This transformation goes beyond political slogans, and is manifested through resolutions, legal reforms, and fundamental changes in administrative operations.

Prominent among these is the "Four Pillars" of institutions recently emphasized by the Party Secretary General and the Politburo: Science-Technology and Innovation (Resolution 57), Proactive and Comprehensive International Integration (Resolution 59), Comprehensive Reform of Legislation and Law Enforcement (Resolution 66), and Robust Development of the Private Economic Sector (Resolution 68). 

Alongside these, digital transformation-green transformation and large-scale administrative reform serve as the two new institutional foundations, creating a five-pillar structure for the 2025–2030 period.

Science, Technology and Innovation 

The Politburo’s Resolution 57 identifies science, technology and innovation as one of the primary drivers for fast and sustainable growth, requiring the improvement of intellectual property protection mechanisms, tax incentives for R&D, and encouragement of businesses to lead innovation.

In the first nine months of 2025, the processing and manufacturing sector using medium to high technology was the main contributor to the 7.85 percent GDP growth, with R&D centers in numerous industries, such as electronics, electrical equipment, automotive, and pharmaceuticals established in Vietnam.

Although spending on science and technology is only about 0.53 percent of GDP, the average growth rate exceeds 10 percent per year, and the share of enterprises in total R&D spending has surpassed 60 percent. 

This marks an important strategic shift: from a growth model based on cheap labor and resource extraction to one driven by knowledge, technology and creativity. 

The new institutional framework requires a sharp reduction in “ask–give” mechanisms in approving scientific projects, moving instead toward outcome-based commissioning, public–private co-financing, and deeper participation by venture capital funds in the innovation ecosystem. 

If implemented properly, this pillar will underpin an increase in total factor productivity (TFP) to around 4–5 percent per year, a prerequisite for achieving double-digit growth in the 2026–2030 period.

​International integration 

Resolution 59 on proactive and comprehensive international integration aims to move Vietnam from deep participation to shaping the rules of the game in selected regional and global arenas. After nearly a decade, Vietnam has joined 17 free trade agreements  (FTAs), including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with total trade turnover in 2025 projected to exceed $900 billion and the trade-to-GDP ratio above 200 percent, among the highest in the world.

In the first half of 2025, Vietnam’s GDP growth reached 7.52 percent, the highest level in 15 years, driven mainly by processed-manufacturing exports and FDI flows into production serving global supply chains.

New-generation integration institutions are not just about signing more FTAs, but about internalizing commitments regarding competition, environment, labor, and cross-border data, and utilizing frameworks like CBAM and global minimum tax agreements to restructure domestic policies. 

This requires deep reform of service markets, logistics, and finance, as well as upgrading corporate governance and information transparency standards, thereby turning integration advantages into institutional advantages as recommended by the OECD in its 2025 Economic Survey.

Law making and law enforcement

Resolution 66 has been described by the General Secretary as a second institutional revolution, targeting comprehensive reform from the law-making process to implementation and oversight. The goal is to build a unified, transparent, and predictable legal system that strongly protects property rights and freedom of business, while ending procedural formalism and overlapping regulations.

In the six months from late 2024 to mid-2025, four major institutional resolutions and more than 20 laws related to land, investment, bidding, and real estate business were amended, creating a clearer legal corridor for capital markets, land use, and PPP projects.

VCCI estimates that informal costs have fallen by 30 percent over five years, while the share of enterprises complaining about overlapping inspections has dropped by more than 15 percentage points.

Private sector development

Resolution 68 on private sector development is likened to a declaration restarting a second phase of Doi Moi when affirming that the private economy is truly an important driver of the national economy. It requests the elimination of discriminatory treatment between state-owned, private, and FDI enterprises; expanding access to land, credit, markets, and technology; protecting property rights; and creating a fair, transparent competitive environment.

Digital transformation, green transformation and administrative reform

The National Digital Economy Strategy targets a digital economy contribution of 20.5 percent of GDP by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030, while the Net Zero commitment by 2050 has led to a series of strategies on green growth, circular economy, and Power Development Plan VIII. By the first half of 2025, the digital economy was estimated at approximately 20 percent of GDP.

Tu Giang - Lan Anh