The event, jointly organized by Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper, the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), and the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA), also gives regulatory agencies a more comprehensive understanding of business needs to shape policies that effectively promote the development of the private sector aligned with the Politburo's Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, dated May 4, 2025, on private economic development.
In the first four months of this year, Vietnam’s economy showed signs of positive recovery yet faced challenges due to increasingly aggressive global trade protectionism.
According to Pham Binh An, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), Vietnam’s export turnover to the United States reached US$43.4 billion, with foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises accounting for over 57 percent. The remaining came from domestic businesses, primarily in key export sectors such as textiles and garments, wood products, and seafood.
However, all three sectors have been directly affected by reciprocal tariffs, labor standards, and supply chain traceability requirements. As of April 2025, Vietnam is facing 284 trade remedy investigations. The highest number of which have been initiated by the United States and European countries.
Meanwhile, domestic consumption has yet to become a sustainable pillar of growth.
Although Vietnam’s retail market reached an estimated US$190 billion in 2024, local production and distribution capacity remain fragmented. Small and micro-sized enterprises continue to face difficulties in accessing credit, technology, and suitable production space.
In addition, according to Dr. Can Van Luc, Chief Economic Advisor at BIDV Bank and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, recent tariff policies of countries increasingly reflect geopolitics, extending far beyond traditional economic factors.
If businesses do not proactively enhance their competitiveness and adaptability, they may be at risk of being excluded from global supply chains.
Dr. Can Van Luc noted that the private sector currently accounts for nearly 99 percent of all enterprises in Vietnam, contributes over 50 percent of GDP, and generates 82 percent of total employment. However, their technological capacity remains limited, while the pace of digital and green transformation is still slow, and domestic and international linkages remain weak.
Therefore, the implementation of support policies under Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW on private sector development, along with programs to train 10,000 CEOs and develop 1,000 exemplary private enterprises, is a crucial driving force for enabling businesses to break through and grow.
Private sector at new opportunity
Amid the current domestic and global economic context, CEO Forum 2025 serves not only as a platform to listen to the voices and concerns of businesses but also as a bridge connecting policy with practice. It acts as a conduit for policy dialogue, helps to address institutional bottlenecks, expands market potential, and redefines the role of the private sector in a new era.
Notably, the private sector is standing at the threshold of a new opportunity, as it receives unprecedented attention from the Party, the State, and the Government, and breakthrough policy mechanisms under Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW.
According to experts’ presentations submitted to the CEO Forum 2025, in order to survive and grow, businesses can no longer rely on the outdated model of low-cost contract manufacturing. They must focus on exporting and expanding market share under their brands. This requires investment in product traceability and resilience to global volatility.
Furthermore, leveraging free trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks, and central government support policies will open new pathways for private enterprises to integrate more deeply into global value chains.
As an organ of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the voice of the city's Party Committee, Government, and People, Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper identifies its responsibility for not only providing information but also creating substantive platforms for dialogues, seeking high-quality solutions that contribute to the development of the business community.
The CEO Forum 2025 is not only a place for businesses to listen but also to share their opinions and suggest practical policies.
The forum is a major event within the series of activities titled “Pride in Identity—Position in Integration,” aimed at building the image of Vietnamese entrepreneurs who are resilient, globally integrated yet rooted, and competitive yet never alone.
Notably, the forum brings together businesses from sectors directly affected by technical trade barriers and trade defense measures, including textiles and garments, wood products, steel, and food.
This attains more and greater depth of discussion and reflects a wide range of industry perspectives, helping to clarify specific institutional, financial, and digital transformation support needs.
According to the organizers, this year’s forum sees the participation of over 200 CEOs, experts, and representatives from central and local government agencies to engage in discussions across key thematic areas, including strategies for expanding export markets amid rising trade barriers; developing the domestic market with a renewed focus on real value and building strong Vietnamese brands; innovating financial models, accessing green capital and smart credit; accelerating digital transformation and promoting e-commerce; and strengthening value chain linkages and forming international alliances in production, distribution, and marketing.
The message of this year’s CEO Forum is that policy can only be effective when it resonates with the heartbeat of businesses.
Conversely, businesses can only achieve long-term sustainability when their growth mindset aligns with the evolving market context at home and abroad, from tradition to digitalization.
CEO Forum 2025 is not only a meeting venue but also a catalyst for reform ideas, gathering practical proposals, and strengthening the local economic ecosystem connectivity. Through this dialogue, businesses can more clearly identify opportunities for value chain collaboration, paving the way for the formation of intra- and cross-sector business alliances that foster mutual development.
Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper hoped to continue serving as a strategic bridge to inspire reform ideas, gather practical policy proposals, and promote the development of local economic ecosystems, contributing to improving the business environment in Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.
