Vietnam’s economy remained robust and dynamic during the first four months of 2025, solidifying its place among the fastest-growing economies globally, even amid rising global uncertainties.

Backed by decisive policy measures, active diplomacy, and targeted reforms, the nation is now setting its sights on an ambitious GDP growth target of 8% or higher for the year.

Vietnam’s socio-economic performance in April and the first four months of 2025 showed strong momentum, driven by robust growth in domestic consumption, trade, and investment, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Retail sales of goods and services climbed 9.9% year-on-year to 2.28 quadrillion VND, while the tourism and hospitality sectors saw significant gains, with revenues jumping 24.5% and 14.9%, respectively.

Meanwhile, total import-export turnover reached $275.18 billion, a 15% increase from the same period last year, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.02 billion, Vietnam plus reports.

During the same period, 47,881 Vietnamese workers were deployed overseas under labour contracts, highlighting the country’s continued strength in labour exports.

Social welfare initiatives also progressed, with support provided for over 200,000 homes through national housing programs, and 78.3% of communes meeting the criteria for new-style rural development.

These encouraging results came in spite of global challenges, most notably the abrupt implementation of reciprocal tariffs by the US, which disrupted global trade flows and dampened business sentiment.

In response, Vietnam acted swiftly and decisively: the government convened 11 high-level meetings to reassess negotiation strategies, while Party General Secretary To Lam held direct talks with US President Donald Trump.

As a result of these diplomatic efforts, Vietnam was named among six key economies prioritised for bilateral discussions with the US on tax policy.

These diplomatic moves played a key role in preserving investor confidence and ensuring macroeconomic stability. Reflecting this optimism, major international organisations have issued positive growth forecasts for Vietnam in 2025: the World Bank projects 6.8%, AMRO expects 6.6%, and the UN forecasts 6.5%. Still, Vietnamese policymakers are setting their sights even higher.