Vietnam tourism has clinched a double win at the 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, as voted by readers of the US magazine Condé Nast Traveller.
Hanoi possesses a unique charm, with its Old Quarter filled with nostalgic corners and elegant French architectural works that have stood the test of time. These heritage structures, meticulously planned and rich in cultural significance, contribute greatly to the capital’s timeless beauty.
Multi-value agricultural models such as the “Golden Rice Fields of Tam Coc”, “Hang Mua Lotus Pond”, and “Cuc Phuong Yellow Camellia Tea Gardens” have combined organic production with tourism, helping Ninh Binh attract an estimated 31.7 million visitors and generate 31.1 trillion VND (1.22 billion USD) in revenue in the 2020-2025 period.
Amidst global economic fluctuations, Vietnam has made a remarkable mark on the world tourism map, becoming a phenomenon of French tourism success in 2025.
The recent inauguration of the Vietnam National Space Centre at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi serves as one of the leading space centres in Southeast Asia. It is the first high-tech project funded by Japan’s ODA loans.
On March 15, 2026, voters nationwide cast their ballots to elect deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term. After the vote, the National Election Council and local election committees continue key procedures to complete the electoral process in accordance with the law.
During the period, 36 new overseas projects were granted investment certificates with total registered capital from Vietnamese investors reaching 532.4 million USD, up 2.3 times compared to the same period last year. In addition, three projects adjusted their capital with an additional 7.8 million USD, 1.5 times higher than a year earlier.
To enhance public communication and promote digital transformation in election work, the Hanoi chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has introduced a digital map of information on the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and the Hanoi People’s Council for the 2026–2031 term. The digital map helps expand the application of information technology and digital transformation in providing services and information to voters across the city.
Election day for deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure has been set for March 15, 2026. Under the regulations, voting takes place from 7.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on the same day. Depending on local conditions, the Election Committee may decide to start voting earlier, but not before 5.00 a.m., or end later, but no later than 9.00 p.m. on the same day.
Decision No. 173/QD-TTg dated January 27, 2026, issued by the Prime Minister approving the strategy for promoting Vietnam’s image abroad for 2026–2030 with a vision to 2045, identifies international communication as a strategic soft-power tool serving national development. The strategy aims to position Vietnam among Asia’s leading countries in terms of national brand and image by 2045, while striving to rank in the top three in ASEAN and top 30 in the Global Soft Power Index.
The Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress sets several environmental targets for the 2026–2030 period, including maintaining forest coverage at 42 percent, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 8–9 percent, treating and reusing 65–70 percent of wastewater in river basins, and expanding marine and coastal protected areas to at least 6 percent of Vietnam’s maritime area.
The Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress sets a target for the 2026–2030 period to achieve average annual GDP growth of at least 10%, raising GDP per capita to about 8,500 USD by 2030.
The Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress sets out key economic, social and environmental development goals and targets for the 2026–2030 period. Key social targets include raising the Human Development Index (HDI) to around 0.8; increasing life expectancy at birth to 75.5 years, with healthy life expectancy reaching at least 68 years.
The Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress outlines Vietnam’s development goals towards rapid and sustainable growth, improved living standards, and the vision of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045.
In 2025, Vietnam performed around 1,368 organ transplants – the highest number ever recorded – making the country the leading nation in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of transplants performed each year.
Over the past 71 years of development, Vietnam’s healthcare sector has made remarkable progress, promoting scientific research, applying modern technologies, and building a comprehensive healthcare system to better meet the growing demand for medical care and treatment among the population.
Party General Secretary To Lam stressed that the principle “Culture must light the way for the nation” underscores a people-centred culture as the spiritual bedrock, endogenous strength, and embodiment of Vietnamese brainpower, propelling national development toward independence, self-reliance and self-strengthening.
Women account for 63% of the labour force and are involved in the ownership of 51% of businesses, underscoring their growing role in Vietnam’s socio-economic development and global integration.
National Tourism Year – Gia Lai 2026 will be held in Gia Lai under the theme “Gia Lai – Where the great forests meet the blue sea”, featuring a series of 244 cultural, sports and tourism events taking place throughout the year.
The Government’s action programme to implement Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture sets out specific tasks for ministries, sectors and localities to ensure coordinated implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It aims to make culture a solid foundation and an intrinsic strength of the nation.
Nine Vietnamese companies have been included in TIME magazine’s list of the 500 Best Companies in Asia–Pacific for 2026, highlighting the country’s growing corporate presence across multiple industries.
The science and technology sector posted 464,116 billion VND (17.6 billion USD) in revenue in January, up 23% year on year. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the sector’s contribution to GDP growth for the month was estimated at 124,065 billion VND (4.7 billion USD), up 33.3% compared with January 2025.
The National Election Council has issued a resolution announcing a list of 864 candidates running for 500 seats in the 16th National Assembly across 182 constituencies nationwide.
The latest annual survey by InterNations revealed strong satisfaction levels among expats in Vietnam, with 89% expressing contentment with the local cost of living and 87% reporting that their income supports a very comfortable lifestyle. It highlighted Vietnam's particularly competitive pricing across food, housing, transport and leisure activities.
