Growth prospects for Việt Nam this year are bolstered by strong domestic demand and prospects of a global economic revival. However, protectionism, fiscal deficit, public debt and low productivity raise questions about a possible middle-income trap - and the means to overcome it. SEE MORE The Government has set a target of achieving a GDP growth rate of 6.7% and consumer price index (CPI) of 4% for 2018. SEE MORE The 6.81 percent GDP growth rate in 2017 has been announced by GSO (General Statistics Office), the only agency in Vietnam in charge of providing official statistics. However, leading experts question the figure. SEE MORE Vietnam’s export-import exceeded 420 billion USD for the first time in 2017, of which export recorded the highest growth of 21.1 percent over the past seven years with 29 commodities joining the one billion USD club. SEE MORE A statistical project on measuring the non-observed economy, including underground and illegal economies, will be proposed to the Prime Minister for approval this year, said head of the Vietnam General Statistics Office Nguyen Bich Lam. SEE MORE