Vietnam records 8.02% GDP growth in 2025, 8.46% in Q4

Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by an estimated 8.46 % year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking the highest fourth-quarter growth rate recorded during the 2011–25 period, according to a report from the National Statistics Office (under the finance ministry) released on Monday(January 5).

For the full year, GDP is estimated to have grown by 8.02 % compared to 2024, the second-highest annual growth rate over the 2011–25 period after 2022. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries expanded by 3.78 %, contributing 5.30 % to overall growth. Industry and construction rose by 8.95 %, accounting for 43.62 %, while services grew by 8.62 % and contributed 51.08 %.

Nguyen Thi Huong, director general of the NSO, said the sharp acceleration in growth in the fourth quarter helped push full-year GDP growth in 2025 to an estimated 8.02 %, second only to the record expansion in 2022 over the entire 2011–25 period.

Analysing the growth structure in greater depth, Huong noted that the economy maintained a firm “quarter-on-quarter acceleration” trend. Specifically, GDP growth rose steadily from 7.05 % in the first quarter to 8.16 % in the second, 8.25 % in the third, and peaked at 8.46 % in the fourth quarter.

“This is the outcome of sustained and coordinated efforts to implement tasks and solutions in parallel, despite considerable uncertainties in the international environment,” she said.

In the fourth quarter, agriculture, forestry and fisheries increased by 3.70 %, contributing 5.13 % to the overall rise in gross value added. Industry and construction posted growth of 9.73 % and accounted for 45.80 % of total expansion, while services climbed by 8.82 %, contributing the remaining 49.07 %. On the expenditure side, final consumption rose by 7.15 % and gross capital formation by 8.92 %, while exports and imports of goods and services surged by 19.34 % and 19.40 % respectively.

Agricultural production remained stable despite the impact of storms and flooding, supported by timely disaster-response measures. The agriculture sub-sector grew by 3.48 % and contributed 3.59 % to overall economic expansion. Forestry rose by 5.70 %, although its contribution was limited at 0.38 % due to its small share, while fisheries expanded by 4.41 %, contributing 1.33 %.

Industry and construction recorded their strongest performance since 2019. Industrial value added increased by 8.80 %, accounting for 35.15 % of total growth. Manufacturing and processing rose by 9.97 %, the highest rate in the 2019–25 period, and remained the main driver of expansion, contributing 31.49 %. Electricity production and distribution grew by 6.39 %, water supply and waste management by 7.82 %, and mining by 0.42 %, while construction increased by 9.62 %.

The services sector was buoyed by strong growth in trade and tourism, with international visitor arrivals reaching a record high in 2025. Service-sector value added rose by 8.62 %, second only to the peak seen in 2022. Wholesale and retail trade grew by 8.52 %, contributing 10.62 % to overall growth, while transport and warehousing climbed by 10.99 %, contributing 8.69 %. Financial, banking and insurance services expanded by 7.82 %, and accommodation and food services by 10.02 %.

Labour productivity across the economy reached an estimated VND245 million per worker, equivalent to US$9,809, an increase of US$626 compared to 2024. At constant prices, labour productivity rose by 6.83 %, reflecting improvements in workforce quality, with the proportion of trained workers holding certificates or qualifications rising to an estimated 29.2 %, alongside sustained economic growth and an expanding economic scale.

The industrial production index in the fourth quarter of 2025 is estimated to have increased by 9.9% year-over-year, driven mainly by a 10.8% rise in manufacturing and processing. For the whole year, the index is estimated to have grown by 9.2 % compared to 2024, up from 8.2 % a year earlier.

Viet Nam News

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