Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's newly registered business capital soared 63.6% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2026, even as a wave of business closures underscored an accelerating shakeout across the corporate sector.

According to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, more than 125,900 new enterprises were established between January and July, up 16.9% from a year earlier. Their combined registered capital reached nearly 1.52 quadrillion VND (58.3 billion USD), pushing average registered capital per new business to 12.1 billion VND, almost 40% higher than in 2025.

Including additional capital injected by existing firms, total investment flowing into the economy climbed to 3.6 quadrillion VND, up 7.3% year-on-year.

Vietnam's corporate landscape continued to undergo a rapid overhaul. Nearly 31,200 enterprises completed dissolution procedures in the first seven months, up 118.7% from a year earlier.

Notably, in July the number of businesses suspending operations pending dissolution rose by 136.8%, while the number completing dissolution procedures surged by 269.9% compared with July 2025. On average, 22,200 businesses exited the market each month.

Economists said the diverging trends reflect an increasingly selective market, where financially weaker firms are being squeezed out while investment flows toward businesses with stronger balance sheets and greater resilience.

Another striking trend was the widening gap between capital investment and hiring. Despite the surge in registered capital, newly registered employment fell 10.9% to nearly 597,300 workers.

The mismatch suggests Vietnam's economy is rapidly pivoting from labour-intensive growth to a model driven by capital and technology, as new businesses invest more in digitalisation and productivity-enhancing equipment than in expanding payrolls.

The transition is also evident across industries. Enterprise dissolutions rose 128.5% in construction, 125.1% in wholesale and retail, and 135.3% in real estate where closures outpaced new business formation by roughly six to one.

In contrast, capital continued to flow into technology- and infrastructure-intensive sectors. New business registrations in electricity, water and gas production and distribution surged 74.5%, reflecting growing investment in energy and utility infrastructure.

Economists said the latest figures signal more than a surge in business capital. They point to a fundamental reshaping of Vietnam's corporate sector, with weaker firms giving way to larger, better-capitalised enterprises positioned to drive the country's next phase of economic growth./.