While the country has considerable room to sustain high growth, experts warn that both external uncertainties and domestic risks will need to be addressed.
Growth momentum strengthened
Vietnam’s GDP expanded 8.18% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, with growth drivers relatively broad-based across economic sectors.
In the first eight months, industrial production rose 11.9%, with manufacturing and processing up 12.9%. Retail sales of goods and consumer services increased 13.3%. Disbursed foreign direct investment (FDI) reached 17.25 billion USD, up 12%, while exports rose 22.4% to 374.84 billion USD and imports increased 35.3% to 395.3 billion USD. By September 3, public investment disbursement had reached 513.3 trillion VND (19.7 billion USD), equivalent to 50.2% of the target assigned by the Prime Minister.
Experts from the Institute of Vietnam and World Economy under the…
