Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture and Humanity in the Era of Rising and Integration (ICDHV 2025)

The Middle-Income Trap and Some Recommendations for Vietnam

Authors
Bui Quang Diep1, *, Nguyen Quoc Dinh2
1Hung Vuong University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
*Corresponding author. Email: diepbq@dhv.edu.vn
Corresponding Author
Bui Quang Diep
Available Online 17 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-539-3_29How to use a DOI?
Keywords
middle-income trap; economic growth; political growth trap
Abstract

The middle-income trap was first introduced in 2007. There are three definitions of the middle-income trap. The first is when a middle-income country becomes stuck in a narrow income range for an extended period. The second involves making incorrect assessments and institutional reform policies that are incompatible with the structural characteristics of middle-income countries. The third is the absence of convergence with developed market economies, often the United States. There are three reasons that explain the slowdown in growth for middle-income countries, leading them to become trapped in the middle-income trap: the natural consequences of the catch-up process, growth-hindering policies, and political growth traps. From this, three recommendations for Vietnam’s development are put forward: upgrading production technology; administrative reform, reducing business permits, and creating a healthy business environment; and building a strong public administration system.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture and Humanity in the Era of Rising and Integration (ICDHV 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
17 February 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-539-3
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-539-3_29How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Bui Quang Diep
AU  - Nguyen Quoc Dinh
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/17
TI  - The Middle-Income Trap and Some Recommendations for Vietnam
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture and Humanity in the Era of Rising and Integration (ICDHV 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 438
EP  - 445
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-539-3_29
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-539-3_29
ID  - Diep2026
ER  -