy are linked in the country. And how well reforms will work remains unclear.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Barbara Klein.