The first webinar of 2026, co-organized by Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine and the Vietnam Initiative Institute, will be held online via the Zoom platform at 8:30 AM (Vietnam time) on January 14.
The year 2025 closed with a mixed picture for Vietnam’s economy. On one hand, the economy recorded notable bright spots in institutional reforms, efforts to remove business barriers, improvements in the investment environment, and the maintenance of export growth momentum. Traditional growth drivers such as public investment, domestic consumption, and FDI attraction continued to play a pivotal role, helping Vietnam sustain its position as an important manufacturing and transshipment hub in the region.
On the other hand, experts widely regarded 2025 as a highly challenging year, during which many businesses were forced to operate in a “tightrope-walking” mode: constrained financial resources, pressure from capital and logistics costs, green standards, non-tariff trade barriers, and increasingly fierce competition—even in the domestic market.
Entering 2026, global political and trade volatility has not only failed to subside but is showing signs of becoming more widespread and unpredictable. Global supply chains continue to undergo restructuring, while the monetary and fiscal policies of major economies remain fraught with uncertainties. These factors are expected to exert significant impacts on highly open economies such as Vietnam.
In this context, Vietnam has set an ambitious target of double-digit economic growth for 2026, marking its determination to enter a new phase of development at a higher speed, with more stringent requirements for growth quality. This is a complex challenge that demands synchronized acceleration across institutional reform, infrastructure investment, labor productivity enhancement, and the adaptive capacity of the business community.
Amid rapid shifts and multilayered risks, key questions arise:
What are the real opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises in 2026?
Which layers of risk may directly affect business strategies?
How should businesses change their mindset, restructure operating models, and build adaptive capabilities to avoid falling behind in an increasingly competitive environment?
The webinar “Vietnam’s Economic Outlook 2026: Opportunities, Risks, and Business Adaptation” will review Vietnam’s economic performance in 2025 against a backdrop of global volatility, analyze key drivers and risks for 2026, and help businesses accurately identify their position in the new economic landscape, thereby proactively building effective adaptation strategies.
The program brings together leading experts in economics, policy, and global strategy, along with reputable entrepreneurs, including:
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Prof. Tran Ngoc Anh – Professor at Indiana University, Founder of the Vietnam Initiative Network;
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Mr. Dinh Hong Ky – Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Green Business Association, Vice Chairman of HUBA, Chairman of Secoin Corporation;
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Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh – Senior Lecturer, Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management;
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Dr. Tran Dinh Thien – Former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics;
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Mr. Nguyen Tien Viet – Director of the Economic Policy Network, Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts Global (AVSE Global); Economic Researcher, London School of Economics (LSE).
The program will be moderated by Mr. Tran Hoang, Editor-in-Chief of Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine, and Mr. Huynh The Du, Member of the Vietnam Initiative Institute.
