Business News

AMRO released its July 2026 Quarterly Update of the ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook on July 27, projecting Vietnam to grow 7.5 per cent in 2026, up from its June forecast of 7.2 per cent. AMRO also raised its growth forecast to 7.3 per cent in 2027, up from its June forecast of 7 per cent, while revising down its inflation forecasts to 4.3 per cent in 2026 and 3.9 per cent in 2027.

Vietnam’s fast-growing beauty and personal care market is attracting thousands of international brands, with a major industry exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City bringing together more than 3,000 brands from over 24 countries and territories. The Vietbeauty, Cosmobeauté Vietnam and Beautycare Plus 2026 exhibitions officially opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, bringing together 600 exhibitors from Japan, South Korea, the United States, France, Singapore and Vietnam, among others.

Vietnam’s crude steel production rose 26.9 percent year on year to 15.18 million metric tons in the first half of 2026, supported by stronger infrastructure spending, construction activity and a recovering property market, industry data showed. The expansion far outpaced growth of 11.4 percent in manufacturing and 9.51 percent in construction, according to the Vietnam Steel Association, or VSA.

Vietnam's economy grew 8.18 percent in the first six months of 2026, the highest pace in 15 years, giving the country a solid foundation to pursue its target of double-digit GDP growth for the full year although significant challenges remain. Government Resolution No. 01/2026, issued in January, sets an official target of at least 10 percent GDP growth for 2026.

In the first half of 2026, Vietnam's shrimp exports surpassed the US$2.3 billion mark, driven largely by booming demand from China and a lobster craze. But behind that growth figure lies a lopsided picture: Asia is carrying the load, while the U.S. and Europe have yet to break out. These days, a container of frozen shrimp leaving a Ho Chi Minh City port is more likely to cross the East Vietnam Sea to Shanghai than the Pacific to Los Angeles.

Vietnam's shrimp exports rose 14.2 percent year on year to US$2.35 billion in the first half of 2026, backed largely by strong demand from China and other Asian markets, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). In June alone, shrimp exports reached around $458 million, up 24 percent from the same month last year, VASEP statistics showed.

Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports rose 23 percent year on year in the first seven months of this year to an estimated US$4.76 billion, driven largely by durians, with the outlook expected to strengthen as rival producers' harvest seasons wind down. Fruit and vegetable exports exceeded $1 billion in July alone, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Vietnam is embracing the concept of an aviation economy, expanding the role of airports from transport infrastructure into integrated economic ecosystems. This shift is expected to drive growth by combining passenger and cargo transport with tourism, services, and urban development. The Vietnamese government’s recent directives linked to major infrastructure projects, including the Gia Binh International Airport project in Bac Ninh Province, have highlighted the new approach.