Lao Dong Newspaper had an interview with Dr. Mac Quoc Anh - Vice Chairman cum General Secretary of the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises to share his views on the wave of businesses entering the market at the beginning of the year.
Sir, in January 2026, there were nearly 24.2 thousand newly established businesses. According to you, what is the factor that created the breakthrough in the number of newly established businesses in the first month of the year?
- This reflects a clear recovery in the spirit of the business community. First of all, we must mention institutional and policy factors. In the past time, a series of resolutions on improving the investment and business environment, cutting administrative procedures have been issued. The strong shift from "pre-inspection" to "post-inspection" thinking, promoting digitization of procedures... helps significantly reduce market entry costs, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, startups and household businesses transforming into businesses.
Second, entering 2026, many macroeconomic indicators show that the Vietnamese economy is facing a new growth cycle associated with a wave of large-scale public investment, the process of supply chain restructuring... This expectation has encouraged many individuals, startup groups and potential businesses to "make early decisions".
Third, more and more business models can start with medium and small scale but with rapid expansion and access to a large market, creating conditions for the wave of new business establishment. Especially in the fields of services, technology, content creation, education and training, and healthcare.
Total registered capital of newly established enterprises in January 2026 reached 180.9 trillion VND, an increase of 92.3% compared to the same period. What does this capital level reflect about the quality and scale of newly established enterprises, sir?
- This clearly reflects market expectations and the willingness to take risks of the business community right from the beginning of the year. In the context of the global economy still containing many uncertainties, the fact that businesses "drop money" on a larger scale shows that business confidence is tending to improve.
First of all, the increase in average capital reflects a qualitative shift in the structure of newly established businesses. If in the previous period, the number of businesses increasing mainly came from very small businesses with low capital and fragmented operations, now there are many startups with relatively methodical capital scale, with preparation in terms of strategy, technology, human resources and market. This shows that startup thinking is gradually shifting from "trying luck" to "calculated investment", associated with medium and long-term business plans.
Next, the high registered capital level reflects positive expectations about domestic market demand and the possibility of expanding to the international market. Vietnam is facing many new opportunities from new generation free trade agreements, from the process of restructuring the global supply chain. These expectations make businesses willing to invest larger from the beginning to dominate the market, build brands and competitiveness.
In particular, capital flows and the financial environment also play an important role. The general level of interest rates tends to be more stable, along with the development of diverse capital mobilization channels such as banks, investment funds, and strategic partners, helping businesses have more resources to start on a larger scale.
So according to you, what policies should be prioritized in 2026 to support businesses to "stick" to the market and develop sustainably?
- The biggest challenge today is not how to make it easy for businesses to "enter" the market, but how to make them stand firm, grow up and develop sustainably after joining. In 2026, policies need to have a clear shift from the mindset of "encouraging establishment" to "accompanying development".
The first priority is policies to support businesses in the early stages after establishment, especially in the first 3 years. This is the period when businesses are most vulnerable to market fluctuations, compliance costs and management capacity limitations. Next is solving the problem of capital and cash flow for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Supporting businesses to improve management capacity and adapt to the market must be placed on par with financial support.
Prioritize policy stability and transparency, especially in the fields of land, tax, environment, and labor. Businesses can only invest long-term when they predict the "rules of the game" in the medium and long term.
Thank you for sharing!
