Spillover effects of transportation capital and provincial competitiveness on economic growth in Vietnam

This study uses a spatial econometric model to evaluate the impact of transportation capital and provincial competitiveness on economic growth in Vietnam. Data from 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam were collected between 2010 and 2017. The results reveal that both direct and indirect effects of transportation capital are positive and statistically significant, and that the spillover effect is strong. On average, a 1% increase in the transport capital of a province directly contributes to the province’s GDP increase to 0.03%, and a 1% increase in the transport capital of all 62 other provinces indirectly contributes to the GDP increase of the remaining province to 0.242%. The results confirm the high efficiency of synchronous investments in the transport infrastructure. In addition, the study points to the necessity of improving labor quality, which is closely related to the services provided by the provincial government: general education, vocational training, and employment service growth.