The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of the Operational Self-Sustainability (OSS) of Vietnamese microfinance institutions (MFIs). This research uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods: (i) qualitative research was via in-depth interviews with ten microfinance practitioners, policymakers and researchers; (ii) quantitative research was conducted by using panel data of 34 MFIs in the period 2011-2015 with binary logistics and OLS regressions. Results are as follows: (i) MFIs’ OSS in Vietnam are mainly determined by five key factors: portfolio at risk (PAR>30), capital structure, gross loan portfolio, scope of activities and legal form; (ii) OSS are most affected by legal status (social organizations have better OSS than formal MFIs or programs/projects), location (MFIs focus in one province have higher OSS than working nationwide or just in one district), capital structure (MFIs with more equity proportion have higher OSS); (iii) surprisingly, average loan size per borrower and age of MFIs do not have statistically significant correlation with OSS. The key recommendations are: (i) MFIs should focus on its professionality and increase its equity; (ii) related stakeholders such as State Bank of Vietnam should promote the enabling ecosystem for microfinance development to enhance poverty reduction and economic development.

The study seeks to evaluate the impacts of three types of credit – formal, semi-formal, and informal credits – on the well-being of households in Vietnam’s rural areas. Based on data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys in 2014 and 2016, the research uses the instrumental variable fixed-effect models to estimate the effects of three kinds of credit on household’s per capita income and expenditure. There are some significant findings. First, in rural areas, formal credit is the most popular source with stable and cheap borrowing costs. Informal credit is a complement to formal credit to meet urgent needs. Funding agriculture activities is the most commonly cited purpose of borrowing, followed by purchasing assets. The highest misuse rate belongs to the group of loans for agriculture production. Second, the results show that credit helps smoothen consumption rather than generate income for rural households. Three types of credit have insignificant or negative effects on household’s per capita income. Formal loans significantly improve total expenditure and spending on healthcare and education. Informal and semi-formal credits show a little influence on consumption. Informal loans have a significantly positive effect on healthcare expenditure. In contrast, having semi-formal loans tends to decrease spending on foods.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the key factors affecting tax compliance among Vietnamese firms in Vietnam. We employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research has been carried out through focus group discussions with ten chief accountants and tax officers. Quantitative research has been conducted through interviews with 200 firms (chief accountants or financial directors) in Vietnam. Analysis of the model includes the following stages: (i) Cronbach’s test for reliability of the scale, (ii) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), (iii) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and (iv) structural equation model (SEM). The results of the research show that voluntary tax compliance is directly affected by the three factors of audit probability, corporate reputation and business ownership. The probability of audit and severity of sanctions have the strongest impact on tax compliance. Therefore, the tax authorities need to strengthen the inspection of tax declarations, tax payments and tax refunds of firms. The paper confirms that enforced tax compliance is directly affected by the three factors of audit probability, sanction severity and social norms. Voluntary compliance and compulsory compliance have an effect on tax compliance, though voluntary compliance has a more powerful impact.