Vietnam Industry and Trade News Bulletin for December 30, 2025

A. POSITIVE NEWS & MACRO UPDATES

1. Businesses Finding New Growth Momentum

• Shift in Strategy: Overcoming 2025 challenges, Vietnamese enterprises are shifting from chasing volume to enhancing value, quality, and branding .
• Macro Stability: Experts emphasize that keeping inflation and exchange rates stable is vital for maintaining investor confidence. SMEs are actively adopting e-commerce and digital transformation .
• Cooperation: To survive and grow, SMEs must strengthen linkages to form a community of highly competitive products.

2. State Capital Transfer & Leadership Updates

• SCIC Transfer: On Dec 29, 2025, MoIT officially transferred the right to represent state capital at MIE (Industrial Machinery and Instruments Corporation) and VINAINCON (Vietnam Industrial Construction Corporation) to SCIC (State Capital Investment Corporation). This is a major restructuring step to improve capital efficiency .
• New Role for Acting Minister: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision appointing Mr. Le Manh Hung, Acting Minister of Industry and Trade, as a member of the Government Steering Committee on Macroeconomics, replacing Mr. Nguyen Hong Dien .

B. ENERGY SECTOR

1. Rooftop Solar Potential in Industrial Zones

• Potential: MoIT forecasts the technical potential of rooftop solar in Industrial Zones (IZs) to exceed 40,000 MWp, with a feasibility of reaching 20,000 MWp by 2030 .
• Benefits: Helps reduce electricity costs, stabilizes production during peak hours, and builds “Green IZs” to attract FDI .
• Barriers: SMEs lack direct investment capacity; initial costs for panels/batteries are high; loan interest rates and guarantee conditions remain difficult .

2. Power System Scale & Operations

• Ranking: Vietnam’s power system scale ranks 2nd in ASEAN. Total capacity (excluding imports) reached 87,600 MW by end-2025 (+6,400 MW vs 2024) .
  • Renewables: ~27.9% (24,453 MW).
  • Coal Thermal: ~32.1% (28,100 MW).
  • Hydro: ~28.1% (24,640 MW).

3. International Cooperation & Market Issues

• Russia – Nuclear Power: Negotiations on the intergovernmental agreement for the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant have entered the final stage. Russian firms (Zarubezhneft, Gazprom) continue to promote oil & gas cooperation. Lada cars are set to enter the Vietnamese market .
• License Revocation: MoIT revoked the petrol distributor license of Lien Ket Trading and Transport JSC (effective until Feb 2026) following the company’s request to surrender the license .
• Expressway Station Closure: Two gas stations at the rest stop on HCMC – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway announced a suspension of operations from Dec 30. Dong Nai Department of Industry and Trade is coordinating to resolve this to avoid disrupting long-haul travel .

C. IMPORT – EXPORT & BORDER TRADE

1. Border Gate Congestion & Tariffs

• Tay Ninh Congestion: The Xa Mat International Border Gate is facing congestion due to a surge in cassava imports from Cambodia. The current single gathering point causes delays and increased costs. Customs is working to speed up clearance and coordinating with Cambodia to spread out vehicle arrival times .
• China Tariff Cuts: From Jan 1, 2026, China will apply temporary import tax rates lower than MFN rates for 935 items (including key components, green resources, and medical products like artificial blood vessels) to support tech autonomy and public welfare .

2. Administrative Reform

• Local Government Review: MoIT issued Notice 10285/BCT-TCCB to implement the Prime Minister’s conclusion on reviewing and removing obstacles in deploying the 2-tier local government model, aiming for a streamlined and effective political system .

D. INDUSTRY & REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Quang Ninh’s Industrial Surge

• Performance: In 2020-2025, Quang Ninh attracted 73 new processing/manufacturing projects (66 FDI), with total investment exceeding 208,700 billion VND (4.17 times the target). Projects focus on high-tech electronics and mechanical engineering .

2. Post-Disaster Recovery (Gia Lai & Dak Lak)

• Resilience: Despite global fluctuations and natural disasters, industries in Gia Lai and Dak Lak are maintaining minimum operations to avoid supply chain breaks. Retaining workers is the top priority .
• Outlook: In 2025, these two provinces saw 5,700 new enterprises established with registered capital of ~59,000 billion VND. The trend is positive, aiming to become a growth driver for the South Central and Central Highlands regions .

E. TRADE DEFENSE & COMPETITION

1. US Anti-Subsidy Investigation

• Hard Empty Capsules: On Dec 19, 2025, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) issued the final conclusion on the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into hard empty capsules imported from Vietnam. Tariffs are a risk starting early 2026 .

2. Zalo User Data Investigation

• Investigation: The National Competition Commission (MoIT) has invited VNG Corporation (owner of Zalo) for a working session on Dec 31 regarding the collection and use of user information .
• Goal: To clarify information for state management on consumer rights protection. VNG is required to provide documents related to personal users .

3. Consumer Protection

• Conference: On Dec 30, the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association held a summary conference, focusing on policy criticism and handling consumer complaints in a complex market .

F. DOMESTIC MARKET MANAGEMENT

1. Petrol Supply & Pricing

• 2026 Preparation: Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan worked with Petrolimex and Military Petrol to review 2025 results and plan for 2026 supply, including the biofuel roadmap .
• Price Adjustment Date: Since Jan 1, 2026 (Thursday) is a holiday, the petrol price adjustment scheduled for that day will be moved to Wednesday, Dec 31, 2025 .

2. Anti-Smuggling

• Year-End Peak: Smuggling and commercial fraud are increasing due to high Tet demand. Synchronized coordination between forces and technology application are key to protecting genuine businesses.

G. TRADE PROMOTION

1. OCOP & Halal Market

• Da Nang Fair: A trade promotion fair (Dec 28-30) featured 150 booths and 400+ OCOP products (3 stars and above) .
• Halal Opportunity: With traditional markets (US, EU, Japan) becoming difficult, the Middle East (importing $1,200 billion/year) is a key target. Retailers like Lulu and Al Othaim are interested in Vietnamese goods .

2. Trade Statistics & Warnings

• Global Rank: 2025 total import-export value is expected to exceed $920 billion (+17%), placing Vietnam in the Top 15 global trade powers .
• Scam Warning: MoIT warns of fake information regarding the Spring Fair 2026. Scammers are impersonating the Organizing Committee to ask for deposits via unofficial links. The only valid deposit is 3,000,000 VND to the Trade Promotion Support Center’s account .