The event was co-organized by the Vietnam Economic Association, Vietnam Economic Times (VnEconomy), and the Institute for Policy and Strategy, under the professional guidance of the Central Commission for Policy and Strategy. Under the theme "Synergizing Foreign-Invested and Domestic Economic Sectors for Sustainable Growth in the New Era," this year's forum featured a keynote speech by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang, along with the presence of over 300 leaders from ministries, foreign business associations, major FDI corporations, and leading economic experts.
The event took place in a very special context as 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Vietnam's Doi Moi (Renovation) process and serves as the inaugural year for the 2026-2030 socio-economic development phase with pivotal strategic goals. The world is entering a period of profound transformation with trends in global supply chain restructuring, the explosion of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the semiconductor industry, and green transition. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese economy just concluded 2025 with impressive results, achieving GDP growth of approximately 8.02%, bringing the economy's scale to $514 billion. However, experts pointed out that to achieve the ambition of becoming a high-income developed nation by 2045, Vietnam cannot rely solely on attracting mass investment but requires a new growth model based on innovation and effective synergy between economic sectors.
In his keynote address, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang emphasized that the foreign-invested economic sector has always been an integral part of the national economy, encouraged for long-term development and healthy competition. The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed: “Vietnam is shifting its mindset from attracting mass FDI to selective, high-quality, efficient, and sustainable investment cooperation.” He also clarified that the Government is not only concerned with the amount of capital investors bring in, but more importantly, with technology, added value, the ability to connect Vietnamese enterprises into global supply chains, and contributions to green and digital transformations. The Deputy Prime Minister frankly acknowledged that the quality of linkages between the FDI sector and domestic enterprises has not yet met expectations, as many Vietnamese firms only participate in low-value-added segments and have limited technology absorption capacity.
To address these challenges, the Deputy Prime Minister outlined five major orientations, with a focus on continuing to institutionalize reforms and improving the investment environment-shifting from a management mindset to a development-service mindset. The Government commits to prioritizing projects in semiconductors, AI, clean energy, and modern financial services. At the same time, the State will implement stronger policies to support domestic enterprises in improving governance and technological capacity to gradually form a team of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers for multinational corporations. Concluding his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the Government will always accompany, listen to, and act alongside the business community to build a transparent, safe, and internationally competitive investment environment.
During the presentation and panel discussion sessions, the forum became a multi-dimensional dialogue space between regulators and international investors. Dr. Le Duy Binh, Director of Economica Vietnam, provided impressive figures, stating that the private sector contributed up to 73% of total social investment capital in the 2021-2025 period, demonstrating immense internal potential. Meanwhile, Mr. Brook Taylor, CEO of VinaCapital, analyzed Vietnam's funding gap of up to $1.5 trillion for infrastructure development and industrialization, emphasizing the role of mobilizing private capital through professional capital markets. Representing UOB Vietnam, Mr. Dinh Duc Quang shared the goal of attracting approximately $40-50 billion in registered FDI annually in the coming period, reaffirming Vietnam's position in ASEAN capital flows.
A special highlight of this year's Forum was the "Insight Talks" session, featuring practical stories of global value chain integration from major corporations such as Intel, Toyota, and De Heus. Representatives from SingCham, BritCham, and VCCI discussed the concept of "Next-Generation FDI," where success is measured not only by investor profits but also by the sustainable development of the local business community. Experts also noted that linkage efforts cannot succeed if domestic enterprises maintain low labor productivity or are not prepared for international standards and corporate governance.
At the event, the presence of KLINOVA, represented by Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam, attracted the attention of many delegates. With years of experience as a strategic consultant in green transition and carbon markets, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam has consulted on building sustainable production ecosystems and Net Zero roadmaps for businesses across various sectors. KLINOVA's participation once again affirmed the role of specialized consultancy organizations in supporting domestic enterprises to adapt to the strict standards of "Next-Generation FDI," especially ESG requirements, carbon emission reduction, and sustainable development-which are becoming inevitable trends in global investment capital.
The Vietnam Connect Forum 2026 was not just an information-sharing event but carried strategic significance in shaping a new cooperation model between the FDI sector and the domestic economy. Creating a substantive, long-term partnership between these two sectors is the key to enhancing internal strength and the position of Vietnam's economy in the nation's "rising era." As the forum concluded, the message of "synergy" was strongly amplified, opening new expectations for a breakthrough, sustainable, and autonomous development phase for Vietnam in the future.
- Huu Hoang -
