On Monday, 2 March 2026, the German Business Association (GBA) successfully hosted its Monthly Business Meeting at JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon, welcoming over 80 distinguished business leaders and members for an insightful discussion on Vietnam’s economic outlook.
The session was chaired by Mr. Alexander Ziehe, GBA Chairman & Vice President of Hettich Group, who guided the dialogue and set the stage for a forward-looking exchange on Vietnam’s reform agenda, growth ambitions, and investment landscape for 2026 and beyond.
Speaker Highlights:
- Mr. John Low, Managing Partner South East Asia of Roland Berger emphasized that in a world shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, selective capital flows, technology disruption, and enforceable sustainability standards, competitiveness is no longer defined by cost alone, but by reliability, compliance, value addition, and resilience.
- Mr. Thanh Xuan Nguyen, Senior Lecturer of Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management | Fulbright University Vietnam highlighted that while Vietnam’s growth ambition is bold, sustaining high growth will depend on structural reforms, stronger institutions, productivity gains, and a more dynamic domestic private sector.
- Mr. Anh Tuan Pham, Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Capital underlined that large-scale investments in transport and energy infrastructure are creating a strong foundation for Vietnam’s next phase of growth. However, he noted that success will depend on how quickly projects are implemented, how clear and consistent policies remain, and how efficiently capital is managed.
- Mr. Quang from Deutsche Bank noted that companies should strengthen their exchange rate risk management amid increasing volatility in financial markets.
Across the discussion, technology, AI, and digital public infrastructure were identified as key productivity multipliers, while sustainability and energy transition have become hard economic constraints directly impacting exports, competitiveness, and FDI inflows.
Vietnam’s opportunity is real, but time-bound! The next decade will reward businesses and investors who act deliberately investing early in technology, talent, resilience, infrastructure, and decarbonization.
A big thank you to our speakers and guests for a thought-provoking and forward-looking discussion.
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