In the 2020-2025 period, the growth rate was second only to the 8.56% recorded in the second quarter of 2022, according to the General Statistics Office.
For the first six months of the year, GDP grew by 7.52%, marking the highest growth for the first half of any year in the 2011-2025 period.
The industry and construction sectors continued to account for the largest share of GDP and served as the backbone of the economy with industry alone growing 8.07%.
Services grew 8.14%, highest in the 2020-2025 period, driven by a surge in foreign trade, transportation, and tourism activities to meet rising domestic and global consumer demand.
The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors together added 3.51% in value.
In the first six months, Vietnam is estimated to have achieved a trade surplus of $7.63 billion, lower than the $12.15 billion recorded in the same period last year.
Total trade turnover reached $432 billion, with exports rising 14.4% and imports growing 17.9%.
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Customers shop in a mall in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran |
In the first half of the year, 152,700 businesses were newly established or returned to the market, averaging 25,500 businesses per month.
Meanwhile, approximately 114,800 businesses temporarily ceased operations or exited the market, averaging 21,200 businesses per month.
A survey on business trends in the processing and manufacturing industries in the second quarter showed that 35.7% of businesses were optimistic. The number of businesses expecting improved business trends in the third quarter is projected to rise to 43%.
The average Consumer Price Index for the second quarter increased by 3.31%. For the first six months of 2025, the average CPI rose by 3.27%.
Nguyen Thi Huong, Director of the General Statistics Office, said that the socio-economic performance in the last quarter and the first half of this year was “very positive.”
These indicators are close to the set targets despite ongoing global and regional economic uncertainties.
But the economy is expected to face numerous difficulties and challenges in the second half of the year.
She noted that achieving the growth target of over 8% for 2025 remains a challenge.
The statistics agency recommends that industries and authorities enhance monitoring and forecasting, proactively manage operations with flexibility to suit global changes, and control inflation.
Additionally, authorities should diversify export markets and accelerate the disbursement of public investment capital.
Huong emphasized the need for preferential and competitive policies to create favorable conditions for attracting large-scale, high-tech projects, strategic investors, and multinational corporations to invest, establish headquarters, and set up research and development centers in Vietnam.
