Key drivers of growth
Deputy Minister, looking back at the period 2021 - 2025, especially 2025 - the pivotal year before the 14th Party Congress, how do you assess the outstanding results of the Industry and Trade sector in promoting the core and pillar role for the country's economic development?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: It can be affirmed that in the past term, the Industry and Trade sector has made very important, comprehensive and fundamental contributions to the socio-economic development of the country. The sector has proactively advised on building many strategic mechanisms and policies to promote economy, industry, trade and investment; removing major bottlenecks for the Central Government, National Assembly and competent authorities to issue many resolutions and conclusions of important nature, promoting socio-economic development (Resolution 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new situation; Resolution 70-NQ/TW on ensuring national energy security to 2030, vision to 2045; Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in scientific and technological development, innovation and national digital transformation; Resolution on mechanisms and policies for national energy development in the period 2026 - 2030...).
With the core and strategic pillar role, the Industry and Trade sector continues to be one of the main driving forces promoting growth, contributing to realizing the goal of developing in the direction of autonomy, modernization, green transformation, digital transformation and deep and effective international integration.
First of all, industrial production recovered clearly and maintained a fairly good growth momentum, with an average rate of 6.1%/year. Notably, the processing and manufacturing industry - the central driving force of growth - achieved an average growth rate of 6.9%/year; the scale of the entire industry increased nearly 1.5 times compared to the beginning of the term. The localization rate continued to improve; many key industries such as electronics, textiles, footwear, and agricultural product processing have successfully integrated, gradually affirming Vietnam's position in the global value chain.
In the energy sector, the national energy system is developing strongly, the scale of the power system has risen to the top 20 countries in the world and to the top of Southeast Asia. National energy security is basically ensured, meeting the requirements of socio-economic development and people's lives; the energy structure is shifting towards being greener, more sustainable, in line with global trends.
Import and export continue to be a prominent highlight of the economy with an average growth rate of 10.9%/year. Import and export turnover continuously set new records, reaching over 930 billion USD in 2025 alone, double compared to the beginning of the term; many key export items maintain high rankings in the world market. Trade surplus is maintained at a high level, making positive contributions to macroeconomic balance, supplementing foreign exchange reserves and strengthening market confidence.
The domestic market continues to develop stably, with an average growth rate of 7.7%/year, truly becoming an important pillar of the economy. Ensuring a full supply of raw materials, fuels and essential goods has helped the domestic market play a "supporting" role, supporting the economy to stand firm and recover quickly from external shocks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with that, e-commerce grew by over 20%/year, bringing Vietnam into the group of 10 fastest growing countries in the world, creating an important driving force for the digital economy and digital transformation of enterprises.
International economic integration is implemented synchronously, substantively and increasingly effectively. The participation in 17 free trade agreements has opened up a market space for nearly 6 billion consumers, contributing to diversifying export markets, attracting foreign investment, improving national competitiveness and promoting economic restructuring towards modernity and sustainability.
Energy - blood vessels of development
In those general results, how is the role of the Industry and Trade sector in ensuring national energy security expressed, Deputy Minister?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: National energy security is one of the important pillars ensuring macroeconomic stability, sustainable development of the country, closely linked to national security, national defense and people's lives. Resolution No. 70-NQ/TW of the Politburo on ensuring national energy security to 2030, vision to 2045 once again identified the goal of firmly ensuring national energy security, and affirmed "To meet the requirements of rapid and sustainable development of the country in the coming time, especially to implement 2 strategic goals to 2030 and 2045, ensuring energy security plays a very important role, energy must go one step ahead, fully meeting the needs of socio-economic development, defense, security and improving people's lives".
Implementing the Party and State's policies, and the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister, in the past time, the Industry and Trade sector has been focusing on synchronously implementing many solutions in the energy sector such as: developing diverse energy sources, harmoniously combining traditional energy and renewable energy; improving the efficiency of exploitation and use of fossil fuels (coal, oil) in the country. Promoting the development of new forms of energy, promoting the use of energy economically and efficiently. Along with that, accelerating the progress of perfecting institutions and policies to develop a competitive and transparent energy market to strongly attract social resources to participate in energy development investment (building the revised Electricity Law, the revised Oil and Gas Law...).
The Ministry of Industry and Trade focuses highly on directing and leading the completion of institutions and policies, promoting the implementation of key projects to synchronously and comprehensively develop the policy framework and energy infrastructure. The Ministry has advised on building and completing the 2024 Electricity Law and guiding decrees and circulars for implementation. Researching and proposing mechanisms and policies to implement Resolutions of the Politburo, the National Assembly (including the National Assembly's Resolution on mechanisms and policies for national energy development in the period 2026-2030) and the Government on energy development, ensuring energy security. Presiding over advising the Prime Minister to approve the adjusted Power Plan VIII. Implementing the Government's policy on consolidating the regulatory mechanism of the national power system (receiving and organizing the operation of NSMO). Organizing the implementation of the national power development plan. Coordinating with ministries, branches, and localities to concretize in the provincial plan, urging the implementation of key power source and grid projects, especially 500 kV and 220 kV transmission projects, contributing to each
In the context of the world and regional economy developing rapidly and complexly; the trend of energy transition is taking place strongly; the requirements for green development, emission reduction and adaptation to climate change are becoming increasingly urgent, and the demand for energy for economic growth is increasing... Therefore, ensuring national energy security is a political, important and continuous task of the Industry and Trade sector, with fundamental significance for rapid and sustainable economic development, ensuring social security and maintaining the independence and self-reliance of the country.
To firmly ensure national energy security in the coming time, the Industry and Trade sector will focus on synchronously implementing comprehensive, fundamental and long-term solutions. The focus is on continuing to improve the legal framework on energy in a synchronous and modern direction, ensuring consistency with laws on investment, planning, environment, land and construction. Fully institutionalizing the contents of national energy planning and power planning, creating a stable and transparent foundation, consolidating investor confidence. Building a clear and feasible roadmap for the development of electricity market levels, completing the electricity price mechanism according to the principle of a market with state regulation, ensuring harmony of interests between the State, businesses and consumers.
In parallel with perfecting institutions, focusing on innovating investment, financial, and credit mechanisms in the direction of encouraging socialization, promoting public-private partnerships, developing green financial instruments, and effectively attracting domestic and international capital for strategic energy projects. On that basis, continue to promote decentralization and delegation of power associated with strengthening inspection and supervision; improve the capacity to build and implement policies of management agencies; strongly apply digital transformation in the management and operation of the energy system, thereby improving operational efficiency and ensuring national energy security in a sustainable way.
Opening the way for industry and trade to break through in the new era
Our country is entering a new era - an era of science, technology and innovation, green transformation, digital transformation and deep international integration. In that context, to continue to promote industrial and trade development, contributing to the successful and comprehensive implementation of the 14th Party Congress Resolution, making worthy contributions to the country's development in the new era, what key tasks will the Industry and Trade sector focus on implementing, Deputy Minister?
Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang: Our country is entering a new era of development - an era of science and technology, innovation, green transformation, digital transformation and deep international integration. This is a period that opens up many great opportunities and advantages, and also poses many intertwined difficulties and challenges.
With the Industry and Trade sector, besides the achieved results, the industry and trade sector still have some limitations and shortcomings that need to be overcome soon. Specifically: Industry development has not gone into depth, added value is still low, there is a lack of fundamental industries, materials and source technology industries; linkages between domestic enterprises and the FDI sector are not close, green transformation and smart transformation are still slow. Energy infrastructure and institutions have not kept up with development requirements, power source structure is still unbalanced; exports are still heavily dependent on the FDI sector and imported raw materials, markets and products are not diverse. Trade and logistics infrastructure are still lacking in connectivity, high costs; the efficiency of international economic integration is not commensurate with its potential, lacking key enterprises and industries that are competitive and leading in the regional and global markets...
In that context, to continue to promote industrial and trade development, contributing to the successful and comprehensive implementation of the 14th Party Congress Resolution, making worthy contributions to the country's development in the new era, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is determined to focus on synchronously and effectively implementing a number of key tasks as follows:
First, continue to thoroughly grasp and fully and promptly institutionalize the Party's viewpoints, guidelines, and resolutions on socio-economic development and promote industrialization and modernization into synchronous and feasible mechanisms and policies; focus on perfecting institutions in the spirit of Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW, taking "double transformation" (green transformation and digital transformation) as a breakthrough of breakthrough, creating a transparent investment and business environment, removing bottlenecks, renewing traditional growth drivers and promoting new growth drivers.
Second, innovate thinking, restructure industry and trade in the direction of improving productivity, quality, added value and competitiveness; take science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation and private economic development as the main driving force. Focus on developing fundamental and strategic industries and gradually master technology in some emerging industries; build a mechanism for developing ethnic minority enterprises and large-scale enterprises; attract synchronous investment in energy, industry, trade and logistics infrastructure in a modern, green, and digitalized direction, associated with the requirements of deep integration.
Third, upgrading and comprehensively developing production chains and supply chains to increase the autonomy of the economy and enhance its position in the global value chain. Having strong enough policies to support domestic enterprises to deeply participate in the chain of large corporations and FDI enterprises; increasing the localization rate; promoting technology transfer and management skills; developing industry clusters and closed production chains.
Fourth, promote international economic integration associated with economic restructuring, innovation of growth models; effectively exploit free trade agreements; strengthen legal trade defense; diversify markets, supply sources and supply chains, avoid dependence on a few partners; innovate trade promotion, develop e-commerce and digital economy.
Fifth, promote comprehensive digital transformation in industry and trade; promote administrative reform, simplify procedures and business conditions; expand online public services, inter-agency one-stop mechanisms, and reduce compliance costs for businesses and people.
Sixth, focus on developing high-quality human resources; strengthen policy communication, create social consensus; improve the mechanism to protect cadres who dare to think and dare to do; improve discipline and public service responsibility; strongly shift to post-inspection associated with risk management, management by standards and regulations, creating a transparent and favorable business environment.
The Industry and Trade sector also proposes to continue to lead and direct the development of the industry and trade sector in the direction of autonomy, modernity, green transformation, digital transformation and deep international integration. Take processing, manufacturing and energy industries as an important material foundation of an independent and self-reliant economy. The focus is on innovating thinking in building and organizing law enforcement in the direction of development creation; perfecting flexible policy space, implementing pilot mechanisms with control to remove bottlenecks, liberate and effectively mobilize resources for synchronous and modern investment in energy, industry, logistics and trade infrastructure...
Thank you very much, Deputy Minister!
