New businesses, market re-entries up 32.8% in first four months
More than 119,400 enterprises were established and re-entered the market in the first four months of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 32.8%, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
The office’s socio-economic report for April and the January-April period, released on May 3, showed that during the period, Vietnam saw 77,800 newly registered businesses with a total registered capital of nearly VND785.4 trillion (US$29.8 billion) and 356,900 employees. Compared to the same period last year, these figures increased by 50.7% in the number of businesses and 60.1% in registered capital, respectively.
In April alone, nearly 20,400 enterprises were newly established. The most notable feature was not the number of new firms but the quality of capital inflows. Although the number of newly established enterprises fell 7.1% from March, registered capital increased 9.7% to nearly VND246.8 trillion (US$9.36 billion). Compared with the same month last year, the number of new firms rose 33.9% while registered capital surged 84.6%.
In the first four months, an average of 29,900 enterprises were newly established or resumed operations each month. Total additional capital injected into the economy reached nearly VND1.9 quadrillion, up 4.2% year-on-year, indicating investors’ willingness to commit larger resources to new production and business projects.
Sectoral data reflected flexible capital flows responding to market demand. Services remained the largest magnet for investment, with nearly 58,100 newly established enterprises, up 48.7%. Industry and construction recorded 18,900 new firms, up 56.6%. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries, recording the smallest segment with 827 enterprises, posted the fastest growth at 66.7%.
Accommodation and food services stood out with newly established enterprises soaring 121.3%, signalling robust recovery in tourism and domestic consumption.
At the same time, market restructuring continued. In the January-April period, about 108,900 enterprises withdrew from the market, up 12.8%. On average, roughly 27,200 enterprises suspended operations or dissolved each month.
Enterprises temporarily suspending operations increased 5.1%, while completed dissolution procedures nearly doubled, rising 98.7% year-on-year. Wholesale, retail and motor vehicle repair recorded the largest number of dissolutions with 5,719 firms. Real estate also remained under pressure, with dissolutions climbing 110.9%.
The MoF said it will prioritise institutional reform, easier access to land and resources, interest-rate support, workforce training and streamlined administrative procedures to lower compliance costs and strengthen the private sector's competitiveness.