Vietnam Economic News: 21.2 - 28.2.2026
Summary of Vietnam Economic News: 21.2 - 28.2.2026
---
Summary of Vietnam Economic News: 21.2 - 28.2.2026 ---
VIETNAM'S VINGROUP PLANS TO RAISE $350 MLN SELLING BONDS OFFSHORE
Reuters News – 27 February 2026
The board of directors of Vietnam's Vingroup has approved a plan to raise up to $350 million through the sale of bonds on a foreign stock exchange, a filing with the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange said on Friday. The bonds are expected to have a coupon rate of 5.75%. The USD-denominated bonds will have a maturity of 5 years. The bonds are expected to be listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange in Austria. The bonds are expected to be issued in the second quarter.
INFRASTRUCTURE SPLURGE TO INCREASE VIETNAM'S DEFICIT
Reuters News – 26 February 2026
Vietnam's fiscal deficit and public debt are expected to increase as the country invests in large infrastructure projects, Moody's Ratings said on Thursday, urging banks to boost capital buffers. The country has embarked in an ambitious programme to upgrade its infrastructure, with hundreds of new large-scale projects launched just last year for an estimated value of around $200 billion. That is part of a wider plan to boost growth and diversify its export-reliant economy. Vietnam is targeting a deficit of 4.2% of its Gross Domestic Product this year, up from 3.8% in 2025. That will increase the debt burden estimated at around 33% of GDP last year, although Moody's projected it to remain lower than peers at around 40% of GDP by the end of the decade. A wide-ranging reform agenda launched under top leader To Lam is also expected to benefit banks and reduce their exposure to the real estate sector, Moody's said. Loan growth to the sector rose to 42% by the end of September compared to a year earlier, above an average of 27% between 2022 and 2024, Moody'ssaid, noting that exposure was expected to stabilise this year. Moody's said Vietnamese banks had relatively low capital buffers with a Tier 1 ratio of 9%, nearly half the average in Southeast Asia, but it expected the gap to narrow over the next few years because of higher capital requirements. It urged some large state-owned banks to "aggressively build their capital buffers", citing BIDV and VietinBank among those with "modest capitalisation compared with most private commercial banks".
AGORA AND FPT LAUNCH REGIONAL AI PARTNERSHIP TARGETING SOUTHEAST ASIA'S BANKING AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Dow Jones Newswires – 24 February 2026
Agora (NASDAQ: API), a global leader in real-time engagement and conversational AI technologies, and FPT, Vietnam's leading IT services and digital transformation company, today announced a strategic partnership to expand artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across Southeast Asia's banking and financial services sector. The collaboration will combine Agora's real-time engagement and conversational AI capabilities with FPT's regional footprint and enterprise integration expertise to help financial institutions enhance customer engagement, streamline digital services, and improve operational efficiency. By integrating Agora's Conversational AI (Convo AI) and ultra-low-latency real-time communications (RTC) with FPT's enterprise AI ecosystem, the partnership enables banks and financial institutions to deliver secure, intelligent, and real-time interactions across voice, chat, and video. The collaboration supports key banking and financial use cases, including retail and corporate banking customer support, payments and account-related services , lending and credit lifecycle interactions, insurance onboarding, policy servicing, and claims assistance and cross-border and multilingual customer engagement.
VINFAST MIDDLE EAST SIGNS MOU WITH PLUSX ELECTRIC TO STRENGTHEN EV OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN THE UAE
Dow Jones Newswires – 23 February 2026
VinFast has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PlusX Electric, a DEWA-approved EV charging and mobility solutions provider in the UAE, to enhance charging access and customer support for VinFast drivers in the country. The partnership will focus on expanding flexible charging solutions, including portable EV charging pods, on-demand mobile charging, and emergency roadside assistance to reduce range anxiety. PlusX may also become a preferred partner for supplying and installing home and office chargers, while both companies explore DC fast charger leasing and mobile charging support for fleet customers. In addition, the collaboration will assess digital integration initiatives to streamline bookings, service updates, and potential EV insurance offerings via the PlusX app. The agreement supports VinFast’s broader strategy to strengthen its EV ecosystem in the UAE and the Middle East, reinforcing infrastructure, aftersales support, and customer confidence in electric mobility.
GOV’T PLANS TO BORROW $37 BILLION, REPAY DEBTS OF $20 BILLION IN 2026
Vietnam News – 28 February 2026
The Vietnamese Government has approved a 2026 plan to borrow up to nearly VND970 trillion (about US$37 billion) and repay approximately VND535 trillion (US$20.33 billion) in public debt. Under Decision No. 352/QĐ-TTg, around VND959 trillion will be used to balance the central budget, with the remainder allocated for on-lending. Funding sources will include government bond issuances, ODA and preferential foreign loans, international bonds, and other legitimate financing channels. The Ministry of Finance has been tasked with closely monitoring the State budget deficit, local government borrowing, and debt repayment obligations, while preparing plans for potential international bond issuance and exploring new financing methods to ensure sufficient development capital without breaching public debt limits for 2026–2030. The ministry is also required to manage bond maturities flexibly to reduce costs and ease budget pressure, expand the revenue base, and cut expenditures to lower the deficit. Meanwhile, the State Bank of Vietnam will oversee foreign borrowing by non-government-guaranteed enterprises to ensure limits are not exceeded and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in case of adverse developments.