Business News

Việt Nam is projected to become the world’s second – largest rice importer in 2025-26, coming only after the Philippines, as the country must ramp up imports to meet export demand amid falls in domestic production, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Vietnamese manufacturing enterprises are capitalising on pivotal opportunities to chart methodical, long-term growth strategies across both traditional and emerging markets. At the government’s regular monthly meeting on May 6, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang acknowledged that the current US path towards retaliatory export tariffs caught most economies off guard and immediately impacted global investor and business sentiment.

Vietnam secured nearly 13.82 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first four months of 2025, marking a year-on-year surge of 39.9%, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Foreign Investment Agency.

New foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals in Vietnam’s real estate sector totaled nearly US$10.98 billion in the first quarter of this year, up by 34.7% versus the year-ago period. FDI disbursements reached an estimated US$4.96 billion between January and March, an uptick of 7.2%, showed data from the Ministry of Finance.

In the first four months of this year, the index of industrial production (IIP) was estimated to increase by 8.4 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. This is also the second-highest growth rate recorded since 2021. The main contributor to this overall growth was the manufacturing and processing sector, which grew by 10.1 per cent, contributing 8.5 percentage points.

To date, Việt Nam has signed 16 FTAs with over 60 of the world’s major markets and three are under negotiation. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is developing a roadmap for negotiations and signings of free trade agreements (FTAs) over the rest of the year that must be reported to the Prime Minister within this month. The task is part of the Resolution No 124/NQ – CP issued after the Government’s regular April meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng has signed a decision to officially establish the Bình Dương Centralised IT Zone, covering 15.47 hectares within the Bình Dương Industrial – Service – Urban Complex in Hòa Phú Ward, Thủ Dầu Một City. The zone, which will operate in accordance with Decree 154/2013/NĐ-CP, including such key functions as IT infrastructure development, support for research and development, training and the production of software, digital content and IT services.

By the end of April, Việt Nam’s total export turnover reached US$140.34 billion, an increase of 13 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. The export situation in the early months of 2025 has continued to show promising signs, as Vietnamese enterprises have not only maintained their market share with traditional partners but have also actively expanded into new markets.