FDI firms most optimistic about Q3 business outlook in Vietnam: survey

Up to 81% of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam forecast improved or stable business conditions in Q3/2025 as compared to Q2, according to a survey by the General Statistics Office (GSO) on business trends among manufacturing and processing companies.

The respective figures for the domestic private and state-owned sectors were 80.7% and 79.8%, the GSO reported at a press meeting on Saturday.

Of the total, 37.3% anticipated better conditions in Q3 as compared to Q2, 43.5% expected stability, and 19.2% predicted more difficulties.

35.7% of manufacturing and processing enterprises assessed that their business conditions in Q2/2025 were better than in Q1; 43% said "stable", while 21.3% reported difficulties. The respective figures for Q1/2025 were 24.1%, 47.1% and 28.8%.

Indicators related to production volume, orders, and export orders increased. 26.4% reported an increase in new export orders in Q2 compared to Q1, 51.4% said "stable", and 22.2% saw a decline.

The respective figures for Q3 were 30.8%, 51.0%, and 18.2%, despite the upcoming U.S. reciprocal tariffs on Vietnamese exports.

25,500 new firms each month in H1

Alongside a GDP growth of 7.52%, the highest in 15 years, business activities in Vietnam in the first half of 2025 showed many positive signs.

In H1, the country saw 91,200 newly registered enterprises with total registered capital of nearly VND820.9 trillion ($31.36 billion) and nearly 591,100 registered employees, up 11.8%, 9.9%, and 13.9% year-on-year, respectively.

Although the average registered capital per newly established enterprise in H1 was VND9 billion ($343,774), a 1.7% decrease year-on-year, the total additional capital injected into the economy during this period was over VND2,778 trillion ($106.11 billion), up 89.0%.

The additional registered capital from existing enterprises rose sharply, reaching VND1,957 trillion ($74.75 billion), 2.7 times higher than the same period in 2024.

Additionally, over 61,500 companies resumed operations, up 57.2% year-on-year, bringing the total number of newly established and reactivated businesses in H1 to over 152,700, a 26.5% rise.

On average, nearly 25,500 enterprises were newly established or resumed operations each month.

In H1, more than 80,800 enterprises temporarily suspended operations, up 13.3% compared to the same period last year. Over 34,000 firms temporarily ceased operations while waiting for dissolution procedures, up 18.3%.

More than 12,300 businesses completed dissolution procedures, a 23.3% year-on-year rise. On average, nearly 21,200 businesses exited the market each month.

The share of companies confident in economic stabilization for Q3/2025 has dipped slightly to 50% (down 8 percentage points from the previous quarter), according to the Q2/2025 Business Confidence Index (BCI) released by EuroCham on June 30.

"However, this shift does not signal growing pessimism. Rather, it suggests that businesses expect limited near-term changes given the complexity of a volatile international environment," said Thue Quist Thomasen, CEO of Decision Lab, the survey partner for BCI.

Most are not forecasting deterioration (11% reporting gloomy outlook, only up 1 percentage point since last quarter) – just a period of holding steady.

This wait-and-see stance is echoed in the sentiment breakdown: 39% of respondents hold a neutral short-term outlook, while 43% continue to rate their business prospects as “Good” or “Excellent”.

Yet through it all, resilience remains the dominant theme. Vietnam's steady growth, dynamic workforce, and expanding trade network continue to inspire confidence.