Vietnam has made remarkable strides in the World Happiness Report, climbing to 46th place in the 2025 rankings—an eight-spot improvement from 2023. This steady progress has significantly boosted Vietnam’s global standing, advancing from 77th in 2021 to 65th in 2022 and 54th last year. The country now holds the second position in Southeast Asia, trailing only Singapore.

The latest report, published on March 20 by the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, assesses the well-being of citizens across 143 countries and territories. The rankings are determined by various factors, including social support, life expectancy, economic stability, and kindness within communities.

For the eighth consecutive year, Finland has maintained its position as the world’s happiest country, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Notably, Costa Rica and Mexico have entered the top 10 for the first time, securing the 6th and 10th spots, respectively. Meanwhile, the United States has dropped to 24th place—its lowest ranking on record. At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan remains in last place, followed by Sierra Leone and Lebanon. The World Happiness Report is produced in collaboration with the analytics firm Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, providing insights into global well-being and societal progress.

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Vietnam has set an ambitious export target of 454 billion USD for 2025, a 12% year-on-year increase, despite recent signs of deceleration in exports due to global economic pressures.

Many experts believe that achieving this goal will require decisive actions from regulatory bodies and extraordinary efforts from businesses to overcome obstacles.

According to data from the Ministries of Finance and Industry and Trade, Vietnam exported 65.2 billion USD worth of products in January-February, a 9.9% increase compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, imports totaled 62.9 billion USD, rising 16%, resulting in a trade surplus of 235 million USD.

The MoIT has issued a directive outlining several solutions to develop markets, promote exports, and manage imports this year. The ministry advised businesses to closely track market developments, while Vietnamese trade offices abroad will continue updating industry associations on policy changes so businesses can adjust production plans and seek new orders accordingly. Efforts will also focus on exploring new markets, such as the Middle East and Halal markets.

Experts emphasised the importance of capitalising on free trade agreements, accelerating negotiations for new and upgraded pacts, and ensuring the domestic implementation of international commitments. Additionally, training on rules of origin for enterprises, along with efforts to combat origin fraud, improve logistics services, and promote digitalisation to streamline business operations, should be prioritised.

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Australia’s East Asia Forum has praised Vietnam as a model for economic development, attributing its success to the new leadership’s emphasis on high-tech innovation, large-scale infrastructure projects, and institutional reforms.

Foreign media outlets have highlighted Vietnam’s economic resilience amid global challenges and its strategic vision for future growth. The East Asia Forum specifically commended the country for attracting global tech giants, tackling corruption, and employing effective diplomatic strategies. These efforts position Vietnam well on its path to becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2045.

The UK’s Financial Times has emphasized Vietnam’s expanding global trade networks, which now include China, the US, North Asia, the European Union, and ASEAN. Vietnam has outpaced its regional peers in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), drawing capital from South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan (China), China, and the US.

Meanwhile, France’s economic-research.bnpparibas.com has identified key drivers of Vietnam’s economic growth. These include surging global demand for electronics, a manufacturing boom fueled by FDI, a recovering real estate market after the 2022-2023 crisis, and potential increases in both private consumption and government spending.

According to the UK’s The Globalist, Vietnam’s per capita GDP surpassed that of the Philippines last year and is closing in on Indonesia’s. Over the past two decades, the country has maintained an impressive annual compound growth rate of 5% in real terms, exceeding the global average by 1.7 times.

By 2035, an estimated 36 million more Vietnamese are expected to enter the consumer class, with urban areas driving 90% of spending growth. Vietnam’s deep-water ports and regional road links further enhance its economic appeal, while its ultra-high-net-worth population is projected to grow by 30% by 2028, ranking just behind Malaysia and Indonesia.

The US-based Investing.com, citing a report by the Vietnam Holding investment fund, noted that despite market volatility in January, Vietnam’s banking and retail sectors remained stable thanks to government stimulus packages. It also highlighted a strong foundation for economic growth, with the tourism sector off to a strong start in early 2025. Foreign tourist arrivals reached a record 2.5 million in January, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels and marking a 36.9% year-on-year increase. This tourism boom, coupled with rising domestic consumption and an expanding middle class, is expected to help offset fluctuations in global trade.

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Experts said FDI was an important factor pushing Vietnam’s GDP growth rate in the first half of 2024 to 6.2%, laying the foundation for the Ministry of Planning and Investment to adjust the country’s growth target for this year to 7%.

According to the General Statistics Office, as of June 20, Vietnam had drawn nearly 15.19 billion USD in FDI, up 13.1% over the same period last year.

Foreign investors are still confident in the Vietnamese market and interested in continuing to invest in Vietnam. The FDI can reach 39-40 billion USD this year, higher than the 2023 figure.

Experts attributed the good FDI attraction results so far this year to the country’s stable macro-economic situation and good conditions in infrastructure system, human resources, tax, fee and land reserve access.

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On July 11, in Vientiane, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, hosted a red-carpet welcome ceremony for Vietnamese President To Lam and his high-ranking delegation during their state visit to the neighboring country. Following the ceremony, the two leaders engaged in talks to further bolster all-round cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

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Seventy years ago, Vietnam won the Dien Bien Phu battle, forcing the French government to sign the Geneva Agreement in July 1954 and marking the end of the French military presence in the whole Indochina.

The battle for Dien Bien Phu is still bittersweet for many who wear the victory as a badge of honour, but lament the steep death toll.

The 1954 battle killed thousands of soldiers on both sides within less than two months, from March 13 to May 7, as Vietnamese fighters hemmed in French forces – equipped with superior weapons – and bombarded them with heavy artillery. The globe-shaking was the fruit of the clear-sighted leadership by President Ho Chi Minh, military art engineered by General Vo Nguyen Giap, and especially the great national solidarity. During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, tens of thousands of people engaged in transporting supplies to the front or building the road for moving the artillery serving the battle.

Seven decades have passed but the stature, meaning and lessons learnt from the great victory remain valid today, being a great source of encouragement for the entire nation in the current national construction and development.

Vietnam has shone bright as a country of peace, bliss and robust development. It has carved out significant achievements with its bamboo diplomacy, in which it stays steadfast and unyielding on basic principles but flexible in the ways and means to achieve strategic objectives.

The country has established diplomatic ties with 190 countries and territories across the five continents, and even strengthened bonds with its formers foes.

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A raft of measures to deal with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is included in the Government’s freshly issued action program as the country is striving to clamp down on illegal fishing.

Among the short-term measures carried out until May 2024 are improving public awareness of IUU fishing prevention. Besides, it is a must to comply with both Vietnamese and international laws on seafood traceability, while investigating, identifying and handling all acts related to illegal fishing.

Regarding long-term measures, the Government resolves to complete policies and regulations on the fisheries, improve fishermen’s livelihoods, and direct management of the fishery workers in accordance with both domestic and international labor regulations.

Furthermore, it will encourage public-private cooperation to develop technical fishery infrastructure, and improve the capacity and responsibility of the fisheries surveillance force and competent agencies.

Other highlights of the program include enhanced international cooperation in the domain, negotiations on delimitation of the exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, and implementation of the international commitments and treaties on protection of the ocean resources and marine ecosystem.

Right after receiving the EC’s yellow card in 2017, Vietnam promptly enacted the Fisheries Law, and established fishing vessel data covering registration and the issuance of fishing licences from central to local levels.

Relevant ministries, agencies, and coastal provinces and cities of the country have ramped up IUU fishing prevention tasks and solutions in line with directives of the permanent members of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing Prevention.

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The Vietnamese Government ranked 39th out of 193 countries in terms of artificial intelligence readiness on a 2023 report by the UK-based Oxford Insights. This marks a significant jump for Vietnam’s AI readiness.

With a total AI readiness score of 54.48, Vietnam ranks at 9th place within the East Asia region. Vietnam’s score is higher than East Asia’s average ranking of 51.41, which places it 4th among the 9 global regions covered in the report.

On January 26, 2021, Vietnamese Prime Minister issued a decision on the “National Strategy for Research, Development, and Application of Artificial Intelligence until 2030.”  Since then, AI technologies have been deployed across multiple sectors in Vietnam.

By 2030, Vietnam aspires to be one of the top four nations in ASEAN and among the top 50 globally in the realm of AI research, development and application. The country aims to trademark 10 AI technologies and create three high-performing national data and computing centres.

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Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh province has been ranked sixth among the 10 most beautiful caves in the world by British travel magazine Time Out. With 38.5 million cubic metres of space, the 9-kilometre-long cave is the world’s largest natural cave.

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Vietnam stocks are among the best performers in Southeast Asia to start 2024, and the VanEck Vietnam ETF (VNM) is participating in the rally, reported etftrends.com, a US newswire on March 19.

The newswire reported that, as of March 15, the original ETF dedicated to Vietnam equities is beating the MSCI Emerging Markets Index by a margin of better than 3-to-1 this year. That index is the gauge, to which Vietnam is angling for a market classification promotion.

The financial services sector, specifically brokerage firms, is one of the groups leading the way in Vietnam this year. That is good news for VNM investors, because that is the ETF’s largest sector exposure, at a weight of 27.63%.

According to the newswire, there are few reasons Vietnamese banks and brokerage firms are rallying in the first quarter.

One is that rising liquidity in the previously illiquid market. Another is expectations Vietnam will, at the very least, be promoted to emerging markets status by FTSE Russell at some point this year. The country is currently classified as a frontier market.

Bloomberg said, the liquidity boost and retail trading boom have benefited the overall market as well, with the VN Ind`ex the best performer among benchmarks in Southeast Asia this year.

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