HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam's gross domestic product is forecast to grow 6.5% this year, compared with 7.09% last year, with inflation expected to ease to 3.0% in 2025 from 3.6% in 2024, HSBC said on Monday.
It warned that the tariff policies from the incoming U.S. administration remains risks for trade-reliant Vietnam.
"There remains a large degree of uncertainty as to how the exact tariff policies will pan out, but Vietnam's booming trade surplus and high export exposure to the U.S. may generate unwanted attention," it said.
Meanwhile, in another incident, Xinhua reported that six people, including four children in Vietnam's central province of Nghe An, have been killed after a van losing control crashed into a grocery store, local media reported Monday.
The accident occurred around 5pm on Sunday when the van lost control at a slope in Ky Son district and crashed into a group of people standing in front of the store.
Five people died on the spot. Another died at the hospital. The youngest victim was a 13-month-old baby.
The driver has been detained for further investigation, VnExpress reported.
The steep road section where the accident occurred is about eight meters wide and located at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level.
Vietnam reported 23,484 traffic accidents in 2034, killing 10,944 people and injuring 17,342 others, according to the General Statistics Office.
