PM Pham Minh Chinh chairing the meeting

Marking the 21^st anniversary of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day, the leaders of the government met with outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs from across the country to acknowledge and honour their achievements and contributions to national construction and development, particularly during challenging times.

PM Chinh emphasised that a remarkable trait of the Vietnamese people is that the more pressure they face, the greater their efforts and growth. Vietnam has recorded the growth on-month, on-quarter, and on-year, with this term projected to outperform the previous one.

As a result, the economy has expanded in scale, per capita income has increased, labour productivity has improved, and the material and spiritual lives of the people have steadily increased. “Within these overall results lies the contribution of the business community, which itself is becoming stronger and more mature,” he said.

The PM cited several landmark projects led by Vietnamese businesses. My Thuan 2 Bridge is larger, more beautiful, longer, and wider than My Thuan 1, yet built faster and more economically. Long Thanh International Airport, expected to be completed by the end of this year; the steel dome structures of the Vietnam Exhibition Centre in Dong Anh, Hanoi; and achievements in agriculture, are also significant.

“We must continue to maintain the spirit of confidence, pride, self-reliance, and independence to take longer strides, 'reaching out to the sea, delving deep into the earth, and soaring into the sky'. This is a great cause of the Party and the people, but entrepreneurs must play an emerging, core, and exemplary role,” he added.

To achieve this, he called for breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation as outlined in Resolution No.57-NQ/TW of the Politburo; while also promoting the private sector as a key driver of the economy under Resolution No.68-NQ/TW. This is to be done alongside a leading role for the state-owned economy and an important role for foreign-invested enterprises.

Le Ngoc Son, CEO of Petrovietnam

Le Ngoc Son, CEO of Petrovietnam, shared that after 55 years of development, 2025 marks a historic milestone for Petrovietnam as it officially changes its name to the Vietnam National Energy and Industrial Group, with the vision “Pioneering, Excellence, Sustainability, Global Reach”.

To realise that vision, he said, “We have identified three strategic priorities: continue playing a leading role in ensuring national energy security; pioneering the shift towards sustainable energy transition; rising to become a leading industrial energy group in the region and globally.”

Petrovietnam proposed two recommendations to help the business community maximise its potential.

First, the government should advise the Politburo to soon issue a new resolution on the development of state-owned enterprises and the state economy io remove institutional bottlenecks and create stronger momentum for growth.

Second, the government and the PM should soon issue a decree on operational mechanisms and special financial mechanisms tailored to Petrovietnam's new model and stature.

“We believe timely policy reforms will provide a significant boost for businesses in general, and especially state-owned enterprises, to continue innovating and developing sustainably,” he stated.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of EVN

Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of Vietnam Electricity (EVN), said that Vietnam continues to hold a leading position in the ASEAN region, with total electricity generation capacity expected to reach 88,400 MW by the end of 2025.

Of this, EVN and its generation subsidiaries will account for 32,298 MW, or 36.5 per cent of the national total. Technical indicators such as energy loss, supply reliability, and access to electricity are currently ranked in the top four in ASEAN.

“These are proud achievements of Vietnam's revolutionary electricity sector,” he said.

EVN is actively implementing major power source projects under the revised Power Development Plan VIII, including nuclear power at Ninh Thuan 1; thermal power plants Quang Trach 1, 2, and 3; expansion of existing hydropower plants; fuel conversion and upgrades of coal-fired plants; offshore wind power projects in Northern Vietnam; and energy storage initiatives.

Regarding the power grid, from 2021 to 2025, EVN is set to complete 962 grid projects ranging from 110-500 kV (including 52 projects at 500kV, 170 at 220kV, and 740 at 110kV), totalling 17,806 km of transmission lines and almost 88,000 MVA in transformer capacity. These projects aim to enhance power infrastructure, improve grid connectivity, and ensure electricity supplies.

“EVN is setting ambitious targets from now until 2030 to become a strong enterprise on par with global corporations,” Tuan said. “We will continue to modernise governance, master science and technology, and drive digital transformation to improve service quality and achieve sustainable growth. Our goal is to enter the top three ASEAN utilities and strive to become a Fortune Global 500 company by 2030, with the support of the government and relevant ministries.”