AsemconnectVietnam - Vietnam’s General Statistics Office (GSO) under the Ministry of Finance released its report on the country’s socio-economic situation in January 2026 on Feb. 6, according to the government portal Chinhphu.vn.

1. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
a) Agriculture
As of Jan. 20, 2026, Vietnam had planted about 1.91 million hectares of winter-spring rice, equivalent to 93.7% of the area planted during the same period last year. Of this total, the northern region accounted for 181,100 hectares, or 79.4% year-on-year, while the southern region reached 1.73 million hectares, or 95.5%.
Planting progress for other annual crops such as maize, sweet potatoes, soybeans and peanuts remained below last year’s levels, mainly due to the impact of storms and floods in the final months of 2025.
Livestock production gradually recovered following disease outbreaks. Pig farming showed signs of improvement, while poultry production remained stable and sufficient to meet consumption demand during the Lunar New Year holiday.
By the end of January 2026, the national pig herd was estimated to have increased by 2.8% from a year earlier. Cattle numbers declined by 1.7%, buffalo herds fell by 4.5%, while poultry stocks rose by 5.2%.
b) Forestry
Nationwide newly planted forest area in January 2026 was estimated at 9,500 hectares, up 8.4% from a year earlier. The number of scattered forestry trees planted reached about 3.9 million, an increase of 1.3%. Timber output was estimated at 1.245 million cubic metres, down 3.0%.
Forest damage totaled 16.5 hectares, down 57.3% year-on-year. Of this, forest fires affected 0.8 hectares, down 65.2%, while illegal logging and forest destruction covered 15.7 hectares, down 56.7%.
c) Fisheries
Fishery output in January 2026 was estimated at 613,800 metric tons, up 3.6% from a year earlier. Aquaculture production reached 341,200 tons, up 3.5%, while capture fisheries output rose 3.8% to 272,600 tons.
2. Industrial production
The industrial production index (IIP) in January 2026 was estimated to have fallen 0.2% from the previous month but surged 21.5% from a year earlier.
Manufacturing and processing output rose 23.6% year-on-year. Electricity generation and distribution increased 14.1%, water supply and waste management activities rose 13.6%, while mining output climbed 10.3%.
Industrial output increased year-on-year in all 34 provinces and cities.
The number of employees working in industrial enterprises as of Jan. 1, 2026 rose 0.8% from the previous month and increased 4.3% from a year earlier.
3. Business registration
In January 2026, nearly 24,200 new enterprises were established nationwide, up 40.9% from the previous month and 126.8% from a year earlier.
More than 24,500 enterprises resumed operations, up 146.2% from the previous month and 7.6% from a year earlier. As a result, the total number of newly established and returning enterprises reached nearly 48,700, up 45.6% year-on-year.
During the month, nearly 54,300 enterprises registered for temporary suspension of operations, up 2.8% from a year earlier. About 7,303 enterprises ceased operations pending dissolution procedures, up 109.1%, while 4,609 enterprises completed dissolution procedures, up 128.1%.
In total, 66,200 enterprises exited the market, an increase of 13.5% from a year earlier.
4. Investment
State budget investment disbursement in January 2026 was estimated at 43.1 trillion dong, equivalent to 4.8% of the annual plan and up 19.3% from a year earlier.
Total registered foreign investment into Vietnam, including newly licensed projects, adjusted capital and capital contributions or share purchases by foreign investors, reached $2.58 billion as of Jan. 31, down 40.6% from a year earlier.
Realised foreign direct investment was estimated at $1.68 billion in January, up 11.3% year-on-year.
Vietnam’s overseas investment saw strong growth. In January 2026, 27 new overseas projects were licensed with total registered capital of $230.8 million, nearly 2.8 times higher than a year earlier. Two projects adjusted their capital, adding $7.5 million. Total outbound investment reached $238.3 million, nearly three times the level a year earlier.
5. State budget revenue and expenditure
State budget revenue in January 2026 was estimated at 370.7 trillion dong, equivalent to 14.7% of the annual estimate and up 20.4% from a year earlier.
State budget expenditure was estimated at 163.0 trillion dong, equivalent to 5.2% of the annual estimate and up 6.4% year-on-year.
6. Trade, prices, transport and tourism
a) Retail sales and consumer services
Total retail sales of goods and consumer services revenue at current prices in January 2026 were estimated at 632.4 trillion dong, up 2.6% from the previous month and 9.3% from a year earlier. Excluding price factors, growth was estimated at 6.3%.
b) Merchandise trade
Total merchandise trade turnover in January reached $88.16 billion, down 0.6% from December but up 39.0% from a year earlier. Exports rose 29.7%, while imports surged 49.2%, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.78 billion.
Exports totaled $43.19 billion, down 2.0% from the previous month and up 29.7% year-on-year. Processed industrial goods accounted for $38.43 billion, or 89.0% of total exports.
Imports reached $44.97 billion, up 0.6% from December and up 49.2% from a year earlier. Production materials accounted for $42.3 billion, or 94.0% of total imports.
The United States remained Vietnam’s largest export market with turnover of $13.9 billion, while China was the country’s largest import source with $19.0 billion.
The domestic economic sector recorded a trade deficit of $3.4 billion, while the foreign-invested sector, including crude oil, posted a surplus of $1.62 billion.
c) Prices
The consumer price index (CPI) in January 2026 rose 0.05% from the previous month and increased 2.53% from a year earlier. Core inflation rose 3.19%.
The gold price index jumped 5.02% from December and surged 77.1% year-on-year. The U.S. dollar price index fell 0.29% from the previous month but rose 3.18% from a year earlier.
d) Transport
Passenger transport was estimated at 525.5 million passengers in January, up 5.0% from December and 16.3% from a year earlier. Passenger turnover reached 28.5 billion passenger-kilometres, up 10.1% year-on-year.
Cargo transport reached 279.0 million tons, up 2.2% from the previous month and 17.4% from a year earlier. Freight turnover rose 17.2% to 57.7 billion ton-kilometres.
e) International arrivals
International arrivals to Vietnam reached nearly 2.5 million visitors in January 2026, up 21.4% from the previous month and 18.5% from a year earlier, supported by visa reforms, stronger tourism promotion and improved service quality.
7. Social conditions
A household survey showed that 95.3% of households reported stable or higher income levels compared with a year earlier, while 4.7% reported lower or uncertain income.
Social welfare programmes were implemented in a timely manner ahead of the Lunar New Year, with a focus on policy beneficiaries, low-income households and vulnerable groups.
As of Jan. 29, 2026, the government had distributed nearly 13,400 tons of rice to households facing food shortages, natural disasters and holiday-related difficulties.
In public health, the country recorded 20,200 dengue fever cases with two deaths, 7,963 hand-foot-and-mouth disease cases, 989 suspected measles cases, 26 viral encephalitis cases, six meningococcal meningitis cases and two rabies-related deaths during the reporting period.
Vietnam recorded 1,528 traffic accidents nationwide, killing 904 people and injuring 945 others during the month.
Authorities detected 3,160 environmental violations nationwide, imposing fines totaling 36.7 billion dong. There were 260 fire and explosion incidents, causing 12 deaths and 12 injuries, with estimated damages of 193.2 billion dong.
T.Huong
Source: Vitic/ GSO