International community considers Vietnam as a regional "growth star"

In the context of a volatile global economy , Vietnam is still considered by international organizations as a "growth star" of Southeast Asia. Impressive recovery speed, along with the Government's flexible management policies, are helping Vietnam affirm its increasingly solid position and become a symbol of resilience in the region.

International organizations unanimously raise Vietnam's growth forecast

International organizations also highly appreciate the economic management capacity of the Vietnamese Government - considered one of the countries with the most effective management policies in the region. Vietnam is striving to maintain growth momentum, balance fiscal and monetary policies, and aim to become a high-income country by 2045.

According to the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Economic Update Report for October released on October 7, the region is expected to grow 4.8%, down slightly from 5% in 2024.

Vietnam is expected to lead with 6.6%. Meanwhile, China, Cambodia and Indonesia are all forecast to reach 4.8%, while the Pacific island nations are only expected to reach 2.7%, and Thailand is at 2%.

In a volatile regional picture, Vietnam continues to stand out with its steady recovery in production and consumption. The World Bank highly appreciates its ability to flexibly manage policies, effectively control inflation, and support businesses to recover after the pandemic.

In the Asian region, growth prospects are mixed. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered its forecasts for a number of economies, including the Philippines (5.6%), Indonesia (4.9%), Malaysia (4.3%) and Thailand (2.0%). Notably, while neighboring countries have been revised downwards, Vietnam is the only economy whose growth forecast has been raised by the ADB to 6.7%.

However, the ADB lowered Vietnam’s growth forecast for 2026 to 6%, lower than the previous forecast of 6.5%. According to the ADB, increased exports before the US applied the new tariffs, along with the Government’s support policies, have boosted Vietnam’s economic growth in the first half of 2025.

"Better coordination between effective implementation of fiscal and monetary policies will help avoid excessive pressure on monetary instruments and ensure macroeconomic and financial stability," said Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty, ADB Country Director for Vietnam, in the report.

ADB experts said that the US reciprocal tariffs on goods imported from Vietnam will pose risks of a short-term slowdown in economic growth. For the rest of the year, US tax policy is expected to impact trade and investment.

Quốc tế đánh giá Việt Nam là “ngôi sao tăng trưởng” khu vực - 1 — Panoramic view of Ho Chi Minh City from above (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Star of Southeast Asia

Previously, UOB Bank (Singapore) also raised its forecast for Vietnam's GDP growth to 7.5% this year. Explaining the above forecast, UOB said the strong growth was driven by a 14% increase in Vietnam's export turnover compared to the same period, in addition to the assessment that the unstable tariff situation has eased in the second half of 2025.

Meanwhile, the IMF forecasts that Vietnam's GDP growth will reach 6.5% in 2025. Previously, in June, the organization predicted that Vietnam's growth in 2025 would be only 5.4%.

Several international news agencies and websites such as Channel News Asia (Singapore), Uz.Kursiv.Media (Uzbekistan)... published articles assessing that Vietnam's economy is showing remarkable resilience, despite the impact of US tariff policies.

The articles said that, based on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures, it can be seen that this result far exceeded expectations and was in line with the target set by the Vietnamese Government to achieve a growth rate of 8.2-8.5% this year. This level is also higher than the forecast of international financial institutions.

According to Singapore’s Business Times, Vietnam is considered a growth star and could become the best-performing economy in Southeast Asia this year. Even though it was heavily impacted by US tariffs, Vietnam’s economic growth still had a clear breakthrough, reaching an impressive 7.5%, marking the highest level in the first 6 months of the year since 2010.

Meanwhile, Finimize (UK) commented that Vietnam's economy is leading the growth trend in the Asian region, in the context that some other countries in the region such as Australia and Thailand are still facing inflation and cautious consumer sentiment.

Vietnam’s success demonstrates the close relationship between policy and trade, according to Finimize, adding that the economy is expected to grow faster than expected in 2024-2025. Vietnam is also among the region’s leaders in GDP growth and inflation control.

Strong manufacturing and export performance has helped Vietnam weather currency fluctuations and global uncertainty, according to international media. Supply chains continue to shift to Vietnam, while low unemployment and stable consumer spending suggest the economy can maintain growth momentum even when the currency is under pressure.

In the face of geopolitical tensions and the trend of global manufacturers seeking alternative destinations to China, Ainvest (USA) believes that Vietnam will be an attractive destination for new investment flows. Among these, the strongly improved logistics infrastructure is one of the factors creating attraction.

Experts predict that Vietnam’s economy will remain resilient in 2025-2026 thanks to expansionary fiscal and monetary policies. Although new US tariffs may have a short-term impact, the ongoing economic stimulus packages are expected to minimize the impact.

In addition, effective public investment disbursement, strategic investment in digital transformation and sustainable development, and extensive institutional reform will be key factors helping Vietnam maintain growth, improve competitiveness and affirm its position in the region.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/quoc-te-danh-gia-viet-nam-la-ngoi-sao-tang-truong-khu-vuc-20251008124607174.htm