Business News

Dong Nai Province has recently established a team to draft a master plan for transitioning the southern province into a centrally-run city by 2030. This team is tasked with conducting comprehensive research and reviewing current administrative standards, including urban classification, communal-level administrative systems, urbanization rates, and socio-technical infrastructure to ensure the province meets all legal requirements for a first-tier municipality.

The Hanoi City government aims for the digital economy to contribute 22% of the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2026, officials said on March 11. The target is part of the city’s implementation of Resolution 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

Agro-forestry-fishery imports were estimated at US$7.81 billion, up 6.9% from a year earlier. Agricultural imports accounted for US$4.94 billion, rising 10.1%. Livestock imports reached US$849.4 million, up 22.7%, while seafood imports totaled US$497.9 million, increasing 1.6%. Forestry imports rose 27.2% to US$523.9 million. Imports of production inputs declined 18.6% to US$993.9 million.

Vietnam’s index of industrial production (IIP) rose 10.4% in the first two months of 2026 from a year earlier, according to a report released by the National Statistics Office on March 6. The growth exceeded the 7.5% increase recorded in the same period last year. In February alone, industrial production fell 18.4% from January as factories reduced operations during the extended Lunar New Year holiday and the number of working days declined. 

Retail revenue from goods and services reached nearly VND1.24 quadrillion in the first two months of 2026, up 7.9% from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office. The statistics agency reported on March 6 that trade and services remained strong in February, meeting shopping demand during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Vietnam’s total import-export revenue reached US$155.7 billion in the first two months of the year, up 22.2% from a year earlier, with a trade deficit of US$2.98 billion, according to the National Statistics Office. A report released on March 6 showed exports totaled US$76.36 billion in January–February, up 18.3% year-on-year, while imports rose 26.3% to US$79.34 billion.

Nearly 35,500 businesses were newly registered in Vietnam in the first two months of 2026, surging 70.7% year-on-year, according to data released by the National Statistics Office on March 6. Total registered capital of the new firms reached nearly VND313.7 trillion, up 36.1% from the same period last year. Registered employment exceeded 167,500 workers, increasing 19.1%.

Domestic revenue totaled around VND558.1 trillion in the January–February period, equivalent to 25.4% of the annual estimate and up 15% from a year earlier. The increase was mainly attributed to higher collections from corporate income tax and value-added tax, supported by economic growth momentum from 2025.