NEW MARKET ENTRANTS JUMP 42% IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS

Employees are seen at a local manufacturing facility - PHOTO: LE HOANG

HCMC – Nearly 95,000 businesses were newly established in the first five months of 2026, up 42.1% from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

More than 94,800 new businesses were registered during the January-May period, with total committed capital of nearly VND1.07 quadrillion, an increase of 64.8% year-on-year.

The office reported that nearly 47,800 businesses resumed operations during the period, up 6.1% from the same period last year. Combined, more than 142,600 enterprises entered or re-entered the market, rising 27.6% from a year earlier. On average, about 28,500 businesses were set up or resumed operations each month.

In May alone, more than 17,000 businesses were newly registered with total capital exceeding VND280.9 trillion and nearly 75,900 registered employees.

Compared with April, the number of new businesses fell 16.5% and registered employment declined 16.6%. Registered capital, however, rose 13.8%.

Compared with May 2025, the number of newly established enterprises edged up 12.5%, while registered capital jumped 79.3%. Registered employment fell 22.7%.

Average registered capital per new business was put at VND16.5 billion in May, up 36.4% from April and 59.3% from a year earlier.

The month also saw 9,100 businesses resume operations, down 3.9% from April but up 13.6% year-on-year.

The services sector accounted for the largest share of new registrations in the first five months, with nearly 70,600 businesses, up 38.7% from a year earlier. Industrial and construction activities added nearly 23,300 enterprises, up 52.7%, while agriculture, forestry and fisheries recorded 978 new businesses, up 56%.

At the same time, 129,300 businesses exited the market during the five-month period, up 15.8% from a year earlier. The figure consisted of 78,800 firms that temporarily suspended operations, more than 31,400 awaiting dissolution procedures, and more than 19,000 that completed dissolution.

The sharpest increases in business dissolutions were recorded in real estate, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, and construction.

Source: The Saigon Times