Vietnam Industry and Trade News Bulletin for January 09, 2026

A. POSITIVE INFORMATION

Striving for 1-3 SOEs in the Global 500 by 2030

• General Secretary To Lam signed Resolution No. 79 on January 6, 2026, regarding the development of the state-owned economy, affirming its role as a key component of the socialist-oriented market economy.
• Role: State-owned enterprises (SOEs) must pioneer development, lead industrialization and modernization, and use science, technology, and digital transformation as main drivers.
• Targets: By 2030, Vietnam aims to have 50 SOEs in the top 500 largest enterprises in Southeast Asia and 1-3 SOEs in the top 500 largest enterprises in the world.
• Strategy: Build strong economic groups and large-scale SOEs with modern technology and international competitiveness to lead domestic firms in global supply chains.

Good News for Import-Export Businesses at HCMC Seaports

• The HCMC People’s Council issued Resolution No. 91/2025/NQ-HDND regarding seaport infrastructure fees.
• Decision: Decided not to collect infrastructure fees for the Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau areas and reduced fees for goods passing through the Phu Huu BOT station.
• New Fee Rates:
  • Transit/Temporary Import-Export: 2.2 million VND/20ft container; 4.4 million VND/40ft container; 50,000 VND/ton for liquid/bulk cargo.
  • Import-Export/Bonded Warehouse: 220,000 VND/20ft container; 500,000 VND/40ft container; 15,000 VND/ton for liquid/bulk cargo.

2026 Target: Trade Surplus Exceeding 23 Billion USD

• At the conference summarizing 2025 and deploying 2026 tasks, the Import-Export Agency (MoIT) announced ambitious targets.
• 2026 Plan: Export turnover to increase by over 8% compared to 2025; trade surplus to exceed 23 billion USD (up 15% year-on-year).
• 2025 Review: Total import-export turnover reached a record 930 billion USD (+18.2%). Exports reached 475.04 billion USD (+17%), and imports reached 455.01 billion USD (+19.4%).+1
• Highlights: Export growth in 2025 was the second highest in the 2021-2025 period. The processing and manufacturing sector continues to be the main driver.

MoIT Works with Lam Dong on Power Plan VIII Adjustment

• On the morning of Jan 9, a MoIT delegation led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long worked with Lam Dong province regarding power projects under the adjusted Power Plan VIII.
• Assessment: Lam Dong is considered a leader in renewable energy in the Central Highlands, with dozens of solar and small hydro projects operating stably.
• Expectation: The Ministry expects Lam Dong to make a breakthrough in implementing source and grid projects, capitalizing on favorable reservoir conditions.

B. INFORMATION FOR REFERENCE, RESEARCH, AND PROCESSING

GENERAL ECONOMIC NEWS

International Media Praises Vietnam’s Growth Momentum

• Following the GSO announcement of 8.02% GDP growth in 2025, international media (Nikkei Asia, The Diplomat) hailed Vietnam as a rare bright spot.
• Resilience: The economy remained resilient despite global volatility and US tariffs (20% from Aug 2025). Exports to the US continued to rise, proving Vietnam’s vital role in global supply chains for electronics and textiles.

New Regulations on Civil Servant Job Positions

• The Government issued a new Decree on civil servant job positions.
• Regulation: Civil servants are assigned to job positions and ranked accordingly based on job descriptions and competency frameworks.
• Quotas: For Ministry-level specialized advisory departments, deputies/specialists cannot exceed 40% of staff. For general advisory departments, the limit is 30%. For Class 1 Departments (Cục), the limit is 25%; Class 2 Departments is 35%.

China Requires Nestlé to Recall Infant Formula

• Chinese authorities (SAMR) requested Nestlé China to recall infant formula products to ensure safety, following Nestlé’s preventive recall in some European countries.
• Action: Nestlé is urged to fulfill corporate responsibility and recall affected batches distributed in China.

UN Forecasts Stable but Slow Global Growth

• The UN report “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026” forecasts global output to grow by 2.7% in 2026, slightly lower than the 2.8% estimate for 2025 and below the pre-pandemic average of 3.2%.+1

INDUSTRY

Car Prices Drop En Masse in Early 2026

• In early 2026, the domestic auto market saw widespread price cuts for both new and used cars to stimulate demand.
• Incentives: Reductions of tens of millions of VND, registration fee support, and interest rate incentives are common.

Global EV Sales Expected to Reach 20 Million in 2025

• The IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2025 shows a faster-than-expected shift to EVs.
• Data: Global EV sales in 2024 increased by 25%, exceeding 17 million units. This means 1 in 5 cars sold globally is electric.+1

Nestlé Vietnam Voluntarily Recalls 17 Batches of Milk

• On the evening of Jan 8, Nestlé Vietnam announced a voluntary preventive recall of 17 batches of NAN brand infant formula following the global recall.

VEAM Corporation: Successful 2025 Foundation

• VEAM reported a successful 2025, exceeding business plans. Notably, for the first time in years, all subsidiaries were profitable.

ENERGY

Largest Oil Field in 20 Years Discovered Offshore Vietnam

• Murphy Oil announced the successful appraisal of the Hai Su Vang-2X (HSV-2X) well in Block 15-2/17 (Cuu Long Basin).
• Potential: Wood Mackenzie assesses Hai Su Vang as potentially the 3rd largest oil and gas reserve in Southeast Asia since 2000 (after Banyu Urip and Gumusut) and the largest discovery in the region in 20 years.
• Significance: Expected to reverse Vietnam’s declining oil output (which fell from 365,000 barrels/day in 2005 to under 120,000 in 2025).

SOEs Responsible for Offshore Wind Surveys

• Circular 79 (effective Feb 15, 2026) mandates that 100% state-owned enterprises are responsible for surveying offshore wind power projects before investor selection.+1
• This completes the legal framework for this complex, sovereignty-sensitive sector.

Proposal: Rooftop Solar Installation Only Needs Notification to Commune Level

• A new draft decree proposes that organizations/individuals installing rooftop solar for self-consumption only need to notify the Commune-level People’s Committee (UBND cấp xã).

Investors Eye 3 Wind Projects in Gia Lai (19,000 Billion VND)

• Gia Lai is inviting investment for 3 wind power projects: Van Canh 1, Van Canh 2, and Vinh Thuan.
• Scale: Total investment of 19,354 billion VND. Van Canh 1 alone has a capacity of 160MW.

LNG Power First Time on Grid: Adding 1.6GW

• The Nhon Trach 3 and 4 power plants (invested by PV Power) officially began commercial operation in early January.
• Milestone: This is the first large-scale LNG project in Vietnam, adding 1.6 GW to the southern grid.

IMPORT – EXPORT

Exports to Japan Reach 26.7 Billion USD

• In 2025, Vietnam-Japan trade exceeded 50 billion USD for the first time ($51.43 billion).
• Exports: Vietnam exported 26.77 billion USD (+8.7%). Key items: Textiles ($4.6B), Transport vehicles ($3.3B).
• Imports: Reached 24.68 billion USD (+14.13%).

Imports from ASEAN Increase 12%

• In 2025, Vietnam spent 52.6 billion USD importing from ASEAN (+12%). Exports to the region reached 38.4 billion USD (+4%).
• Total trade with 6 major markets reached 734.6 billion USD (79% of total).

DOMESTIC MARKET

Dong Thap OCOP Products Reach International Level

• Dong Thap’s OCOP products are upgrading from 3 stars to 4-5 stars to target international markets, improving quality and packaging.+1

Two Retail Giants are Partners of “Halong Canfoco”

• Hai Phong Police detected over 130 tons of pork infected with African Swine Fever at the warehouse of Halong Canned Food JSC (Halong Canfoco). The meat was spoiled and did not meet safety standards.
• Risk: About 2 tons had already been processed into canned meat. The entire lot was sealed for destruction.
• Impact: This severely affects consumer confidence. Major retailers are partners of the company.+1

E-COMMERCE

E-commerce Platforms Still Selling “Halong Canfoco” Products

• Following the scandal, Shopee has hidden/removed Halong Canfoco products.
• However, products (pate, canned meat) are still publicly sold on Tiki and TikTok Shop.

TRADE DEFENSE

Recommendation for Steel Bar Exports to UK

• The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) concluded the TRQ review on steel bars from Vietnam.
• Result: Vietnam’s exports reached 21,184 tons (5.53% of UK imports), exceeding the 3% exemption threshold for developing countries.
• Impact: From Jan 2026, Vietnam must use the “residual quota” (max 20% per quarter). Exceeding this will incur a 25% tax.

GREEN GROWTH

Nghi Son Repositioning: Green Industrial Driver of North Central Coast

• Nghi Son Economic Zone (Thanh Hoa) is shifting towards a green, modern industrial-urban model.
• Performance: In 2025, industrial production value reached 265,000 billion VND; budget revenue nearly 26,900 billion VND; exports over 3.5 billion USD.
• Strategy: Shifting from broad investment attraction to selecting high-quality, sustainable FDI projects.