BANKRUPTCY RISK OF LISTED ENTERPRISES IN VIETNAM: FINANCIAL DETERMINANTS AND SUSTAINABLE RESILIENCE

Authors

  • Nguyen Thi Ha East Asia University of Technology Corresponding Author
  • Pham Thi Thu Thuy Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT), Viet Nam Author
  • Nguyen Kieu Anh Academy of Finance Author
  • Ta Thi Thu Saigon Polytechnic College, Viet Nam Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62985/j.huit_ojs.vol26.no3E.634

Keywords:

Bankruptcy risk, financial determinants, z-score model, listed enterprises, sustainable resilience.

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of bankruptcy risk among enterprises listed on the Vietnamese stock market, with particular attention to financial resilience and sustainability in the context of global economic transformation. Using data from twenty-eight publicly listed companies between 2010 and 2025, the study applies the Z score model to evaluate how leverage, profitability, and liquidity influence corporate insolvency risk. Several econometric techniques were employed, including pooled OLS, fixed effects, random effects, and generalized least squares, with diagnostic tests confirming the fixed effects model as most suitable and GLS providing robust adjustments for heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation. The findings reveal that profitability (ROA) significantly reduces bankruptcy risk, while volatility in equity returns (ROE) increases vulnerability; liquidity indicators show mixed effects, with working capital to total assets enhancing resilience, whereas current ratio and current liabilities to current assets present nuanced relationships. Equity financing mitigates risk, fixed asset intensity may strengthen resilience under GLS, and GDP growth exerts a stabilizing macroeconomic influence. These results suggest that managers should prioritize profitability and efficient liquidity management, policymakers should foster macroeconomic stability, and investors should monitor profitability and capital structure as early warning signals of distress. By integrating firm level financial indicators with macroeconomic conditions into a robust GLS forecasting framework, this study contributes to the literature on bankruptcy prediction in emerging markets and offers practical insights for corporate governance and policy design.

References

[1] T. Tran, N. H. Nguyen, B. T. Le, N. T. Vu and D. H. Vo, “Examining financial distress of the Vietnamese listed firms using accounting-based models,” PLOS ONE, vol. 18, no. 5, Art. no. e0284451, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284451

[2] D. V. Dinh and N. T. Ha, “The Tax Policy and Macro Management: Evidence in Vietnam,” Finance: Theory and Practice, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 150-159, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.26794/2587-5671-2023-27-5-150-159

[3] T. H. Truong, “Factors Affecting Bankruptcy Risks of Firms: Evidence from Listed Companies on Vietnamese Stock Market,” Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 275-283, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2022.vol9.no3.0275

[4] W. H. Beaver, “Financial Ratios as Predictors of Failure,” Journal of Accounting Research, vol. 4, pp. 71-111, 1966, doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2490171

[5] E. I. Altman, “Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy,” The Journal of Finance, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 589-609, 1968, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1968.tb00843.x

[6] T. H. Hannan and G. A. Hanweck, “Bank Insolvency Risk and the Market for Large Certificates of Deposit,” Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 203-211, 1988, doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/1992111

[7] J. H. Boyd, S. L. Graham, and R. S. Hewitt, “Bank Holding Company Mergers with Nonbank Financial Firms: Effects on the Risk of Failure,” Journal of Banking & Finance, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 43-63, 1993, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4266(93)90079-S

[8] L. H. T. Phan, T. N. Pham and K. D. Duong, “Financial Constraints and Bankruptcy Risks of Listed Firms in Vietnam: Does Firm Size Matter?,” SAGE Open, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 1-14, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241305156

[9] P. K. Yen and N. M. Hiep, “Modeling of Financial Distress Probability for Vietnamese Listed Companies,” Journal of Economics and Development, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 68-81, 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.33301/2014.16.03.04

[10] T. N. Le, “Factors Affecting Z-Score Indicator Reflecting the Risk of Bankruptcy of Vietnam Listed,” Journal of Trade Science, vol. 176, pp. 1-3, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.54404/jts.2023.176v.01

[11] V. C. Nguyen, T. N. Nguyen, T. T. O. Le and T. T. Nguyen, “Determining the Impact of Financial Performance Factors on Bankruptcy Risk: An Empirical Study of Listed Real Estate Companies in Vietnam,” Investment Management and Financial Innovations, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 307-318, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.16(3).2019.27

[12] T. N. D. Nguyen, T. C. Ha, M. C. Nguyen, T. T. L. Bui and T. H. Y. Nguyen, “Determinants of Financial Risk of Firms Listed on the National Stock Market: Dynamic Panel Evidence from Vietnam,” Asian Economic and Financial Review, vol. 13, no. 11, pp. 875-886, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.55493/5002.v13i11.4878

[13] D. V. Dinh, “Public Debt Management and Economic Growth: VAR Model Approach,” Industrial Engineering & Management Systems, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 173-187, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.7232/iems.2023.22.2.173

[14] D. T. Tung and V. T. H. Phung, “An Application of Altman Z-Score Model to Analyze the Bankruptcy Risk: Cases of Multidisciplinary Enterprises in Vietnam,” Investment Management and Financial Innovations, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 181-191, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.16(4).2019.16

[15] B. H. Baltagi, “Forecasting with Panel Data,” Journal of Forecasting, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 153-173, 2008, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/for.1047

[16] F. R. Matenda, M. Sibanda, E. Chikodza and V. Gumbo, “Bankruptcy Prediction for Private Firms in Developing Economies: A Scoping Review and Guidance for Future Research,” Management Review Quarterly, vol. 72, pp. 927-966, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-021-00216-x

[17] E. I. Altman, R. G. Haldeman and P. Narayanan, “ZETA Analysis: A New Model to Identify Bankruptcy Risk of Corporations,” Journal of Banking & Finance, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 29-54, 1977, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4266(77)90017-6

[18] J. M. Wooldridge, Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data, 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hhcfr.

[19] J. A. Hausman, “Specification Tests in Econometrics,” Econometrica, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 1251-1271, 1978, doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/1913827

[20] V. Bouvatier, L. Lepetit, P.-N. Rehault and F. Strobel, “Time-Varying Z-Score Measures for Bank Insolvency Risk: Best Practice,” Journal of Empirical Finance, vol. 73, pp. 170-179, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jempfin.2023.06.002

[21] A. Ghosh and S. Kapil, “Is Altman’s Model Efficient in Predicting Bankruptcy? A Comparison Among the Altman Z-Score, DEA, and ANN Models,” Journal of Information and Optimization Sciences, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 1191-1207, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02522667.2022.2117322

[22] V. Bouvatier, L. Lepetit, P.-N. Rehault and F. Strobel, “Measuring Bank Risk: Forward-Looking Z-Score,” International Review of Financial Analysis, vol. 80, Art. no. 102039, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102039

[23] L. Lepetit and F. Strobel, “Bank Insolvency Risk and Time-Varying Z-Score Measures,” Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, vol. 25, pp. 73-87, 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2013.01.004

[24] N. Matanga and G. Holman, “Adapting Altman Z-Score Models for Early Warning Signals: Evidence from Delisted Mining Stocks on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange,” Investment Analysts Journal, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 249-261, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10293523.2024.2397892

[25] J. M. Wooldridge, “Simple Solutions to the Initial Conditions Problem in Dynamic, Nonlinear Panel Data Models with Unobserved Heterogeneity,” Journal of Applied Econometrics, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 39-54, 2005, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.770

[26] J. A. Mustafa, “From Innovation to Stability: Evaluating the Ripple Influence of Digital Payment Systems and Capital Adequacy Ratio on a Bank’s Z-Score,” Banks and Bank Systems, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 67-79, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.21511/bbs.19(3).2024.07

[27] I. Moreno, P. Parrado-Martínez and A. Trujillo-Ponce, “Using the Z-Score to Analyze the Financial Soundness of Insurance Firms,” European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 22-39, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-09-2020-0261

[28] E. I. Altman, M. Iwanicz-Drozdowska, E. K. Laitinen and A. Suvas, “Financial Distress Prediction in an International Context: A Review and Empirical Analysis of Altman's Z-Score Model,” Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 131-171, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jifm.12053

[29] B. H. Baltagi, Q. Feng and C. Kao, “A Lagrange Multiplier Test for Cross-Sectional Dependence in a Fixed Effects Panel Data Model,” Journal of Econometrics, vol. 170, no. 1, pp. 164-177, 2012, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2012.04.004

[30] B. H. Baltagi, “Econometric Analysis of Panel Data”, 6th ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53953-5

Downloads

Published

2026-08-31

Issue

Section

Economics

How to Cite

Nguyen Thi Ha, Pham Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Kieu Anh, & Ta Thi Thu. (2026). BANKRUPTCY RISK OF LISTED ENTERPRISES IN VIETNAM: FINANCIAL DETERMINANTS AND SUSTAINABLE RESILIENCE. HUIT Journal of Science, 26(3E), 2299. https://doi.org/10.62985/j.huit_ojs.vol26.no3E.634