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The Government's public investment plan for 2026 totals VNĐ1.08 quadrillion, the largest on record and about VNĐ175 trillion higher than the 2025 plan, the ministry said.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s public investment disbursement reached VNĐ219.4 trillion (US$8.4 billion) in the first five months of 2026, equal to 21.6 per cent of the annual target set by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

Of the total, VNĐ70.6 trillion came from the central government budget, achieving 19.4 per cent of the target while local government budgets contributed VNĐ148.7 trillion, equivalent to 22.9 per cent of their plan, the ministry said.

The Government’s public investment plan for 2026 totals VNĐ1.08 quadrillion, the largest on record and about VNĐ175 trillion higher than the 2025 plan, the ministry said.

More than VNĐ1 quadrillion has been allocated to ministries, government agencies and local authorities, leaving around VNĐ79.7 trillion, or 7.4 per cent of the National Assembly-approved plan, still unassigned.

By the end of May, ministries, agencies and localities had allocated more than VNĐ1 trillion to specific projects and tasks. Excluding additional funding from local budgets, detailed allocations reached VNĐ990.7 trillion, equivalent to 97.8 per cent of the amount assigned by the Prime Minister.

Unallocated capital stood at VNĐ22.7 trillion, or 2.2 per cent of the assigned plan, across 12 ministries, central agencies and 12 localities.

The ministry said delays were mainly caused by incomplete investment procedures and proposals to reallocate funds from projects with limited demand to those requiring additional capital.

The ministry identified shortages of construction materials as a major obstacle to faster disbursement, as demand has risen sharply alongside efforts to accelerate public investment projects.

It also cited higher material prices, which have exceeded approved budgets and required contract adjustments, as well as delays in land clearance linked to disputes over land ownership, compensation rates and resettlement plans.

In addition, many project owners were still completing design work, cost estimates, approvals and contractor selection in the early months of the year, limiting the volume of work eligible for payment.

The ministry said weaknesses in project preparation and planning had also contributed to delays, with some projects requiring revisions or capital reallocations.

It added that the capacity of some project management boards, investors and contractors remained limited, while some local administrations lacked dedicated public investment personnel.

To accelerate disbursement, the ministry urged ministries, agencies and local governments to speed up land clearance, ensure adequate supplies of construction materials and strengthen oversight of material prices.

It also called for stricter enforcement of administrative discipline, including penalties for officials and organisations that delay projects, and urged local authorities to ensure sufficient staffing for project management, particularly in remote and disadvantaged areas.

The ministry further instructed agencies to fully update public investment disbursement data on its digital monitoring system to support performance tracking and evaluation.

Việt Nam climbed five places to rank 50th globally in StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, its highest position ever.

HÀ NỘI — Hi-tech products accounted for 50.76 per cent of Việt Nam’s total exports in the first quarter, reported the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Notably, Việt Nam climbed five places to rank 50th globally in StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, its highest position ever.

The domestic innovation ecosystem continued to expand, with 963 sci-tech enterprises, 20 sci-tech exchanges and 37 innovation centres operating across 26 out of the 34 cities and provinces nationwide.

On digital transformation, the rate of fully online administrative procedures reached 50.2 per cent in May. The digital economy contributed an estimated 14.02 per cent of GDP in 2025, equivalent to about US$72.1 billion.

Việt Nam also held its position among the world’s leading countries for telecom infrastructure. Mobile broadband speeds hit 207.3 Mbps and fixed broadband averaged 287.33 Mbps, placing the country 11th globally in both categories.

To date, Việt Nam has recorded 110.5 million mobile broadband subscriptions, including 24.29 million 5G users, alongside 25.62 million fixed broadband subscriptions. Postal service revenue in May was estimated at VNĐ8.5 trillion, up 30 per cent from a year earlier.

May saw several key diplomatic and science events, including the Việt Nam–India Innovation Forum in New Delhi attended by Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm, talks between Việt Nam and Sri Lanka on cooperation in 6G, drones and satellite technology, and the third meeting of the Government Steering Committee on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s import-export turnover reached US$445.12 billion in the first five months of 2026, up 25% year on year, according to data from the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

Exports totaled US$215.66 billion during the January–May period, up 19.5% year on year.

Foreign-invested enterprises were the key driver of Vietnam’s exports, accounting for nearly 80% of export turnover and recording significantly stronger growth than the domestic business sector.

Notably, 26 export items generated more than US$1 billion each in turnover, together contributing over 90% of the country’s total export value. Among them, seven products surpassed the US$10 billion mark.

On the import side, Vietnam recorded US$229.46 billion in imports, up 30.8% compared with the same period last year. The foreign-invested sector also accounted for a large share of imports, posting faster growth than domestic enterprises.

Major trading partners continued to play dominant roles in Vietnam’s trade balance.

The United States remained Vietnam’s largest export market, with export turnover hitting US$69.6 billion. Meanwhile, China continued to be Vietnam’s largest source of imports, supplying goods worth US$92.6 billion.

Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of US$13.8 billion in the first five months of 2026, reversing from a trade surplus of US$5.1 billion in the same period last year.

The country continued to post trade surpluses with the United States and the European Union, while recording large trade deficits with China, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN countries.

The latest figures indicate that Vietnam’s trade activities have maintained strong growth momentum, but also highlight the country’s considerable dependence on imported raw materials and components, particularly from Asian economies.

The sharp rise in imports partly reflected growing demand for machinery, equipment and intermediate goods to support manufacturing expansion and export production.