The Impact of Earnings Management and Tax Avoidance on the Cost of Debt in Vietnamese Listed Firms

In the context of Vietnam, as an emerging economy characterized by limited financial transparency, this study aims to clarify how the credit market responds to financial management behaviors. It also examines the roles of audit quality and listing status in this relationship. The topic holds both practical and academic significance, particularly in shaping policies related to credit risk control and enhancing financial market discipline. This paper investigates the impact of earnings management and corporate income tax avoidance on the cost of debt among firms listed on the Vietnamese stock exchange during the period from 2016 to 2024. A quantitative research approach is employed using panel data regression models with firm and year fixed effects. The primary independent variables include proxies for earnings management and tax avoidance, while the dependent variable is the cost of debt. Control variables such as profitability, firm size, financial leverage, and foreign ownership are also included to ensure robustness. Further analysis is conducted by dividing the sample based on audit firm type (Big4 vs. non-Big4) and listing status (listed vs. unlisted) to investigate the heterogeneity in audit quality and market visibility. The findings indicate that earnings management has a statistically significant negative impact on the cost of debt, particularly among firms audited by Big4 and listed companies. In contrast, the effect of tax avoidance on the cost of debt is positive but relatively weak and inconsistent across groups. These results underscore the crucial role of audit quality and financial transparency in shaping credit risk responses in emerging markets.