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According to the General Statistics Office ( Ministry of Finance ), in January 2026, nearly 24,200 new businesses were established nationwide, an increase of 40.9% compared to the last month of 2025 and a 126.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
Notably, not only new businesses but also existing businesses returning to the market have seen a significant increase, with over 24,500 businesses resuming operations, a 146.2% increase compared to the previous month and a 7.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
In summary, the total number of businesses entering and re-entering the market in January 2026 reached 48,700, an increase of 45.6% compared to the same period in 2025. On average, the economy welcomed more than 1,500 new businesses each day in January 2026, reflecting the high expectations of the business community for recovery and growth in 2026.
Along with the increase in the number of businesses, the labor market also recorded positive signs, with new businesses registering to employ nearly 108,200 workers, a 32.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
Although the number of businesses has increased, the quality of capital flows shows considerable caution. The total registered capital of newly established businesses reached VND 180.9 trillion, a 92.3% increase compared to the same period last year. However, when divided equally, the capital size of each business is shrinking.
The average registered capital of newly established businesses in the month reached only 7.5 billion VND. This figure decreased by 22.6% compared to December 2025 and by 15.2% compared to the same period last year. This indicates a trend of "smaller" business sizes, or investors are choosing the safer option of establishing legal entities with modest capital to explore the market before deciding to expand.
Not only has new registered capital slowed down, but the inflow of additional capital from existing businesses has also stalled. The amount of additional registered capital in the month reached nearly 358.1 trillion VND, a slight decrease of 2.5% compared to the same period in 2025.
In terms of industry structure, January 2026 witnessed a strong rise in the Service sector. Nearly 18,400 new businesses were established in this sector, an increase of approximately 130% compared to the same period.
Most notably, the accommodation and food service sector saw 1,107 new businesses, a 224.6% increase compared to the same period last year – the highest growth rate among all sectors. The wholesale, retail, and auto repair sector continued to lead in terms of number of businesses with 11,290 new enterprises (a 186% increase).
The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector, despite its modest number of businesses (304 enterprises), recorded an impressive growth rate of 169%. Meanwhile, the construction and real estate sectors, although seeing an increase in the number of new businesses (92% and 128.9% respectively), were also the sectors facing the most intense competition.
According to the General Statistics Office, in January 2026, nearly 54,300 businesses registered for temporary suspension of operations. This figure is 11.8 times higher than in December 2025. However, experts believe this is a cyclical and technical phenomenon.
According to the General Statistics Office, January is often the time when businesses choose to temporarily suspend operations to re-plan their business strategies for the new year or to avoid business license tax obligations if they don't have plans to operate at the beginning of the year. In fact, compared to the same period in 2025, the number of temporary suspensions only increased slightly by 2.8%, indicating that the situation is not as pessimistic as the monthly growth figures suggest.
Nevertheless, the number of businesses exiting the market still increased sharply this month, with 4,609 businesses completing dissolution procedures, a significant increase of 128.1% compared to the same period last year. The number of businesses awaiting dissolution also increased by 109.1%.
In particular, the accommodation and food service industry, despite a record increase in new businesses, also saw a 147.3% increase in dissolutions. Similarly, the real estate industry experienced a 118% increase in dissolutions. This reflects the highly competitive nature of these industries, and only businesses with strong capabilities can survive.
To support business development, among the solutions to support the development of businesses and household businesses, the leaders of the Ministry of Finance requested addressing bottlenecks related to institutions, access to land, resources, minerals, interest rate support, human resource training, etc.
In addition, develop a roadmap to reduce procedures, cut down time and costs for administrative procedures; build a group of policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises and business households regarding taxes and tax procedures, tax connectivity, promoting business households to become enterprises, small enterprises to become large enterprises, and large enterprises to become global and multinational enterprises, linked with mechanisms to support infrastructure (electricity, land rent, fees, charges)...
A representative from the Department of Private and Collective Economic Development stated that the Ministry of Finance is focusing on two groups of solutions to support businesses. Firstly, improving and reforming the investment and business environment, reducing administrative procedures to help businesses lessen the burden of compliance costs, and removing obstacles. Secondly, supporting businesses in bridging gaps in governance, taxation, accounting, etc.
Source: https://vtv.vn/moi-ngay-co-hon-1500-doanh-nghiep-gia-nhap-thi-truong-100260208162849982.htm
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