Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) - The FTSE Russell upgrade of Vietnam’s stock market on September 21 opens the door to foreign capital, but the harder task is how to make the country a core, long-term allocation rather than a small weighting in global portfolios.
Don Lam, CEO and Founding Partner of VinaCapital, made the argument at its 2026 Investor Conference in Ho Chi Minh City on October 13. The event drew more than 140 investors and representatives of local and overseas financial organisations, who weighed opportunities across major asset classes as Vietnam’s capital market enters a new growth phase.
He said Vietnam is holding up well against a difficult global backdrop, with high-tech exports and heavy infrastructure spending underpinning growth. FTSE Russell’s upgrade of the stock market to secondary emerging status is a milestone that reinforces Vietnam’s standing among international investors.
Favourable demographics and ample room to industrialise, urbanise and lift productivity add to the case. Together, they provide a base for long-term growth and returns.
To capture the benefits of the upgrade, Vietnam must keep deepening its capital market, broaden its range of investment products and expand its capacity to absorb inflows.
A potential MSCI upgrade to emerging market status and a possible investment-grade sovereign credit rating could provide further momentum in coming years. Reaching both will depend on sustained gains in market quality and economic and financial fundamentals, he added.
Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, said the city has reached a pivotal stage of growth. As the country’s economic engine, it is accelerating infrastructure spending and courting quality capital in sectors earmarked as growth drivers for the next decade, including technology and artificial intelligence, green energy, high-tech manufacturing, logistics and financial services. That widens the scope to match international capital with the economy’s funding needs, but it also demands better project quality, stronger corporate capabilities and more efficient use of capital.
Prof. Russell Napier, a macroeconomic strategist and author of “Anatomy of the Bear,” delivered the keynote global outlook. Drawing on his expertise in capital flows and long-term market cycles, he assessed where Vietnam stands in the next cycle of capital allocation among international investors.
Panel sessions covered the outlook for Vietnam’s stock market after the upgrade; private capital markets, technology investment, growth equity and pre-IPO and IPO opportunities; AI infrastructure and renewable energy; the next real estate cycle; climate-impact investing; and the banking and consumer sectors.
Financing Vietnam’s large-scale infrastructure build-out and the role of the Vietnam International Financial Centre were also on the agenda. The topics are pressing as infrastructure requires ever-larger sums of capital, making diversified funding channels and long-term investors top priorities./.
VNA
See more
Reference exchange rate increases 13 VND on October 14
With the current trading band of +/- 5%, the ceiling rate applicable for commercial banks during the day is 26,928 VND/USD, and the floor rate 24,364 VND/USD.
Vietnam’s airlines expand international networks
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam forecasts that the country’s aviation market will handle 94 million passengers and more than 1.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2026, up 13% and 9.3%, respectively, from 2025.
Bac Ninh customs facilitates clearance to boost exports
Pham Chi Thanh, head of Customs Sub-Department Region V, said the unit is focusing resources on developing a digital customs model and streamlining professional procedures to shorten clearance times and reduce costs for businesses while maintaining effective state management.
UOB raises Vietnam’s 2026 GDP growth forecast to 9.2%
In its latest macroeconomic report, UOB also raised its 2027 growth forecast to 8.8% from 8.4%.
Ho Chi Minh City honours top 50 brands for 2026
The awards aim to recognise brands that can lead their industries, drive innovation and create a ripple effect across the business community, lifting the city’s standing in a new growth stage.
Ho Chi Minh City's housing market sees price stabilisation, sharper buyer segmentation
According to Avison Young Vietnam, improved planning and infrastructure development have helped ease market uncertainty and prevented a complete freeze. More than 25,000 apartments are expected to enter the market in multiple launches between 2027 and 2030, with many projects scheduled to benefit from infrastructure improvements around 2030.
Vietnam, Georgia look to more business opportunities
For Vietnamese firms, Georgia can serve as a gateway to broader regional markets, given its strategic location connecting the South Caucasus, Central Asia and China with European markets via the Black Sea.
PM’s visit injects fresh momentum into Vietnam-Laos special relations
At the 2026 Laos-Vietnam Investment Promotion Conference in Vientiane, the two PMs held direct dialogue with businesses and investors from both countries, affirming their determination to address bottlenecks in institutional frameworks, administrative procedures, transport infrastructure and payment connectivity. The goal of these efforts is to boost bilateral trade to 10 billion USD by 2030.
Hanoi hosts three int'l exhibitions to boost industrial supply chains
Organised by Informa Markets Vietnam, ProPak Hanoi 2026, MTA Hanoi 2026 and SemiTronics Vietnam 2026 run concurrently at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre (VEC) in Dong Anh commune from October 13-15 under the theme “One destination – Three exhibitions”.
Deputy PM calls for action to curb property speculation, price manipulation
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc called for the definitive resolution of long-standing projects and the commencement of operations at projects whose bottlenecks had been addressed, thereby unlocking resources and expanding supply, particularly housing priced within people's means.
Deputy PM calls for strict implementation of five “no’s” to combat IUU fishing
Deputy PM Ho Quoc Dung affirmed that combating IUU fishing and removing the EC’s "yellow card" must go hand in hand with sustainable fisheries development, marine economic growth and improved livelihoods for coastal communities.
Phu Quoc moves to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks ahead of APEC 2027
Deputy Secretary of the An Giang provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Phu Quoc special zone Dinh Van Noi said an official information portal will be launched to receive public feedback, while hotlines for local leaders will allow businesses and residents to raise concerns directly.
Vietnamese firms explore investment opportunities in Georgia
Priority areas with great cooperation potential include manufacturing, logistics infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, hospitality, information and communications technology (ICT), and business process outsourcing (BPO), said a Georgian official.
Bac Ninh steps up support for private businesses to drive growth
Bac Ninh recorded 30,925 newly established enterprises during 2021-2025. As of June 30, 2026, it had 54,093 registered enterprises, about 95% of which were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
APEC 2026: Expanding financial ties between Vietnam, Hong Kong
With Vietnam’s economy growing rapidly and infrastructure development requiring substantial investment that domestic funding sources might not be sufficient to meet, raising capital in Hong Kong represents an important avenue.
Vietnamese businesses, entrepreneurs make growing contributions to national development
Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day is an opportunity to recognise businesses’ contributions and reinforce the entrepreneurial spirit, the pursuit of legitimate prosperity and national responsibility. With stronger policies and greater innovation, Vietnamese enterprises are expected to play an increasingly important role in economic growth and the country’s ambition to become a strong, prosperous nation.
Vietnam, Luxembourg seek to boost financial cooperation, attract international investment
Luxembourg expressed interest in channelling more capital into Vietnam, particularly through alternative investment funds, which mobilise private capital alongside public funding, and European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs).
Bac Ninh’s CPI up 4.07% in nine months
The consumer price index (CPI) in Bac Ninh city rose 4.07% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2026, with housing and construction materials, education and transport recording the sharpest increases, according to the municipal Statistics Office.
Measures taken to remove barriers to digital transformation for SMEs
Ho Chi Minh City has introduced policies and programmes to provide practical support for SMEs, gradually building an ecosystem that helps businesses access policies, evaluate their digital readiness, implement solutions and scale up effective models.
Reference exchange rate goes up on October 13
With the current trading band of +/- 5%, the ceiling rate applicable for commercial banks during the day is 26,915 VND/USD, and the floor rate 24,351 VND/USD.