Business

As regional property markets enter 2026 on a more stable footing, Vietnam continues to stand out as a market with solid long-term growth prospects.

Ten major startup deals attracted a combined USD 154 million, accounting for 72 per cent of Vietnam’s total venture capital investment in 2025.

Danang Port on February 17 welcomed three container vessels on the first day of the Lunar New Year, signalling sustained trade activity in central Vietnam.

Experts and analysts expect Vietnam’s economy to enter a new development phase, supported by cost advantages and the rapid expansion of its manufacturing and services ecosystem.

Foreign direct investment disbursed in January reached USD 1.68 billion, the highest January figure in the past five years, driven largely by the processing and manufacturing sector.

As Vietnamese steel companies pivot towards the domestic market due to weakening export demand, they are grappling with intense competition that has compressed profit margins across the sector.

Foreign media have shared positive sentiment on Vietnam’s economic prospects, praising the country’s impressive growth as it moves toward becoming a top economy in Southeast Asia.

The rising number of Vietnamese agricultural and food products obtaining Halal certification creates a great opportunity for domestic goods to penetrate rapidly global Muslim market.

With an increasingly significant role in the economy, the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is becoming a key focus in banks’ credit growth strategies.

Nine Vietnamese companies have been included in TIME magazine’s list of the 500 Best Companies in Asia-Pacific for 2026.

Vietnam has authorised satellite internet provider Starlink to operate after regulators granted licences for low-Earth-orbit satellite telecommunications services.

Vietnam ranks fourth in the world and leads Southeast Asia in pork consumption, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

An online spring event and a new “Vietnamese Products in Canada” section were launched to boost Vietnamese goods among the diaspora and Canadian consumers for Lunar New Year 2026.

Nail and hair salons across Hanoi are fully booked in the run-up to Lunar New Year (Tet), with many refusing walk-in customers and accepting advance reservations only.

Vietnam aims to meet 80 to 85 per cent of domestic steel demand by 2030 under a newly approved national development strategy for the sector, as the Government pushes for greater self-reliance.

As Hanoi’s cold and rainy weather persists in the run up to the Lunar New Year, many flower vendors are spending their nights on the pavement to guard their Tet stock.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has approved the establishment of the Haiphong Special Economic Zone, covering 5,300 hectares across six communes in Haiphong City.

The Ministry of Finance has defended its plan to impose a 0.1 per cent tax on gold bar transactions from July 1, 2026, saying the measure is designed to curb speculation and stabilise the market.

Vietnam has officially launched the Vietnam International Financial Centre, marking the start of operations for a project described as a strategic step in the country’s global financial integration.