Business News

Hà Nội’s agricultural and forestry exports were estimated to surpass US$2 billion in 2025, maintaining steady growth and reinforcing the capital city’s role in the national agricultural supply chain, according to the Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Environment. Key agricultural and food products accounted for around US$1.4 billion of the total export value, representing the largest share of the sector’s turnover.

From corner convenience stores to sprawling malls, Việt Nam’s retail scene is racing ahead and global investors are lining up to cash in. The surge is most visible in HCM City and Hà Nội, where chain stores are multiplying fast, but the momentum now stretches nationwide as big names commit billions of dollars to a market they see as a long-term growth engine.

Many textile and garment firms in Việt Nam have secured production orders through the end of the first quarter of this year, but face mounting pressure from shrinking margins, rising costs and increasingly short-term contracts, industry insiders said. Market analysts said that although global demand remains relatively stable, the sector continues to struggle with higher input costs, including wages and logistics, while selling prices remain under pressure due to weak bargaining power.

Việt Nam is targeting export growth of around 15-16 per cent in 2026 as it seeks to support economic expansion in the first year of its new five-year socio-economic development phase, a senior trade official has said. Nguyễn Anh Sơn, director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Import-Export Department, said the target was set under a Government resolution outlining key tasks and solutions for implementing the 2026 socio-economic development plan and State budget.

Vietnam’s e-commerce market reached about US$31 billion in 2025, accounting for roughly 11% of total retail sales of consumer goods and services, crossing the 10% mark for the first time. The figures were released at the 2026 E-commerce Forum held on February 2 by the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Vietnam’s northern province of Ninh Binh aims to generate more than VND45 trillion in tourism revenue by 2030, as part of a broader plan to accelerate economic growth and upgrade its administrative status. Under a newly issued action plan by the provincial government, the province targets over 30 million tourist arrivals by the end of the decade. Tourism is expected to become a key growth driver within a shifting economic structure.

Foreign-invested enterprises accounted for about 80% of footwear export revenue in 2025, as total shipments reached nearly US$29 billion, according to industry data. Export revenue of the footwear sector rose about 5% from a year earlier, data from the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso) showed.

The manufacturing sector continued to expand in January, supported by faster growth in output, new orders and employment, according to S&P Global. The Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped slightly to 52.5 in January from 53.0 in December 2025. The reading remained well above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction, signaling a seventh consecutive month of improving business conditions.