The Vietnam New Economy Forum 2026 (VNEF 2026) convened in Hanoi on October 3, under the theme “Breakthrough Policies and Momentum of Localities and Enterprises,” focusing on turning national regulatory reforms into practical economic momentum.

The event was co-chaired by the Central Commission for Policy and Strategy, the Vietnam Economic Association, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), with Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam / Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy and the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) acting as co-organizers.

In his opening keynote, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Politburo member and Chairman of the Central Commission for Policy and Strategy, highlighted six key execution priorities designed to bridge the gap between policy design and economic absorption to ensure double-digit growth.

VNEF 2026 took place as Vietnam entered the final quarter of 2026, marking the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and Conclusion 18-KL/TW on socio-economic development, national finance, and medium-term public investment plans for 2026-2030. Following a GDP growth rate of 9.95 percent in Q3 and 9.01 percent over the first nine months of 2026, reaching the full-year double-digit target requires immediate resolution of procedural, land clearance, infrastructure, energy, data, and inter-agency execution bottlenecks.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang stated that the forum’s theme addresses the nation's primary economic imperative: rapidly converting policy measures into tangible development results.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Sy Hung, President of VCCI, noted that execution capacity at the local level remains the decisive factor in transforming policy opportunities into sustainable corporate growth.

Similarly, Ms. Mariam J. Sherman, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, emphasized that Vietnam's next growth breakthrough depends not merely on investment scale, but on effective reform implementation that delivers tangible gains to citizens.

VNEF 2026 brought together nearly 400 delegates, including leaders from central boards, ministries, nearly 30 city and provincial authorities, diplomatic missions, international organizations, business associations, financial institutions, and economists.

The forum featured three thematic sessions covering proposed changes in the implementation of governance to power growth momentum; policy breakthroughs for trade and tourism development; and financial resources for Vietnam's new growth cycle.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Vice Chairman of the Central Commission for Policy and Strategy, affirmed that key insights and proposals from the forum will be synthesized to refine policy recommendations aimed at driving Vietnam’s economy toward sustained double-digit expansion.