Business News

With its extensively expanded economic space, Can Tho now possesses a range of strategic advantages, including an extensive road transport network with both north-south and east-west expressways; an inland waterway transport system; an international airport; a network of ports along the Hau River; a large concentration of industrial parks and agricultural and seafood processing facilities; and connectivity to the Mekong development corridor.

Many Chinese investors are accelerating their plans to expand investment and increase their presence in Bac Ninh by proposing new projects in key sectors such as high technology, electronics, AI, and digital infrastructure. Several large enterprises are also encouraging long-term investment plans in the locality. In late May, a delegation of Chinese enterprises met the province’s leadership to discuss policies related to energy storage, AI computing infrastructure, power supply capacity and industrial park resources.

The plan, unveiled on June 17, seeks to drive the development of digital infrastructure, workers, data, strategic technologies, and cybersecurity during the 2026-2030 period. Under the scheme, large-scale strategic technology companies must meet several criteria simultaneously, including annual revenue of at least $1 billion and an average workforce of no fewer than 5,000 employees. 

With total import-export turnover reaching approximately $445 billion in the first five months of 2026, Vietnam is on track to surpass the $1 trillion trade milestone for the first time. Speaking at the seminar on export trends on June 17, Nguyen Tuan Viet, CEO of VIETGO, a company specialising in export consultancy and international trade matching, said exports continue to be one of the brightest spots of the economy and are making an important contribution to the government’s double-digit growth target.

Microsoft noted that AI adoption in Vietnam has increased stably from 21.2 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 26.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2026. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam trails behind Singapore at 63.4 per cent. Meanwhile, Vietnam outperformed most Southeast Asian peers in AI adoption, including Malaysia (21.8 per cent), the Philippines (20.1 per cent), and Thailand (12.4 per cent).

According to the Vietnam State Treasury (VNST), disbursements through its system totaled VND188.832 trillion out of the VND923.098 trillion public investment plan for 2026. Domestic capital accounted for VND186.6 trillion, or 20.6% of the assigned target, while foreign-funded capital reached VND2.232 trillion, equivalent to 12.6%.

The HCMC People’s Council has approved a series of major transport and urban redevelopment projects under public-private partnership (PPP), with preliminary investment estimated at nearly VND155 trillion. Resolutions passed at the closing session of the council’s third meeting for the 2021-2026 term on June 19 included two flagship transport projects.

Ho Chi Minh City collected more than VND500 trillion in state budget revenue in the first six months of 2026, equivalent to nearly 62% of the full-year target, while industrial production and foreign investment surged following the city‘s administrative merger with the former provinces of Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.