According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam’s second-quarter GDP growth of 7.96% was the highest in three years and the second strongest in the 2020-2025 period, trailing only the 8.56% recorded in Q2 2022. GDP rose by 7.52% in the first six months of the year, marking the highest growth for the first half of any year in the 2011–2025 period.
Vietnam’s economy was primarily sustained by industry and construction, which contributed the largest share of GDP, with industry growing 8.07%. The services sector saw the highest growth of the 2020-2025 period at 8.14%, driven by strong performance in foreign trade, transportation, and tourism. Also, the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors grew by 3.51%. Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of $7.63 billion in the first half of the year, down from $12.15 billion in the same period last year. Total trade turnover reached $432 billion, with exports up 14.4% and imports rising 17.9%.
During the first half of 2025, Vietnam recorded 152,700 businesses newly established or re-entering the market, and 114,800 businesses suspending operations or exiting – averaging 25,500 and 21,200 per month, respectively. A survey of processing and manufacturing firms showed 35.7% were optimistic in Q2, with expectation rising to 43% for Q3.
The average Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 3.31% in Q2 and 3.27% over the first six months of 2025. According to Nguyen Thi Huong, Director of the General Statistics Office, socio-economic performance was “very positive” with key indicators nearing set targets despite global and regional economic uncertainties.
Notwithstanding, challenges remain for the second half of the year, will be challenging to achieve the 2025 growth target of over 8%. The statistics agency urges stronger monitoring, flexible management, inflation control, export market diversification, and faster public investment disbursement. There is also a need for competitive policies to attract high-tech projects, strategic investors, and multinational corporations to Vietnam.
VIETNAM MANUAL TEAM