Speaking at a conference on sustainable double-digit growth organised by Dantri/DTiNews as part of the Vietnam ESG Forum 2026 in Hanoi, Le Thai Ha, executive director of the VinFuture Foundation and the For Green Future Fund under Vingroup, said Vietnam needed comprehensive reforms to create a foundation for long-term growth.
According to Ha, institutional reform remains the top priority in creating a stable business environment, with companies requiring predictable long-term policies, lower compliance costs and supportive mechanisms for new business models.
She stressed the importance of infrastructure in improving productivity and competitiveness, noting that infrastructure should include not only transport and energy but also logistics, digital systems and facilities supporting the energy transition.
“If infrastructure is lacking or fragmented, businesses will struggle to raise productivity quickly enough to meet high growth targets,” Ha said.
On workforce development, she argued that Vietnam needed to train high-quality labour with digital skills, data governance capabilities and global thinking, while strengthening cooperation among universities, research institutes and businesses.
Ha highlighted the growing role of the private sector in economic growth, adding that the spirit of Politburo Resolution 68 should be translated into more practical support policies.
She also warned that businesses would struggle to proactively pursue green and digital transition without stronger incentives related to finance, data access, land and market mechanisms.
“We need to build an ecosystem that supports business transformation, from regulatory sandboxes and data access to workforce development,” she noted.
Policymakers urged to renew institutions and mindset
Concluding the discussion session, National Assembly deputy Phan Duc Hieu said sustainable double-digit growth would require not only new actions but also systemic cooperation and institutional reform.
“Stakeholders must cooperate under a broader ecosystem approach. The more fragmented the system is, the lower the efficiency will be,” Hieu said.
From a policymaking perspective, he stressed that institutions must play a pioneering role.
Hieu noted that the government was accelerating reforms, citing the recent issuance of eight resolutions aimed at simplifying and cutting hundreds of business procedures.
“We must renew institutions to unlock new growth space,” he added.
However, he argued that new actions must be accompanied by new thinking. Using digital government as an example, Hieu explained that digital transformation should not simply mean digitising administrative procedures, but also changing policymaking mindsets and socio-economic behaviour.
In agriculture, for instance, he urged policymakers to adopt circular economy thinking, where wastewater is treated as an input for other production processes rather than waste.
Regarding ESG practices, Hieu stressed that businesses should prioritise the “G”, or governance, component.
“Without good governance, it is impossible to change mindsets or manage transformation effectively,” Hieu noted.
