Vietnam growth and governance reforms

In early July, President and Party General Secretary To Lam highlighted that Vietnam’s current 8.2 % growth rate fell short of the 9.7 % target and called for a special action programme to accelerate the economy in the final half of 2026. The plan emphasized fast‑tracking stalled projects, freeing abandoned land, cutting red‑tape, and boosting strategic infrastructure such as high‑speed rail, ports and digital networks, alongside regulatory measures on aviation safety, anti‑smuggling and exit‑visa processes.

By late July, To Lam shifted focus to the institutional side of development, urging unified governance across land, sea, urban zones, infrastructure, natural resources and data. He argued that fragmented, sector‑based management increases costs and hampers competitiveness, and advocated for an integrated spatial‑planning system as the “second great transformation.” The new strategy links past party congress priorities—food security, infrastructure‑driven growth, sustainability—to a long‑term goal of lifting Vietnam to upper‑middle‑income status by 2030 and a high‑income socialist economy by 2045.

Together, the two statements trace a progression from immediate economic acceleration measures to a broader push for systemic governance reform aimed at sustaining higher growth and achieving higher‑income status.