Vietnam has potential to reshape Southeast Asia’s economic rankings: Foreign media
Recently, foreign media have shared positive sentiment on Vietnam’s economic prospects, praising the country’s impressive growth as it moves toward becoming a top economy in Southeast Asia.
Ho Chi Minh City is striving to grow into a leading urban and financial hub in Southeast Asia. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Recently, foreign media have shared positive sentiment on Vietnam’s economic prospects, praising the country’s impressive growth as it moves toward becoming a top economy in Southeast Asia.

Reuters reported that Vietnam’s economy expanded by 8% in 2025, accelerating from the previous year. The country is a key link in global supply chains for electronics, textiles, footwear and a wide range of other products. Last year’s growth was underpinned by robust domestic consumption and increased government spending on infrastructure, as Vietnam seeks to rebalance its growth model and reduce excessive reliance on exports.

Bloomberg commented that Vietnam has maintained its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, supported by strong lending policies, state backing, a weaker currency, and a boom in the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, AFP noted that Vietnam has long been regarded as a success story among Asian economies. The country’s economy has demonstrated resilience on the back of robust domestic consumption, rising business investment and public spending. Growth in 2025, the agency said, reflects the nation’s solid economic fundamentals and the Government’s continued pro-private sector orientation.

Free Malaysia Today pointed out that Asian economists have paid particular attention to Vietnam’s announcement of 8% economic growth in 2025. Its experience has become a useful benchmark and an important lesson for other countries.

According to the newspaper, the country’s strong performance in 2025 reflects four “interlocking dynamics”. Exports continued to serve as the main pillar of growth, while the country further consolidated its position as a global manufacturing hub. At the same time, rising domestic demand, especially household consumption and investment, provided a significant boost to overall economic momentum. In addition, strategic adaptability in trade and investment policies enabled Vietnam to effectively withstand external shocks, with tariff pressures accelerating diversification into new markets and sectors.

It also assessed that Vietnam’s growth accomplishment was “not a miracle, but the result of methodical economic positioning that transformed vulnerabilities into engines of expansion”.

Loading containers onto a 200,000 DWT vessel at Gemalink International Terminal in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

The McGill International Review (MIR) of Canada has published an analysis noting that despite structural challenges, Vietnam’s current economic strategy has delivered genuinely impressive growth momentum, positioning the country as a strong contender for the title of an “Asian tiger cub.” According to the article, Vietnam is entering the 7-10% growth range once achieved by the Asian tigers at the height of their industrialisation, underscoring the country’s rising stature in the regional and global economic landscape.

China Daily praised the country’s ongoing reforms and transformation, noting its impressive growth on the road to becoming a top economy in Southeast Asia with an expanding global presence, despite tariff challenges. The paper called its 2025 growth of over 8% a milestone, making the nation a standout amid ongoing global uncertainty.

According to the newspaper, the country is expected to surpass Thailand as ASEAN's third-largest economy by 2026 or 2027. By 2030, its economic position will likely be shaped by its shift toward a high-middle-income status./.

Related News

Vietnam's GDP growth scenario for 2026

The Government has set an ambitious growth agenda for 2026, targeting a 10% expansion of gross domestic product (GDP) as it rolled out key tasks and solutions under Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP, aimed at driving economic growth across major sectors and strengthening the foundations of the national economy.

PM announces launch of Vietnam Int'l Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will gradually assert Vietnam's position on the global financial map and make a substantial contribution to achieving the 2-digit growth target set by the 14th National Party Congress in the coming years, towards realising the 100-year strategic goals, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.

See Also

Mekong Delta repositions as global tourism hub

As one of Vietnam's primary tourism regions, the Mekong Delta is pivoting toward a sustainable future centred on green tourism, environmental protection, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Int’l Financial Centre – A catalyst for Vietnam’s economic breakthrough: Deputy PM

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, who chairs the IFC’s Governing Council, said that the establishment of the centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang represented the initial realisation of a major task set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. While characterising the launch as an early milestone rather than a final achievement, he underscored that it reflected meticulous, methodical and determined preparations at multiple levels of government.

Spring Fair 2026 boosts momentum for Vietnam’s Halal sector

The fair’s greatest value for Halal products lies less in immediate revenue than in building trust and standardising business practices. In a market where certification determines entry, it highlights that expansion must begin with fundamentals, standards, raw materials, production processes and readiness.

Horse mascots at 500 year old pottery village

As the Lunar New Year approaches, Thanh Ha ancient pottery village in the heritage land of Hoi An once again fires up its kilns, entering the busiest season of the year. The steady hum of spinning wheels, the swift hands of artisans, and the warmth radiating from glowing kilns create an atmosphere that is urgent and bustling, yet full of excitement.

Vietnam’s total outbound investment reaches 283.3 million USD in January

Vietnam’s total outbound investment reached USD 238.3 million, 2.9 times higher year on year. Of the total, construction accounted for USD 150.9 million, representing 63.3% of total investment; agriculture, forestry and fisheries reached USD 30.7 million, or 12.9%; while transport and warehousing attracted USD 27.9 million, equivalent to 11.7%.

PM announces launch of Vietnam Int'l Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will gradually assert Vietnam's position on the global financial map and make a substantial contribution to achieving the 2-digit growth target set by the 14th National Party Congress in the coming years, towards realising the 100-year strategic goals, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.

Spring Fair 2026 features Tet flowers, ornamental plants

With the theme 'Connecting Prosperity – Welcoming a Glorious Spring,' the First Spring Fair 2026, held from February 2–13 at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre in Dong Anh Commune, Hanoi, is showcasing spring flowers, ornamental plants, and traditional Tet cultural items in a festive journey where economic, cultural, and creative values converge.