Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang
The main drivers of growth
PV: Mr. Deputy Minister, looking back at the period 2021-2025, especially 2025 - a pivotal year leading up to the 14th National Congress of the Party, how do you assess the outstanding achievements of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in playing a core and pivotal role in the country's economic development?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: It can be affirmed that, during the past term, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has made very important, comprehensive, and fundamental contributions to the socio-economic development of the country. The Ministry has proactively advised on the development of many strategic mechanisms and policies to promote the economy, industry, trade, and investment; removed major bottlenecks so that the Central Government, the National Assembly, and competent authorities could issue many important resolutions and conclusions to promote socio-economic development (Resolution 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new situation; Resolution 70-NQ/TW on ensuring national energy security until 2030, with a vision to 2045; Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in the development of science , technology, innovation, and national digital transformation; Resolution on mechanisms and policies for national energy development in the period 2026 - 2030…).
With its core role and strategic pillar, the Ministry of Industry and Trade continues to be one of the main drivers of growth, contributing to the realization of development goals towards self-reliance, modernization, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep and effective international integration.
First, industrial production has shown a clear recovery and maintained a fairly strong growth momentum, averaging 6.1% per year. Notably, the processing and manufacturing industry – the central driving force of growth – achieved an average growth rate of 6.9% per year; the scale of the entire industry increased nearly 1.5 times compared to the beginning of the term. The localization rate continued to improve; many key industries such as electronics, textiles, footwear, and agricultural processing have successfully integrated, gradually affirming Vietnam's position in the global value chain.
In the energy sector, the national energy system has developed strongly, with its scale reaching the top 20 in the world and leading the Southeast Asian region. National energy security is fundamentally ensured, meeting the requirements of socio-economic development and people's lives; the energy structure is shifting towards greener, more sustainable directions, in line with global trends.
Imports and exports continue to be a bright spot in the economy, with an average growth rate of 10.9% per year.
Import and export turnover has continuously set new records, reaching over 930 billion USD in 2025 alone, double the figure at the beginning of the term; many key export items maintain high rankings in the world market. The trade surplus has been maintained at a high level, contributing positively to macroeconomic balance, supplementing foreign exchange reserves, and strengthening market confidence.
The domestic market continues to develop steadily, with an average growth rate of 7.7% per year, truly becoming an important pillar of the economy. Ensuring an adequate supply of raw materials, fuel, and essential goods has helped the domestic market play a crucial role as a "support base," helping the economy stand firm and recover quickly from external shocks, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside this, e-commerce has grown by over 20% per year, placing Vietnam among the top 10 fastest-growing countries in the world, creating a significant impetus for the digital economy and the digital transformation of businesses.
International economic integration has been implemented comprehensively, substantively, and increasingly effectively. Participation in 17 free trade agreements has opened up a market space for nearly 6 billion consumers, contributing to diversifying export markets, attracting foreign investment, enhancing national competitiveness, and promoting economic restructuring towards modernization and sustainability.
Energy - the lifeblood of development
PV: In light of those overall achievements, how has the role of the Ministry of Industry and Trade been demonstrated in ensuring national energy security, Mr. Deputy Minister?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: National energy security is one of the important pillars ensuring macroeconomic stability and sustainable national development, closely linked to national security, defense, and the lives of the people. Resolution No. 70-NQ/TW of the Politburo on ensuring national energy security until 2030, with a vision to 2045, once again identifies the goal of firmly ensuring national energy security, while affirming that "To meet the requirements of rapid and sustainable national development in the coming period, especially to achieve the two strategic goals by 2030 and 2045, the work of ensuring energy security plays a very important role; energy must be one step ahead, fully meeting the needs of socio-economic development, national defense, security, and improving the lives of the people."
In accordance with the Party and State's policies and the Government and Prime Minister's directives, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been focusing on implementing a comprehensive range of solutions in the energy sector, such as: developing diverse energy sources, harmoniously combining traditional and renewable energy; improving the efficiency of exploiting and utilizing domestic fossil fuels (coal, oil); promoting the development of new energy sources; and boosting energy conservation and efficiency. Simultaneously, it is accelerating the completion of institutional and policy frameworks to develop a competitive and transparent energy market, aiming to strongly attract social resources to participate in energy development investment (including the amendment of the Electricity Law and the Oil and Gas Law, etc.).
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is focusing heavily on directing and leading the completion of institutional and policy frameworks, promoting the implementation of key projects to develop a comprehensive and integrated energy policy framework and infrastructure. The Ministry has advised on the development and completion of the Electricity Law 2024 and its implementing decrees and circulars. It has researched and proposed mechanisms and policies for implementing resolutions of the Politburo and the National Assembly (including the National Assembly's resolution on national energy development mechanisms and policies for the period 2026-2030) and of the Government on energy development and ensuring energy security. It has chaired the process of advising the Prime Minister on the approval of the revised Power Development Plan VIII. It has implemented the Government's policy on consolidating the national power system dispatching mechanism (receiving and organizing the operation of NSMO). It has also organized the implementation of the national power development plan. Coordinating with ministries, sectors, and localities to concretize in provincial planning, and urging the implementation of key power generation and transmission projects, especially 500 kV and 220 kV transmission projects, contributes to gradually improving the power infrastructure. To date, our country's power generation and transmission system has reached a leading scale in ASEAN.
In the context of a rapidly evolving and complex global and regional economy, a strong energy transition trend, increasingly urgent demands for green development, emission reduction, and climate change adaptation, and a growing energy need for economic growth… ensuring national energy security is a crucial and ongoing political task for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, having fundamental significance for rapid and sustainable economic development, ensuring social welfare, and maintaining the country's independence and self-reliance.
National energy security is one of the key pillars ensuring macroeconomic stability.
To ensure national energy security in the coming period, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will focus on implementing comprehensive, fundamental, and long-term solutions. The focus will be on further improving the legal framework for energy in a synchronized and modern manner, ensuring consistency with laws on investment, planning, environment, land, and construction. The full contents of the national energy plan and the electricity plan will be institutionalized, creating a stable and transparent foundation and strengthening investor confidence. A clear and feasible roadmap will be developed for the development of different levels of the electricity market, perfecting the electricity pricing mechanism based on market principles with state regulation, ensuring a balance of interests between the State, businesses, and consumers.
Alongside institutional reform, emphasis should be placed on innovating investment, finance, and credit mechanisms to encourage social participation, promote public-private partnerships, develop green financial instruments, and effectively attract domestic and international capital for strategic energy projects. Based on this, further decentralization and delegation of authority should be promoted, coupled with enhanced inspection and supervision; improved capacity for policy development and implementation by management agencies; and strong application of digital transformation in the management and operation of the energy system, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring sustainable national energy security.
Paving the way for industrial and commercial breakthroughs in the new era.
PV: Our country is entering a new era – the era of science, technology, innovation, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep international integration. In this context, to further promote industrial and commercial development, contribute to the successful and comprehensive implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, and make a worthy contribution to the country's development in the new era, what key tasks will the Ministry of Industry and Trade focus on, Mr. Deputy Minister?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: Our country is entering a new era of development - the era of science and technology, innovation, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep international integration. This period opens up many great opportunities and advantages, while also posing numerous intertwined difficulties and challenges.
Regarding the Ministry of Industry and Trade, alongside the achievements, there are still some limitations and shortcomings that need to be addressed promptly. Specifically: Industrial development has not yet reached a deep level, value added remains low, and there is a lack of foundational industries, material industries, and core technologies; the linkages between domestic enterprises and the FDI sector are not strong, and green and smart transformation is slow. Energy infrastructure and institutions have not kept pace with development requirements, and the power source structure remains unbalanced; exports still heavily depend on the FDI sector and imported raw materials, and markets and products are not diversified. Trade and logistics infrastructure lacks connectivity and has high costs; the effectiveness of international economic integration is not commensurate with potential, and there is a lack of leading enterprises and industries with competitiveness and leadership in regional and global markets…
Industrial production has shown a clear recovery and maintained a fairly strong growth momentum.
In this context, in order to further promote industrial and commercial development, contribute to the successful and comprehensive implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, and make a worthy contribution to the development of the country in the new era, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is determined to focus on the synchronized and effective implementation of the following key tasks:
Firstly, we must continue to thoroughly and promptly implement the Party's viewpoints, policies, and resolutions on socio-economic development and the acceleration of industrialization and modernization into comprehensive and feasible mechanisms and policies; focusing on perfecting institutions in accordance with Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW, taking "dual transformation" (green transformation and digital transformation) as the breakthrough of breakthroughs, creating a transparent investment and business environment, removing bottlenecks, renewing traditional growth drivers, and promoting new growth drivers.
Secondly, we must innovate our thinking and restructure the industrial and commercial sectors towards improving productivity, quality, added value, and competitiveness; using science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, and private sector development as the main driving forces. We must focus on developing foundational and strategic industries and gradually mastering technology in some emerging sectors; build mechanisms for developing national enterprises and large-scale enterprises; and attract investment in the synchronized development of energy, industrial, commercial, and logistics infrastructure towards modernity, greenness, and digitalization, in line with the requirements of deep integration.
Thirdly, comprehensively upgrade and develop production and supply chains to increase the self-reliance of the economy and enhance its position in the global value chain. Implement strong policies to support domestic businesses in deeply participating in the chains of large corporations and FDI enterprises; increase the localization rate; promote technology transfer and management skills; and develop industry clusters and closed production chains.
Fourth, promote international economic integration in conjunction with restructuring the economy and innovating the growth model; effectively utilize free trade agreements; strengthen legitimate trade defense; diversify markets, supply sources, and supply chains, avoiding dependence on a few partners; innovate trade promotion, develop e-commerce and the digital economy.
Fifthly , we will promote comprehensive digital transformation in industry and commerce; accelerate administrative reforms, simplify procedures and business conditions; expand online public services and integrated one-stop mechanisms, and reduce compliance costs for businesses and citizens.
Sixth, focus on developing high-quality human resources; strengthen policy communication to create social consensus; improve mechanisms to protect officials who dare to think and act; enhance discipline and public service responsibility; shift strongly towards post-auditing linked to risk management, management by standards and regulations, and create a transparent and favorable business environment.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade also proposed continuing to lead and direct the development of the industry and trade sector towards self-reliance, modernization, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep international integration. Processing, manufacturing, and energy industries will be considered the important material foundation of an independent and self-reliant economy. The focus will be on innovating thinking in the development and implementation of laws in a development-oriented direction; perfecting a flexible policy space; and implementing controlled pilot mechanisms to remove bottlenecks, unleash and effectively mobilize resources for the synchronous and modern development of energy, industrial, logistics, and trade infrastructure.
Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Minister!
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/phat-huy-vai-role-nong-cot-tru-cot-phat-trien-kinh-te-cua-nganh-cong-thuong-trong-ky-nguyen-moi.html
![[Photo] Coc Ly market bustling on the eve of Tet](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/02/14/1771062261424_baolaocai-br_img-6457-jpg.webp)
Comment (0)