On September 20, USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) program joined the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the European Union to organize the Vietnam Finance Forum 2018 with the theme, “Restructuring National Finances towards Rapid, Inclusive and Sustainable Development.” This second annual forum was attended by about 300 people and brought together domestic and international experts to review a range of budget and policy issues. At the Forum, experts focused on topics related to four key sub-themes: sustainability, taxation, social safety net programs, and financial markets. They addressed these issues and made policy recommendations. The Ministry of Finance has committed to making this forum an annual event and other donors have expressed strong interest in supporting the forum in future years. USAID’s GIG program ends later this year.

So What? This annual forum is leading to robust public debates about key public finance policy issues and is strengthening the MOF’s policy development capacity and processes.