Macroeconomic resilience creates momentum for restructuring the industry and trade sector

Photo caption — The Party Executive Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the 2025-2030 term was introduced to the Congress (July 16, 2025). Photo: VNA

The imprints of integration, platform industry, digital transformation and energy transition have brought the industry and trade sector into a new development trajectory, paving the way for the 2026-2030 period to become a pivotal term for a more sustainable and autonomous growth strategy.

Strategic highlights

The 2020-2025 period began with the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing many key manufacturing industries to stagnate, the global supply system to break down, and consumer demand to decline sharply. However, instead of falling into a passive spiral, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade proactively changed its management method, established special working groups to handle supply chain disruptions, promote digital trade, and standardize import-export procedures. Therefore, exports still maintained a significant average growth momentum, especially in the group of processed and manufactured goods, the main driving force for industrial growth.

Regarding the domestic market, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has implemented a series of measures to stabilize supply and demand, regulate prices, ensure energy security and food security in the context of continuous world fluctuations. At the same time, the management of the market for gasoline, electricity, steel, agricultural materials, etc. is assessed to be increasingly transparent, closely following market signals.

Commenting on this result, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized: Stabilizing the domestic market is the key factor to ensure people's lives and create a stable environment for businesses to maintain production. Not only short-term solutions, this term also shows a long-term vision when promoting industrial restructuring, focusing on fundamental industries such as energy, metallurgy, chemicals, supporting industries, new materials and deep processing of agricultural products. Gradually reducing dependence on imported raw materials, expanding domestic production investment and prioritizing attracting FDI with high technology content shows the shift from expanding scale to upgrading the structure that determines the long-term competitiveness of Vietnamese industry.

One of the most prominent highlights of the past term was international economic integration. A series of new-generation free trade agreements were effectively implemented, including the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Vietnam - UK Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), etc., helping Vietnam open its market to more than 50 countries and important economic partners. Moreover, making good use of tariff incentives has helped Vietnam's exports maintain growth even when the world economy is in recession.

At the same time, during the 2020-2025 term, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proactively reviewed hundreds of legal documents, eliminated outdated regulations, significantly reduced inappropriate business conditions, and applied digital technology in state management fields.

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed: Reducing business conditions and increasing autonomy for enterprises is a consistent policy, aiming at a more open, transparent and competitive business environment. This is the foundation for enterprises to reduce costs, shorten the time to process procedures, and at the same time create unity between management agencies.

Furthermore, the market management network continues to be improved, operating more systematically and proactively in preventing smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit and poor quality goods. This is an important foundation for the goal of building a healthy market to improve people's quality of life and protect the interests of legitimate businesses.

From a macro perspective, experts believe that the most important achievements of the 2020-2025 term lie not only in growth indicators, but also in three core foundations: strengthened institutions, upgraded industrial structures, and significantly enhanced Vietnam's international trade position. This shows that the industry and trade sector has transformed from a stable management role to a development creation role, opening up new space for the next phase.

In the same spirit, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan assessed that the results achieved in the import-export sector in recent times have affirmed the correctness of the integration policy, and at the same time demonstrated the leading role of the industry and trade sector in maintaining circulation chains and promoting border trade.

“The Party Committee and the collective leadership of the Import-Export Department have made efforts to lead and direct the comprehensive implementation of assigned political tasks, promptly advising the Minister on state management and law enforcement in import-export activities, border trade, origin of goods and logistics. These are strategic areas, playing an important role in connecting the market and stabilizing the operation of the economy,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan pointed out.

With the leading role in building import-export policies, Mr. Nguyen Anh Son - Director of the Import-Export Department said: The unit will continue to do well in its advisory role, building and implementing policies, striving to complete 100% of the annual work program. At the same time, coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to advise on import management according to tariff quotas, strengthen market forecasts and warnings, and promptly guide the implementation of signed and negotiated FTA commitments. This will be the pillar to help Vietnam adapt to the increasingly complex global trade environment.

Expectations of a breakthrough

According to experts, the period of 2026-2030 is forecast to be a period of fiercer competition, requiring green transformation, digital transformation, carbon neutrality and increasingly stringent trade and technical standards. This is also the period when Vietnam needs to build a new position, not only participating in the supply chain but also rising to a higher value level, becoming a production and trade center of the Southeast Asian region. Therefore, the new direction of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, emphasizing the requirements of autonomy, greening, digitalization and deep integration, is completely appropriate to the context.

Furthermore, in an increasingly complex global competitive environment, the strategic priority of the coming period is not only to increase output but also to increase the quality of competition, increase the technological content, and increase the sustainability of the entire value chain. This requires inter-sectoral coordination, proactiveness of enterprises and strong leadership from the management agency.

In the new orientation, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien clearly stated the five strategic focuses that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade set out, which are to develop industry towards strategic autonomy, green production and increase the proportion of high technology. This means that the industry will focus on priority industries such as renewable energy, deep processing industry, semiconductors, new materials, electrical equipment, clean chemicals and precision mechanics; creating domestic industrial corporations that are competitive in the region.

At the same time, restructuring exports in a sustainable direction, reducing dependence on some key markets and increasing the localization rate. Building a modern, transparent and internally competitive domestic market. Because, perfecting the distribution system, rectifying e-commerce activities, promoting trade logistics and strengthening the fight against trade fraud will help Vietnamese goods become the natural choice of consumers.

In addition, the sharp increase in electricity demand in the 2026-2030 period requires Vietnam to develop a balance between renewable energy and traditional energy, while operating a competitive electricity market according to international standards. In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade determined that in the next term, it will continue to comprehensively digitize state management, build an open database, make the market transparent and shorten procedures related to investment, production and import and export.

According to analysts, if the proposed solutions are implemented synchronously and drastically, the industry and trade sector can completely become a driving force for growth, contributing to bringing Vietnam into the group of highly competitive economies in the region. More importantly, it will contribute to the country's larger goal of building an independent, self-reliant, modern and deeply integrated economy.

The new term is therefore not only a continuation but also a moment to open a new development journey full of opportunities, challenges but also full of prospects. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, with its role, is facing a historic opportunity to create a new mark in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xay-dung-dang/suc-ben-vi-mo-tao-da-cho-tai-co-cau-nganh-cong-thuong-20251208150030121.htm