Business News

Special mechanisms and policies will be implemented to foster the development of the private sector. Under Government Resolution No. 139/NQ-CP, ministries, sectors and localities are tasked with implementing tasks in addition to their regular duties. One of the plan's core objectives is to improve the business environment by reviewing and removing unnecessary, overlapping, and inconsistent business conditions that hinder private sector growth. This review must be completed no later than 31 December 2025.

In April 2025, Vietnam’s economy showed signs of strain amid mounting external pressures, particularly after the U.S. announced the imposition of new tariff rates on a wide range of Vietnamese goods. The World Bank revised its 2025 growth forecast for Vietnam down to 5.8%, citing weakened global demand and Vietnam’s high trade dependency on key partners like the U.S. and China.

A new wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is unfolding in Việt Nam’s financial sector, as commercial banks and securities firms accelerate their push into investment banking and asset management. The movement has intensified during the 2025 annual general meeting season. Among the most high-profile developments is Sacombank’s move to invest up to VNĐ1.5 trillion (US$57.8 million) in acquiring a controlling stake of over 50 per cent in a securities company.

The Vietnamese auto market is showing signs of a solid rebound in the early months of 2025, with both sales volume and consumer sentiment on the rise after a sluggish period in the previous year. Việt Nam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) members saw total vehicle sales of 29,585 units in April, the association said. 

Though capital flows into open-end funds have shown signs of weakening, amid investors' caution over the US tariff change, such fund is the only group that has continuously maintained net inflows since the fourth quarter of 2023. According to Đỗ Hồng Vân, Head of the financial data provider FiinGroup’s Data Analysis Division, equity funds suffered the strongest capital withdrawal pressure.

Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province is attracting high-tech and environmentally friendly industrial projects, with a focus on enhancing productivity, product quality, and sustainability. It is committed to selecting investments that feature clean technologies, low labour intensity and high added value. This approach has led to the establishment of several advanced industrial facilities, including the Hòa Phát Container Manufacturing Plant in Phú Mỹ City.

The Government has proposed a 2 per cent reduction in the value-added tax (VAT) for goods and services currently taxed at 10 per cent, lowering the rate to 8 per cent. The proposal, which recommends maintaining this VAT reduction until December 31, 2026, was presented by Minister of Finance Nguyễn Văn Thắng during the ongoing National Assembly (NA) session.

Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index rose for a third straight session on May 14, closing above the 1,300-point mark for the first time in a month, led by strong gains in banking and brokerage shares. The index ended up 1.16%, or 16.3 points, to 1,309.73 points, with 189 stocks advancing and 122 others declining. Trading volume and value improved 12.6% and 14.4% over the previous session, respectively, with 1.07 billion shares worth VND27.3 trillion changing hands.