Sweden will help Vietnam in areas of its strength like energy saving, focusing on renewable energy development, Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade Ann Linde has said.
Linde made the pledge during her meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh in Hanoi on May 8, which took place within the framework of the visit to Vietnam by Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria Ingrid Alice Désiree.
Sweden will also back Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises, while assisting the country in building policies, developing infrastructure, and training personnel to meet the requirements of the fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital economy, she said.
The minister affirmed Sweden’s support to Vietnam at the European Commission (EC) in signing and ratifying the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement.
The Swedish Government and businesses always give deep sentiments and attention to Vietnam, she said.
The two ministers noted with pleasure the development of the bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on issues of shared concern.
Anh said the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will fulfil its role as a bridge between enterprises of the two countries for mutual development, while closely coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies in setting forth development orientations in the spheres of common concern such as energy, supporting industry, retail, and vocational training.
He pointed out, however, that the bilateral trade has yet to match potential of both countries.
In 2018, two-way trade reached only 1.5 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 14.34 percent, of which Vietnam’s exports stood at 1.16 billion USD, up 18.99 percent, and imports hit 345 million USD, up 1.09 percent.
According to the MoIT’s European-American Market Department, in the first quarter of 2019, Vietnam exported 324 million USD worth of goods to Sweden and imported 72 million USD from the country, with total revenue up 4.37 percent against the same period last year.
Sweden now ranks 33rd among 131 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 67 valid projects valued at over 365 million USD.
Currently, the European country is running many business projects in Vietnam, covering various realms like retail, machine manufacturing, electricity, IT and telecommunications, urban transport infrastructure, electronics, food processing, and education-training.
On the occasion, Anh attended the Vietnam-Sweden Business Forum and chaired the Vietnam-Sweden Business Summit.
By 2030, Vietnam aims to rank among the world’s top 40 in the GII; raise total social investment in R&D to at least 2% of GDP, with non-State funding accounting for over 60%; increase international scientific publications by an average of 10% annually; and raise the number of patent applications and granted patents by an average of 16-18% annually.
The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 25,624 VND/USD on October1, down 3 VND from the previous day.
Quang Ninh's GRDP grew 15.04% in the third quarter, also leading the country.
Vietnam needs flexible incentives and specialised green financial instruments, stronger inter-sectoral coordination, improved local governance capacity and a more complete MRV data system, said Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam.
As the country enters a new development phase with greater demands for stronger marine-economy growth, institutional bottlenecks have emerged and need to be addressed.
Experts from the Institute of Vietnam and World Economy under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences noted the quality of recent growth as the high growth rate has been recorded against an increasingly higher comparative base.
Vietnam's Halal exports remain modest at around 900 million USD a year, accounting for less than 1% of the global market. Most exports are still raw agricultural and seafood products. Only around 1,000–1,300 Vietnamese businesses obtained or maintained Halal certification during 2024–2026.
Vietnam needs a comprehensive policy framework to remove legal and procedural bottlenecks and create conditions for offshore wind power projects to access long-term investment capital, helping to unlock the country’s substantial offshore wind potential, said insiders.
Under a decision of the municipal People’s Committee on establishing an inter-agency working group, departments and agencies are responsible for identifying facilities subject to greenhouse gas inventories, developing emissions-reduction plans and studying projects capable of generating carbon credits.
According to data from the Vietnam Customs cited by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), shrimp exports reached 478.5 million USD in August, up 4.2% from the same month last year. The eight-month total stood at 3.3 billion USD, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%.
Vietnam is seen as a potential market, with considerable room for growth in real estate, particularly commercial property, compared with some regional markets. Strong Vietnam-Russia ties and opportunities to establish foreign-invested enterprises are also considered favourable for Russian investors.
For 2021-2030, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposed bringing forward the investment in a parallel taxiway system and a connecting taxiway north of Runway No. 2 at Phu Quoc International Airport, in order to connect with the aircraft maintenance and repair facility (hangar) planned for the northern area of the airport.
For LNG-fired power to fulfill its role in Vietnam’s energy transition, bottlenecks in institutions, infrastructure, electricity pricing, PPAs, power dispatch and financing must be addressed together.
From policy and infrastructure to industrial real estate, Vietnam’s FDI advantages are broadening towards a more integrated production ecosystem, offering investors a stronger combination of conditions for high-value, technology-intensive and long-term projects.
As trade expands, systemic bottlenecks across transport networks, warehousing, ports, border gates, and industrial zones are becoming more apparent. Experts emphasise the need to shift from a fragmented, project-by-project approach toward strategic management structured around trade corridors and integrated supply chains.
The company will buy non-performing loans from credit institutions and foreign bank branches, recover and dispose of debts and collateral, restructure loans and support lenders in resolving bad debts.
Do Ngoc Hung, Trade Counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, said what stands out is not only the growth in trade volume but also the increasingly deep economic ties between the two countries.
According to the Ministry of Finance, State budget revenue in the first eight months of 2026 was estimated at 2.02 quadrillion VND (77.7 billion USD), equivalent to 80% of the annual estimate and up 16% year-on-year. Domestic revenue reached 1.75 quadrillion VND, accounting for 86.6% of total revenue and rising 16.6%.
Hanoi aims to achieve average annual export growth of at least 12% during 2026-30, with the city seeking to diversify export markets, boost high-tech and value-added products and reduce reliance on traditional markets.
Great reliance on the state budget and conventional bank lending could put considerable pressure on the financial system, making it necessary to develop new and sustainable sources of funding from both domestic and international capital markets.