Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on October 28 attended and spoke at the high-level plenary session of the Autumn Economic Forum 2026, held in Ho Chi Minh City with the theme "The Spirit of Cooperation in the New Era."
Emphasizing the need to enhance self-reliance associated with strengthening international cooperation, the Prime Minister stated that in the context of profound global changes, no country can develop rapidly and sustainably if it stands alone. Cooperation cannot just stop at declarations and commitments but must be transformed into substantial mechanisms, feasible projects, and specific, measurable results, he said.
Speaking about the country’s socio-economic development situation, the Prime Minister reported that in the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam's GDP grew by 9.01%, the highest since 2011. The total import-export turnover has reached over$ 987 billion, an increase of more than 30% compared to the same period last year, and is expected to exceed $1.1 trillion for the entire year.
Registered FDI reached $50.36 billion, up 76.4%; implemented FDI reached $21.07 billion, up 12.1%. Total social investment capital in the first nine months exceeded $120 billion, an increase of 15.1%. Vietnam ranked 43rd out of 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2026 and has officially joined the group of upper-middle-income countries since July 2026.
According to the Prime Minister, the period 2026–2030 is pivotal, with the goal of average GDP growth of 10% per year or more, associated with macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, enhancing the quality of growth, and sustainable development.
To realize this goal, Vietnam identifies the need to strongly innovate its development model, enhance productivity, quality, and competitiveness of the economy; develop new growth drivers, with science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation acting as the main driving forces.
The Prime Minister emphasized that high growth must go hand in hand with higher productivity; attracting foreign investment must be linked to enhancing the capacity of domestic enterprises; deep integration must be accompanied by strengthening the resilience and self-reliance of the economy.
Alongside this, Vietnam continues to improve institutions, laws, and national governance towards development facilitation, removing bottlenecks, and expanding development space for localities, regions, and growth poles.
Vietnam's consistent message is not only to become an attractive destination for investment flows and new technologies but also to be a reliable partner, an important link in global supply and value chains, a center for innovation connectivity, and to co-create new growth drivers with partners., he said.
The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam hopes international partners will not only "invest in Vietnam" but "invest with Vietnam"; not only "produce in Vietnam" but also jointly research and develop (R&D), promote innovation, and form new competitive value chains regionally and globally.
To realize the spirit of cooperation in the new era, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung proposed four key contents.
First, establish a co-creative partnership between international corporations and localities and Vietnamese enterprises. Vietnam should not only be a production base but also become a center for research and development, especially in strategic technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and new materials.
Second, develop high-tech human resources. The Prime Minister suggested that the World Economic Forum (WEF) and partners accompany Vietnam in training digital talents, high-level scientific and technological human resources, and enhancing the capacity to receive, apply, and master technology for enterprises and workers.
Third, build a testing mechanism for strategic technologies. Vietnam is ready to cooperate with technology corporations to establish controlled testing facilities, promoting the rapid, widespread, and safe application of pioneering technologies such as artificial intelligence and new energy.
Fourth, mobilize medium and long-term capital for development. In this context, the international financial centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are oriented to become effective connectors of international capital with Vietnam's infrastructure, energy, green transition, and innovation investment needs.
In particular, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government values the proposals from the domestic and international business community. For each feasible proposal, the Government will designate a clear point of contact; each potential project will have a specific promotion roadmap; each legitimate obstacle will be clearly assigned to an agency or individual responsible for timely consideration and resolution.
According to the Prime Minister, the four pillars of this year's Forum include the role of megacities; breakthrough technologies and innovation ecosystems; cooperation models in the new era; and the role of the private sector, which need to be connected into a unified action program, with focus areas and specific products.
In this framework, the Government will create institutions and a development environment; localities will actively organize implementation; enterprises will take the lead in investment and innovation; the scientific community will provide knowledge and solutions; and international partners will share experiences and resources., the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister hopes that with the support of the WEF and partners, the Autumn Economic Forum will become a connecting space, promoting practical initiatives and cooperation programs that yield specific, long-term results.
Affirming that Vietnam is ready to be a friend, a reliable partner, and an active, responsible member of the international community, the Prime Minister emphasized the message: ready to cooperate and share for mutual development; ready to innovate to create value together and act for a future of peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainability.
The Autumn Economic Forum 2026 is chaired by the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (HCMC C4IR), in collaboration with and co-branded by the WEF, aiming to enhance investment, technology, and innovation connectivity, and promote cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and global economic, financial, and technology centers.
Running from October 26 to 29 in Ho Chi Minh City with more than 1,500 domestic and international delegates attending, the Autumn Economic Forum 2026 has the theme "The Spirit of Cooperation in the New Era."
Also within the framework of the Forum, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to announce 12 investment projects from domestic and foreign enterprises, with a combined registered capital of over $13 billion, focusing on logistics, energy, and infrastructure.
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