On the occasion of the New Year 2026, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh interviewed TTXVN about the socio-economic development results in 2025, the 2021-2025 term and the tasks for 2026 - the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress.
Dear Prime Minister, in the past 5 years and 2025, the domestic and world situation faced many unprecedented difficulties and challenges, but under the drastic direction and administration of the Government and the Prime Minister, we have overcome "counter-winds", achieved many important achievements in socio-economic development, strengthened the country's potential and position. Prime Minister, please share about the outstanding achievements that have been achieved?
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: From the beginning of the term to now, the world situation has dien bien very quickly, complexly, unpredictably, many new issues, unprecedented, exceeding forecasts, especially the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged serious consequences, strategic competition between major countries, conflicts, political instability in many places, non-traditional security factors, natural disasters, and climate change are increasingly heavily affected.
Decreasing growth trend, high inflation, public debt of most countries exceeding safe thresholds. In the country, we are "double-impacted" by negative external factors, both having to handle internal limitations and inadequacies that have lasted for many years; in general, difficulties and challenges are more than opportunities and advantages.
In that context, under the leadership of the Party and the Government, the Prime Minister has focused on leading, directing, and operating with the motto "proactive, flexible, creative, drastic, and effective", with the spirit of "only discuss doing, not discussing retreating", creating breakthroughs in institutions, mechanisms, and policies with the nature of "shifting the situation", "changing state". We have quickly adapted and overcome the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, "going behind", being one of the 5 countries with the highest vaccine coverage rate in the world, the mortality rate is 0.37% compared to the total number of infections, much lower than the world average of 1%, as a basis for early transition from "zero COVID" to "safe and flexible adaptation to COVID", building a recovery program to promote socio-economic development (SOD). Promoting institutional improvement, focusing on removing difficulties for production and business, unlocking, mobilizing and effectively using all resources, creating breakthroughs in development in all fields.
Prioritize promoting growth associated with maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, ensuring major balances of the economy. Focus on developing cultural, social, and environmental fields; strengthening national defense, security, and foreign affairs; maintaining a peaceful, stable environment and favorable conditions for national development.
The work of building and perfecting institutions and the revolution in arranging and streamlining the apparatus and organization of the local government at 2 levels is a prominent highlight in the direction and administration of 2025.
The Government has directed the development, coordination, and advising to submit to the Politburo for promulgation 10 breakthrough resolutions in key areas (of which 07 resolutions have been promulgated and 03 resolutions are being prepared for promulgation)[1], and at the same time submit to the National Assembly for promulgation Resolutions to institutionalize these Resolutions. Develop and submit to the National Assembly for approval the number of laws, ordinances, resolutions and promulgate the most number of decrees in a term from the past to present[2].
At the same time, focus on drastically and effectively implementing the revolution in arranging and streamlining the apparatus and organization of the local government at 2 levels associated with promoting decentralization and delegation of power. The staffing of the state administrative sector decreased by 145,000 people; regular expenditures decreased by 39 trillion VND/year. Up to now, the operation of the local government at 2 levels has basically become orderly; shifting the state from administrative management to serving the People and building development. Promoting review, cutting administrative procedures, business conditions, creating all favorable conditions for people and businesses[3].
In a very difficult context, thanks to the efforts of the entire political system, the People and the business community under the leadership of the Party, the socio-economic situation of our country continues to change positively with the trend of the following month being better than the previous month, the following year being better than the previous year, this term being better than the previous term in most fields; achieving and exceeding all 15 key targets of 2025[4], contributing to the successful implementation of the goals, tasks, and solutions for the entire term 2021-2025.
Among them, some outstanding results are: GDP growth in 2025 reached 8.02%, belonging to the group of high-growth countries in the region and the world[5], especially while we maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation at 3.31%, ensuring major balances of the economy; state budget deficit, public debt, government debt, and foreign debt are much lower than the prescribed limits[6]. State budget revenue reached a record, reaching about 2.65 million billion VND by December 31, 2025, exceeding the estimate by 34.7% and increasing by about 30% compared to the same period in 2024[7].
Total FDI capital in 2025 attracted 38.4 billion USD, realized capital reached 27.62 billion USD, the highest since FDI capital was available, bringing the total FDI capital attracted in the entire term to more than 184 billion USD, belonging to the group of 15 developing countries attracting the largest FDI in the world.
The scale of international trade reached a record of more than 930 billion USD in 2025 (of which agricultural exports for the first time exceeded 70 billion USD), belonging to the group of 15 leading countries in the world. The GDP scale reached more than 514 billion USD. The GDP per capita reached more than 5,000 USD, more than 1.4 times higher than in 2020, putting Vietnam in the group of countries with high middle incomes.
In 2025, there were 297,500 newly established and returning businesses, 1.3 times higher than the number of businesses withdrawing from the market; accumulated to date, the whole country has over 1 million businesses operating, an increase of over 20% compared to 2020, affirming the role of the private economy as the most important driving force of the national economy, in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 68 of the Politburo. As a developing country, the economy is in the process of transformation, with high openness and modest scale, but the results achieved have affirmed the resilience of our country's economy to external shocks.
Not only in terms of quantity, the quality of growth is increasingly improved; the contribution of total factor productivity (TFP) to economic growth reached about 47% (exceeding the target of 45%); Vietnam's global innovation index in 2025 ranked 44/139 countries and territories.
The economic structure continues to shift towards industrialization and modernization; the proportion of industrial and construction sectors and service sectors in GDP increased from 78.6% in 2020 to 80.4% in 2025; the agricultural sector decreased from 12.7% to 11.6%. Many backlog and prolonged weakness projects are being resolutely handled, contributing to combating wastefulness, releasing resources, and promoting growth[8].
The strategic infrastructure system has made breakthrough developments; many large-scale, synchronous, and modern transportation, energy, logistics, service, health, education, digital infrastructure, and urban infrastructure projects have been focused on construction and completion, with high connectivity and spread, creating new development space, increasing land added value, contributing to improving competitiveness, strengthening investment attraction, creating a solid foundation to make Vietnam a connecting center of the region and globally. In the 2021-2025 term, total public investment capital reached about 3.4 million billion VND, an increase of nearly 55% compared to the previous term, and was centrally arranged, overcoming fragmentation and fragmentation; with the total number of projects using the central budget reduced from about 11,000 to about 4,600 projects (a decrease of nearly 60%).
By the end of 2025, the whole country had completed and put into operation about 3,345 km of highways (including access roads and intersections, which is 3,803 km, exceeding 803 km compared to the target) and more than 1,711 km of coastal roads, exceeding the target set by the 13th Congress. In particular, 2025 marked 3 phases of total commencement and inauguration, with 564 important and large-scale infrastructure projects, with a total investment of more than 5.14 million billion VND, of which nearly 75% is private capital, clearly showing the effectiveness of mobilizing social resources for development investment.
Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are being drastically implemented, achieving important initial results. Implementing Resolution 57 of the Politburo, within 1 year, the Government submitted to the National Assembly for promulgation 10 draft Laws directly regulating Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, and 19 Decrees guiding the Law were promulgated.
Vietnam rises to 2nd in ASEAN in AI investment, 6th/40 countries in AI Index and 44th/139 in Global Innovation Index. The three pillars "Digital Government - Digital Society - Digital Citizen" are clearly formed on a modern digital infrastructure platform. The 5G network reaches a coverage area of over 90% of the population, the National Data Center goes into operation, putting Vietnam into the group of the first 5 countries to completely master the 5G ecosystem. Connectivity infrastructure also marks a strategic milestone with an international terrestrial fiber optic cable line 3,900 km long through 5 ASEAN countries, owned by Vietnam, helping to reduce submarine cable dependence, increase network stability and ensure national data security.
Cultural and social fields are focused on, social security is ensured, and people's lives are improved. In the period 2021 - 2025, over 1.1 million billion VND was spent on social security (accounting for about 17% of total state budget expenditure). Average income of workers increased from 5.5 million VND/month in 2020 to 8.4 million VND/month in 2025. The multidimensional poverty rate decreased from 4.4% in 2021 to 1.3% in 2025.
Basically completed the goal of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses 5 years and 4 months earlier, with over 334 thousand houses. In 2025, the whole country completed over 102.6 thousand social housing houses, reaching 102% of the annual plan; The National Housing Fund was established. Supported about 8.8 trillion VND from the central budget reserve in 2025 and over 42.1 thousand tons of rice for localities to overcome the consequences of natural disasters[9]. Simultaneously built 100 inter-level primary and secondary schools in border communes, completed before the opening day of the new school year 2026-2027. According to the United Nations, Vietnam's happiness index in 2025 ranked 46th, 37 places higher than in 2020.
National defense and security potential has been consolidated and strengthened; priority has been given to allocating investment resources for national defense and security, the largest ever; political security, social order and safety have been maintained, ensuring security, safety, and people's safety; the crime situation has been curbed and significantly reduced, with a decrease of 24.23% compared to 2024.
Foreign affairs and international integration are a bright spot; in which relations with 17 countries have been upgraded and elevated, bringing the total number of countries with a framework of relations from Comprehensive Partnership to 42 countries, including Comprehensive Strategic Partnership relations with all 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council; the country's prestige and position continue to be enhanced.
2025 continues to witness strong innovations in the direction and administration of the Government and the Prime Minister in the direction of substance, efficiency, close to the grassroots, close to the people and for the people, building a constructive, action-oriented and humane Government. Prime Minister, please share your wishes and enthusiasm about this issue?
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: Implementing tasks and powers according to the provisions of the Constitution, laws and working regulations; with the action motto "Discipline and responsibility; proactive and timely; streamline efficiency; accelerate breakthrough", the Government, the Prime Minister, and each member of the Government highly promote the spirit of proactiveness, creativity, thoroughness, and decisiveness in leadership, direction, and administration in all fields; promote the role and collective intelligence associated with personal responsibility; with the motto "The Party has directed, the Government has agreed, the National Assembly agrees, the People supports, the Fatherland expects, international friends help, then only discuss doing, not backing down"; sticking to reality, taking reality as a measure; identifying people and businesses as the center, the subject, the main resource and driving force of development.
With the mindset of "looking far, looking broadly, thinking deeply, doing big", "respecting time, intelligence and decisiveness at the right time"; with the spirit of working "no matter day or night", "working day and night, working extra rest days", the Government and Government members have made every effort to innovate their thinking, ways of doing, and ways of organizing implementation; always proactive, flexible, creative and having appropriate countermeasures and solutions, promptly handling important and unexpected issues, major and urgent tasks with the motto "after going, it comes, after discussing, it is clear, after deciding, it is done, after doing, there must be results, weighing, measuring, quantifying".
In 2025 and from the beginning of the term to now, one of the outstanding highlights in the leadership, direction, and administration of the Government, the Prime Minister, levels, sectors, and localities is focusing on grasping the situation, closely following reality, and responding to policies proactively, promptly, flexibly, and effectively. The Government and the Prime Minister regularly organize flexibly direct and online meetings, exchanges, and dialogues to come up with appropriate, timely, and effective solutions.
Government leaders have conducted 239 working trips to localities, directly going to localities, construction sites, and projects to inspect, urge, and direct the resolution and removal of difficulties and obstacles right at the grassroots level, with the motto "where people need, people have difficulties, there is the Government", especially at times when people encounter difficulties, natural disasters, storms and floods such as in 26 northern provinces in 2024 and the South Central provinces in November-October 2025.
It can be affirmed that the Government term 2021-2025 has continued and promoted the 80th anniversary of the Government through various terms, always making every effort, acting decisively, closely to reality, constantly innovating and improving the quality of all aspects of work with the spirit of serving the Fatherland and serving the People, as summarized by General Secretary To Lam on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Government: "intellectual - discipline - solidarity - integrity - action - creativity - efficiency - for the people".
The goal of double-digit growth, bringing the country to continue to develop quickly and sustainably, has been clearly expressed in the Resolution of the First National Party Congress, as well as the draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress. To successfully implement these strategic goals and orientations, what key groups of tasks and solutions will the Government focus on, respected Prime Minister?
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: 2026 is the first year of the term of implementing the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress, the first year of implementing the 5-year plan 2026-2030, aiming to successfully implement 2 strategic goals of 100 years, bringing the country firmly into a new era of rich and strong development, prosperity, civilization, and happiness.
To achieve the goal of striving for double-digit growth, developing the country quickly and sustainably according to the Resolutions of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government, the Prime Minister focuses on directing levels, sectors, and localities to thoroughly grasp and implement drastically, synchronously, and effectively the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress in all fields; drastically, synchronously, and effectively implement the goal of promoting growth associated with maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation and ensuring major balances of the economy, and effectively implementing the tasks of cultural, social, environmental, defense, security, and foreign affairs development. In which, some key tasks and solutions are:
First, focus on perfecting institutions and laws to ensure transparency, synchronization, and fairness, focusing on laws on investment and business to liberate production, mobilize all resources and create new momentum for development, transforming institutions from "bottleneck points of bottlenecks" into national competitive advantages. Improve the efficiency of all types of markets; promote administrative procedure reform, and improve the business environment.
Second, continue to focus on completing the organizational structure; pay attention to improving the quality and efficiency of the operation of the local government organization at 2 levels associated with promoting decentralization, delegation of power, allocation of resources and improving the implementation capacity of subordinates; especially uphold the spirit of "locality decides, locality does, locality takes responsibility".
Third, continue to prioritize promoting growth but must maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation and ensure major balances. Closely coordinate, flexibly, effectively and reasonably expanded fiscal policy, with focus and key points, proactive, flexible, timely, effective monetary policy and other macroeconomic policies; promote and refresh traditional growth drivers, develop new growth drivers. Strongly develop the domestic market; stimulate domestic consumption demand; diversify export markets.
Fourth, establishing a new growth model, restructuring the economy, promoting industrialization and modernization, taking science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as the main driving force. Building a Program to develop fundamental industries, spearhead industries, and emerging industries. Focusing on completely removing obstacles for long-standing projects. Promoting the effectiveness of International Finance Centers and free trade zones in some localities.
Fifth, ensure the progress of strategic and key infrastructure projects; focus resources on investing in tasks and projects with breakthroughs in socio-economic development. In which, focus on deploying the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line, completing the survey and design of railway lines connecting with China, the North-South high-speed railway, developing energy infrastructure to meet economic growth requirements, ensuring energy security, developing nuclear energy; investing in the construction of a number of key national cultural, sports, educational, and medical works of regional and international scale...
Sixth, develop high-quality human resources according to international standards, especially key industries in science and technology, priority and emerging fields, focusing on 11 strategic technology industry groups. Create clear changes in the quality of education and training at all levels of education.
Seventh, focus on comprehensive and synchronous development of cultural and social fields, improving people's lives, ensuring social security. Effectively organize the implementation of national target programs on education and training, health, culture, poverty reduction... Promote the development of cultural and entertainment industries. Improve the quality of health services. Promote labor structure shifts and increase social labor productivity.
Eighth, improve the capacity to manage and effectively use resources to serve socio-economic development. Proactively respond to climate change, prevent and combat natural disasters. Focus on solving the situation of traffic congestion, water and air pollution, especially in large cities.
Ninth, consolidate and strengthen national defense and security, maintain social order and safety, create a peaceful and stable environment for national development. Promote the synchronous, effective and comprehensive implementation of foreign affairs and international integration; promote economic diplomacy, focusing on technology diplomacy.
Tenth, implement information and propaganda work, especially policy communication, "taking beauty to eliminate badness", "taking positive to push back negative", contributing to creating motivation, inspiring, promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc, striving to successfully implement the socio-economic development goals and tasks set out.
On the occasion of the New Year 2026, Prime Minister, please share with compatriots, comrades, and soldiers nationwide?
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: The important and comprehensive results achieved in 2025 and the entire 2021-2025 term are the result of the correct leadership of the Party, the drastic involvement of the entire political system, the great efforts of the people nationwide and the business community, the help of the international community, especially the proactive, flexible, drastic, timely, and effective management of the Government, the Prime Minister, levels, sectors, and localities.
On this occasion, on behalf of the Government, I respectfully thank and hope to continue to receive special attention, leadership, and close direction from the Central Executive Committee, which is regularly and directly the Politburo, the Secretariat, headed by General Secretary To Lam; the companionship, sharing, and proactive involvement of the National Assembly, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and agencies in the political system; the trust, support, and active participation of compatriots and soldiers nationwide, Vietnamese people abroad; the support and assistance of international friends; especially the utmost effort, drastic action, and high responsibility of ministries, branches, and localities.
Entering the new year 2026, starting a new stage of development of the country, together with the whole country with will, belief and aspiration to rise up, the Government collective and each member of the Government will continue to be pioneers and exemplary, strive to the fullest, bring all their capacity, wisdom and responsibility to perform well the responsibilities and tasks according to their assigned authority, and together with the whole country firmly step into a new era of wealth, prosperity, civilization, happiness, and firmly step forward towards socialism.
Sincerely thank Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh!
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[1] Resolutions that have been issued (resolutions 57, 59, 66, 68, 70, 71, 72 of the Politburo) on science, technology, innovation, national digital transformation; international integration; law-making and enforcement; private economic development; national energy security; education and training; health; are preparing to issue Resolutions on cultural, state-owned economic development and the FDI sector.
[2] In 2025, submitting to the National Assembly for approval 99 draft laws and resolutions, promulgating 377 Decrees, the most ever and 06 Resolutions to handle difficulties and obstacles in legal regulations. In this term, the Government has directed the development and submission to the National Assembly for approval of over 178 laws, ordinances, and resolutions; promulgated 936 decrees under its authority.
[3] The Prime Minister and ministries and ministerial-level agencies under their authority have approved plans to reduce and simplify the estimated 3,085/4,888 administrative procedures related to production and business activities (reaching 63.1%); reduce 2,371/6,974 business conditions belonging to investment and conditional business lines (reaching 33.9%); the expected time to resolve administrative procedures to be reduced is 29,308 days/89,721 days (reaching 32.7%) and reduce administrative procedure compliance costs by about 48.6/120 trillion VND/year (reaching 40.5%).
[4] For the whole term, we achieved and exceeded 22/26 key socio-economic targets, approximately achieved 02/26 targets, not yet achieved 02/26 targets, of which exceeding all targets on social and social security; in 2024 - 2025, we achieved and exceeded all 15/15 socio-economic targets.
[5] For the entire term: in 2021, due to the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, GDP growth only reached 2.55%; in the 4 years 2022-2025, average economic growth reached 7.13%/year (exceeding the target of 6.5–7% set out in Resolution of the 13th National Congress).
[6] Public debt decreased from 44.3% of GDP in 2020 to about 35–36% of GDP in 2025, creating fiscal space for direction and administration to promote growth and socio-economic development.
[7] For the entire term 2021-2025, budget revenue is estimated at about 9.6 million billion VND, 1.36 times higher than the previous term; while tax and fee exemptions, reductions, and extensions are still about 1.1 million billion VND, while spending savings are about 1.57 million billion VND.
[8] Focused on reviewing, classifying, and drastically removing obstacles for about nearly 3,000 backlog projects with a total capital of trillions of VND.
[9] At the same time, focus on deploying the "Quang Trung Campaign" to quickly repair and build more than 41,000 houses that were heavily damaged and lost in the recent storm and flood (of which 1,597 houses had to be completely rebuilt).
