Domestic purchasing power brightens at the beginning of 2026
In the context of a volatile global economy and export challenges, identifying the domestic market with more than 100 million people as a target market has become a sustainable development strategy for manufacturing and export enterprises. Stimulating consumer demand and increasing purchasing power of people and businesses is considered a key macroeconomic solution to boost aggregate demand.
Reality shows that national-scale trade promotion programs have been and are clearly effective in stimulating domestic purchasing power. At the end of 2025, the Autumn Fair welcomed an average of 100,000 visitors/day, the highest among domestic trade promotion events. Total direct revenue of nearly 1,000 billion VND. Continuing the success, the Spring Fair held at the beginning of 2026 also recorded very positive results, with revenue of units ranging from a few million to hundreds of millions of VND/day.
Positive results from the fairs show that the domestic market still has a lot of room to exploit. People's purchasing power being activated at the right time can create significant momentum for domestic production and distribution of goods. When income improves, the trend of prioritizing using Vietnamese goods spreads, the market of more than 100 million people can completely become a driving force for sustainable growth, helping businesses reduce dependence on exports and consolidate their position right at home.
Data from the Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), the total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue at current prices in January 2026 is estimated at 632.4 trillion VND, an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous month and an increase of 9.3% compared to the same period last year (equivalent to the increase of the same period in 2025), if excluding the price increase factor of 6.3% (the same period in 2025 increased by 6.5%).
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong - Director of the Statistics Department, this increase shows the positive trend of the consumer market in the context that January 2026 does not coincide with the Lunar New Year, while the same period last year was the peak consumption month of Tet. Additionally, Ms. Huong said that travel tourism revenue in January 2026 is estimated at 7.5 trillion VND, an increase of 14% compared to the same period last year.
Promoting "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods
Talking to the press, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said that in the coming time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with ministries and sectors to focus on synchronously implementing tasks and solutions, such as: Stimulating consumer demand through macro policies and events through organizing national-scale centralized promotion programs, regional linked trade promotion activities, Vietnamese goods fairs, OCOP product week... to expand domestically produced goods consumption channels.
Regarding the development of modern trade and e-commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued the Overall Plan for national e-commerce development for the period 2026 - 2030, considering this a new growth engine. Solutions include supporting businesses to bring products to digital platforms, building "Vietnamese standard digital booths" and training digital skills for businesses to effectively reach consumers, encouraging the application of AI, big data, blockchain to optimize supply chains, ensuring product information transparency from origin to consumers. Along with that, focus on developing modern distribution systems such as convenience store chains, mini supermarkets, shopping centers, and upgrading traditional markets towards safety, hygiene and digital technology application.
Enhance purchasing power and consumer confidence, in which, focus on stabilizing prices, closely monitoring market developments, proactively implementing price stabilization plans for essential goods, especially during holidays and Tet, to ensure social security and create trust for people. Along with that, strengthen the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and goods infringing intellectual property rights to protect consumers and the reputation of Vietnamese goods.
