Vietnam Leads ASEAN with 8.02% GDP Growth in 2025
GDP Surpasses 8% in 2025: Vietnam Leads ASEAN
The year 2025 concludes with GDP growth exceeding 8%, positioning Vietnam among the fastest-growing economies in the ASEAN region and the world.
Accelerating Amidst Major ASEAN Economies According to data released by the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), Vietnam’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025 increased by 8.02% compared to the previous year, ranking among the world’s top high-growth economies and fulfilling the set target.
- GDP Scale (current prices): Estimated at approximately 514 billion USD, an increase of 38 billion USD compared to 2024.
- GDP Per Capita: Reached 5,026 USD.
This result is even more significant when placed within the general growth picture of the region:
- Singapore: According to preliminary estimates by the Singapore Government, the economy recorded a GDP growth of 5.7% in Q4/2025, bringing the full-year 2025 growth to 4.8%. This is the highest level since 2021 and significantly exceeds the forecast of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in November 2025 (which estimated only about 4.0%). With a large economic scale and high development level, Singapore maintains its position in GDP and per capita income, but growth has entered a more stable phase.
- Thailand: Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy continues to face difficulties. Thailand’s 2025 GDP growth hovered around 2.0 – 2.2%, significantly lower than the pre-pandemic period.
- Indonesia: The region’s largest economy maintained a relatively stable growth momentum of around 4.9% in 2025. With a large population and vast domestic market, Indonesia remains an ASEAN growth pillar but has not shown a strong breakthrough, reflecting stability and resilience rather than acceleration.
According to a newly released report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR, UK), Vietnam is one of the economies with growth rates exceeding the global average and belongs to the highest group in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
Will Vietnam’s GDP Scale Overtake Singapore and Thailand? According to CEBR, Vietnam’s economy is forecast to maintain an average growth rate of about 5.3% per year over the next decade.
- 2035 Outlook: With this momentum, Vietnam’s GDP scale could reach nearly 1,000 billion USD by 2035, thereby overtaking Thailand and Singapore to rise into the group of the three largest economies in Southeast Asia.
Adjustment Phase (2026-2030): However, CEBR also notes that Vietnam’s economic growth is likely to enter an adjustment phase in the 2026–2030 period, with an average rate of about 5.5% per year, lower than the record in 2025. The main cause comes from less favorable export prospects as growth in major markets like the US, China, and the EU tends to slow down. Nevertheless, this growth rate is still assessed as high compared to the regional and global average.
Regional Divergence: In Southeast Asia, the divergence in growth trajectories is becoming increasingly clear. CEBR forecasts:
- Singapore: Will maintain an average growth of about 2.5% in the 2026–2030 period.
- Thailand: Will stay at around 2.2%.
With higher growth rates and larger policy room, CEBR assesses that Vietnam has the ability to improve its ranking in the World Economic League Table, moving from 34th position in 2025 to approximately 27th position by 2040. This is an important basis for Vietnam to gradually narrow the gap and surpass some major economies in Southeast Asia in terms of economic scale.
Expert Perspectives: An “Engine of Growth” According to VNA, Mr. Suan Teck Kin, Head of Research at UOB Bank, commented that Vietnam is emerging as one of the “growth engines” of ASEAN. Industrial production continues to play a key driving role, while the recovery of domestic consumption and tourism provides additional important support for aggregate demand.
Sharing this view, Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam, assessed that Vietnam’s growth of over 8% reflects an effective combination of institutional reform and the ability to capitalize on the global supply chain shift. Notably, accelerating public investment disbursement and improving the business environment have created important room for medium-term growth.
Conclusion Although challenges remain, the overall picture shows that Vietnam is entering a new growth cycle with an increasingly solid macroeconomic foundation and growing international reliability. In correlation with major Southeast Asian economies, the high growth rate in 2025 will help Vietnam narrow the gap in scale, opening up room to elevate its position in the region.
