Đà Nẵng is intensifying efforts to attract investment, develop the international financial centre and unlock development resources as the central coastal city aims to achieve economic growth of more than 11 per cent in 2026.

ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng is intensifying efforts to attract investment, develop the international financial centre and unlock development resources as the central coastal city aims to achieve economic growth of more than 11 per cent in 2026.

According to Trần Văn Vũ, head of the Đà Nẵng Statistics Office, the city recorded strong investment attraction momentum during the first four months of 2026, both in terms of capital scale and project numbers.

Investment flows have become increasingly diversified, with a focus on infrastructure, high-quality services and sectors with high added value, helping improve the efficiency of capital utilisation. The city is gradually reinforcing its position as an attractive investment destination, laying the foundation for medium- and long-term growth. Domestic investment in Đà Nẵng exceeded VNĐ70.8 trillion (US$2.68 billion) during the period, tripling the figure recorded in the same period of 2025. The city licensed 42 new projects and approved capital increases for eight others.

Vũ said the figures reflected growing investor confidence in the city’s business environment, particularly as support policies and infrastructure improvements continue to take effect.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction also showed strong growth, reaching $237.7 million, double the level recorded a year earlier. The city granted licences for 47 new FDI projects, approved capital adjustments for 16 projects and recorded 10 transactions involving capital contributions and share acquisitions in economic organisations.

The results indicate that Đà Nẵng’s investment climate is becoming increasingly attractive and capable of drawing more flexible capital flows.

The Vietnam International Financial Centre in Đà Nẵng (VIFC-DN), although newly operational, has begun establishing itself as a new economic model drawing considerable interest from both domestic and foreign investors.

To date, it has welcomed 12 official members, while 11 investors have received approval for investment interest. More than 85 domestic and foreign investors have shown interest and registered to become members. According to Đặng Đình Đức, Standing Vice Chairman of the VIFC-DN Executive Agency, the city will accelerate the development of key urban, transport, technical and digital infrastructure projects supporting the financial centre.

The agency also plans to expand international partnerships, organise the Đà Nẵng Economic, Finance and Technology Week 2026, participate in sustainable financial centre initiatives and establish cooperation agreements with major global financial centres.

At the same time, the VIFC-DN will step up investment promotion activities aimed at attracting multinational corporations and investors in the financial sector, thereby enhancing Việt Nam’s position within the global financial network.

Unlocking resources to drive growth

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Lê Ngọc Quang said the city remains committed to achieving double-digit growth in 2026, with services serving as the main pillar and industry-construction acting as the growth engine.

The city will continue strengthening investment attraction, accelerating public investment disbursement and addressing bottlenecks affecting delayed projects. It also plans to further promote science and technology, digital transformation, human resources development and social welfare, particularly in mountainous areas.

Minister of Finance Ngô Văn Tuấn noted that tourism and services currently account for more than half of Đà Nẵng’s economic structure. However, based on international experience, he said industrial development remains essential for sustaining double-digit growth. He suggested the city focus on sectors with competitive advantages in order to attract investment more effectively.

According to the minister, Đà Nẵng faces two major challenges in its ambition to become a highly competitive Asian development hub. The first is its coastal climate and saline environment, which pose difficulties in attracting investors in electronics manufacturing. The second relates to human resources, as the city’s workforce quality has yet to stand out despite a population exceeding 3 million.

Đà Nẵng, often described as a “livable city,” should introduce stronger policies to attract highly qualified international talent, Tuan advised, stressing that the city’s growing automobile industry should move toward green transition and electric vehicle production to align with global trends.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Gia Túc said Đà Nẵng has already benefited from a range of preferential and breakthrough mechanisms designed to attract investment. These include the establishment of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, the Free Trade Zone and the VIFC-DN, all supported by special policies promoting finance, technology transfer and innovation.

He urged the city to prioritise the mobilisation of all available resources to ensure the effective operation of the Free Trade Zone and the VIFC-DN in order to attract major corporations and investors.

The Deputy PM also encouraged Đà Nẵng to proactively work with ministries and agencies to formulate additional breakthrough policies on economic and trade development where necessary, before submitting them to the Government for consideration.

The figure representing a year-on-year increase of 25%.

Members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) sold 126,794 vehicles in the first four months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 25%, the association has announced.

Passenger vehicle sales rose by 18%, commercial vehicles by 38%, while special-use vehicles recorded a sharp increase of 119%.

Imported completely built-up vehicles continued to grow faster than domestically assembled models. By the end of April, sales of locally assembled vehicles had gone up 16% year-on-year while imported units soared by 32%.

In April alone, some 31,937 vehicles were sold, dropping 17% from the previous month. Of the total sales, passenger vehicles accounted for 21,284 units, down 14% month-on-month; commercial vehicles 9,805 units, a decline of 26%; and special-use vehicles 848 units.

Vietnam’s real estate market is likely to experience a great many changes over the course of 2026, with a host of factors coming into play.

Industry insiders believe 2026 will mark one of the most intense shakeout phases the real estate market has encountered in years. Compared to the early days of January, construction costs, including materials and labor, have risen by 15-20 per cent, while credit growth limits for the industry have been cut from 19 per cent to 15 per cent, with lending increasingly concentrated on large projects and major developers.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors (VACC) and Chairman of GP.Invest, told Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy that real estate companies will face fierce competition in 2026. “As a result, most smaller-capitalized property companies will continue to struggle with access to bank financing,” he continued. “Deposit rates have eased slightly, but lending rates remain at 11-14 per cent per annum. This has directly affected market liquidity. In the first quarter, at many projects, sales reached only around 30 per cent of levels seen in previous quarters, making profitability very difficult.”

Transactions down sharply

Ms. Do Thi Thu Hang, Senior Director of Advisory Services at Savills Hanoi, said mortgage rates at certain banks have climbed rapidly, at times reaching 15-16 per cent per annum. This has increased borrowing costs and directly affected both affordability and investment decisions.

For developers, she continued, elevated rates and tighter credit conditions have compounded financing costs and limited access to capital, particularly for less-viable projects. Only those with strong balance sheets, stable cash flows, and diversified fundraising channels have sufficient resources to continue project development and offer suitable interest rate support packages to buyers.

The market is entering a broad and forceful cleansing phase, she explained. Access to bank loans and investment funds will be scrutinized more carefully, with priority given to viable projects that meet genuine market demand. The divide between strong and weak players is becoming clearer than ever. While financially solid companies are using merger and acquisitions (M&As) to expand market share, weaker firms that relied heavily on leverage are stagnating.

On the buyer side, a “safe hands” approach would be directing attention toward developers with strong finances and proven reputations, while becoming more cautious in committing capital. Highly-leveraged investors, especially short-term speculators, face mounting risks as cash flow pressure may force distressed sales and market exits. This trend was quickly reflected in weaker liquidity and slower transactions in the first quarter of 2026.

Ms. Pham Thi Mien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Real Estate Market Research Institute (VARS IRE) at the Vietnam Association of Real Estate Brokers (VARS), citing the Institute’s latest report, said the market recorded around 24,000 transactions in the first quarter, equivalent to an absorption rate of 47 per cent of primary supply. The rate for new supply reached 58 per cent, or more than 22,000 transactions.

Compared with the previous quarter, absorption declined partly because the extended Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday fell in the first quarter and also because macro-economic volatility and persistently high borrowing costs made homebuyers more cautious. She added that projects priced more competitively than the broader market have recorded near-100 per cent absorption. Those with full legal documentation, reliable construction progress, and products serving genuine housing demand have maintained healthy liquidity, while those lacking infrastructure and amenities, especially land plots in many areas, remain subdued.

Six restructuring trends expected

Against that backdrop, Ms. Mien forecast that the market will be reshaped by six major trends over the remaining months of the year.

First, supply will be restructured through greater concentration and higher standards focused on green and sustainable development. Supply is expected to continue rising, but under the dominance of financially-strong developers with integrated execution capabilities. Large-scale township projects are likely to become the main source of new supply.

Second, development space will shift in line with infrastructure and integrated urban planning. Ring roads, expressways, and metro networks under Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) models are expected to see suburban areas and satellite cities become new growth poles.

Third, capital channels will be restructured as cheap money disappears. Developers are expected to reduce dependence on short-term leverage and move toward more sustainable funding structures, including higher equity contributions, joint ventures, M&A activity, and stronger project cash flow management.

Fourth, buyer behavior will become more practical, with decisions increasingly based on genuine utility and financial efficiency rather than expectations of rapid price.

Fifth, demand will be rebuilt on a more sustainable foundation, centered on genuine housing need in major cities and medium to long-term investment strategies.

Sixth, the market’s operating mechanism will become more polarized while moving toward sustainable standards. Capital and liquidity will be concentrated in projects with prime locations, full legal status, reliable progress, and reputable developers, while weaker projects will face growing difficulties in sales and fundraising, leading to natural market exits.

Meanwhile, the latest report from the Ministry of Construction (MoC) noted that, in the closing months of 2026, as new regulations are implemented in a coordinated manner and begin to take effect, the real estate market will continue to differentiate clearly and gradually move on to a more stable trajectory. Improved supply is expected to help stabilize overall pricing and curb unreasonable price increases, creating better conditions for genuine homebuyers.

Expert outlook

As the market moves deeper into restructuring, industry leaders believe the remainder of 2026 will be shaped by more selective demand, tougher competition, and a widening divide between stronger developers and weaker players. Affordable housing, infrastructure-led growth areas, and legally-sound projects are expected to remain key themes.

Ms. Hoang Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Housing and Real Estate Market Management at the MoC, said demand in the months to come is expected to focus on affordable homes, reasonably-priced condominiums in major cities, and land plots in areas with synchronized infrastructure and stable communities.

She added that brokerage activity is becoming more orderly and professional as tighter supervision and higher licensing standards come into being. Speculation and artificial price inflation will also face closer scrutiny, helping to curb abnormal market volatility. Meanwhile, greater transparency in market, planning, and policy information is expected to support buyers and investors.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Xuan Nga, General Director of BHS Property, said the high-rise housing segment is projected to enter a broad supply expansion phase during 2026-2027, with more than 139,000 apartment units expected to launch, mainly from large-scale mega projects. However, he added that rising supply does not signal a return to overheated growth. Rather, developers are likely to face intensifying competition for liquidity and buyer attention.

To the end of the year, meanwhile, the low-rise housing segment is forecast to maintain positive momentum, with future supply exceeding 78,000 units, largely concentrated in mega urban developments with abundant land reserves controlled by major developers. Projects with stronger planning, legal clarity, amenities, and location are expected to outperform others.

Infrastructure investment is increasingly seen as the market’s most powerful long-term catalyst. Mr. Su Ngoc Khuong, Senior Director of Investment at Savills Ho Chi Minh City, said infrastructure is becoming the defining force reshaping the property landscape. Around 234 large-scale projects with total estimated investment of VND3,400 trillion ($130.8 billion) are underway, including Long Thanh International Airport, metro networks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and more than 380 km of the North-South Expressway, which recently opened.

These projects are creating new economic corridors, supporting industrial real estate through integrated supply chain ecosystems while accelerating the rise of new growth poles in surrounding satellite areas.

According to Mr. Khuong, Vietnam entered 2026 from a position of growing strength, supported by stable macro-economic fundamentals, sustained FDI inflows, a more transparent legal framework, and an expanding interregional transport network.