Foreign Affairs Magazine (Egypt) has just published an article by Ambassador Reda al-Taify - former Egyptian Ambassador to Vietnam for the 2010-2014 term, in which she expressed her impression of Vietnam's development experiences since the Doi Moi period - VNA reported.
According to the Ambassador, the transition from a centralized planned economy to an open market economy has created an unprecedented transformation of the Vietnamese economy. In 2025, the growth rate exceeded 8%, with import and export turnover reaching about 930 billion USD and a trade surplus of about 20 billion USD.
This promises a bright future as Vietnam is gradually moving towards joining the trillion-dollar economy club and becoming a leading destination for global investment, attracting hundreds of billions of USD of foreign direct investment capital since the beginning of the Doi Moi process in 1986.
Regarding agriculture, Vietnam has transformed from a rice importer in the 1980s to the second largest rice exporter in the world, the second largest coffee exporter and the third largest natural rubber exporter in the world.
Vietnam has affirmed its position as an influential industrial nation in Southeast Asia. Vietnam invests in high-value-added industries such as automobiles, electronics, software, mobile phones, energy, steel and cement, garments and sports goods, while focusing on cultural, heritage and handicraft industries manufactured by the majority of Vietnamese people in small and medium-sized enterprises.
In terms of society, the difference in Vietnam's development experience under Doi Moi policy is assessed as a successful combination of rapid economic growth and social justice.
This achievement is clearly reflected in the impressive reduction in the poverty rate. Average income per capita in Vietnam recorded impressive growth, increasing from below 100 USD in the period before Doi Moi to more than 5,000 USD in 2025.
In the field of national defense and security, Vietnam persists in an independent and cautious strategy, striving to build a comprehensive self-defense system and develop modern and flexible armed forces, capable of defense, deterrence and ready to proactively respond to all potential security challenges.
Regarding foreign policy, Ambassador Reda al-Taify said that Vietnamese diplomacy - both a goal and a means - is the focus of the Doi Moi mission.
Vietnamese leaders from the beginning have realized that Vietnam's economic rise must be linked to strengthening Vietnam's role and position in the regional and international structure, especially in the context of a new international order gradually forming, and at the same time realize that strategic autonomy is a combination of strong internal strength, firm political and foreign policy bravery, clear self-positioning, clear development roadmap, improving flexible adaptability and proactive and active international integration capacity.
Accordingly, Vietnam is steadfast in its independent, self-reliant, multilateralized, diversified foreign policy, proactively and actively integrating internationally comprehensively, deeply and effectively.
Ambassador Reda al-Taify emphasized that this flexible, open, and skillful diplomatic policy has successfully brought Vietnam out of encirclement and embargo and become a dynamic country in the regional and international system, affirming its positive and influential position in it.
Ambassador Reda al-Taify concluded that one of the key factors creating the success of the Vietnamese development model under the Doi Moi policy is the leadership capacity of the Communist Party of Vietnam in maintaining political stability and internal security.
This is the foundation to create a favorable environment for attracting foreign investment, contributing and continuing to contribute to the comprehensive development process, at a fast and sustainable pace.
