Viet Nam's foreign exchange reserves, exclusive of gold, reached a record high of US$38 billion in mid-June, said State Bank of Viet Nam Governor Le Minh Hung. — Photo thesaigontimes.vn

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam’s foreign exchange reserves, exclusive of gold, reached a record high of US$38 billion in mid-June, said State Bank of Việt Nam Governor Lê Minh Hưng.

Hưng was quoted in Thời báo kinh tế Sài Gòn (Saigon Times) regarding the foreign exchange reserves.

According to the SBV, it bought roughly US$8 billion in the first 5-1/2 months, in a bid to increase foreign reserves. The purchase was smooth thanks to ample supplies in the domestic market.

Further, Hưng expects the forex reserves will continue to rise this year.

However, he said the nation’s foreign reserves in gold remain low.

Hưng noted that the domestic gold and forex markets are faring well. The US dollar strengthened against the Vietnamese đồng some weeks ago, but it still appreciated within the allowable band. The central bank reduced dollar buying at that time, before resuming purchases at a normal pace.

Further, the governor praised the application of the average daily inter-bank exchange rate between the đồng and the greenback with calculations based on developments with the Chinese yuan and other strong currencies.

As for some foreign-invested enterprises that have large revenues in foreign currencies from export activities and deposits at wholly foreign-owned banks in Việt Nam, Hưng said the SBV strictly monitors their export-import payments in foreign currency.

According to analysts from the VP Bank Securities, significant forex reserves would help the central bank successfully control the domestic foreign exchange market in upcoming quarters, in the context of volatility in the global economy.

This is an improvement since the country’s reserve fund dwindled to $9 billion in 2010 due to large trade deficits that undermined confidence in the đồng.

Former SBV Governor Cao Sỹ Kiêm attributed the rise in foreign reserves to the country’s macro-economic stability and SBV’s success in taming the forex market, lifting confidence in the đồng and reducing the dollarisation in the economy.

According to the central bank, the rise in forex reserves has also contributed to enhancing Việt Nam’s position on the international market, as shown by the interest rate of bonds issued in international markets, which has fallen sharply from 7.2 per cent to 4.8 per cent in 2015. This helped reduce the cost of the Government’s foreign borrowing.

The hike in foreign reserves will also help increase confidence of investors in Việt Nam’s macro policies and enhance the effectiveness of the country’s monetary policy regulation, the central bank said. – VNS