Nguyen Thi Huong, head of the Standing Group of the Steering Committee of the 2026 Economic Census and Director of the National Statistics Office (NSO), said the first phase of data collection was underway nationwide and was scheduled to conclude on March 10.

As of February 9, progress in the first phase had reached 57.6%. Several provinces and cities reported strong results, including Dong Thap at 92.9%, Quang Tri at 86.3% and Dak Lak at 84.2%. Others were lagging, with Cao Bang at 28.9%, Gia Lai at 39.3% and Khanh Hoa at 42.3%, she said.

Monitoring, inspection and data cleaning for the first phase are being carried out in parallel, while preparations for the second phase are also underway, according to Huong. Authorities are compiling survey lists, organising training and collecting information from surveyed entities, including businesses and corporations, non-public service units, associations and foreign non-governmental organisations licensed to operate in the country.

She added that the second phase would run from March 1 to April 30. Data verification and cleaning would take place concurrently, with preliminary results scheduled for release on June 30.

To meet the revised timeline, Huong noted that the committee had proposed changes to survey content. For businesses, six questions based on financial report data would be added to help compile key indicators for firms that have not completed financial statements at the time of data collection.

At the same time, 20 indicators would be removed from the business survey and replaced with administrative data or shifted to later survey rounds.

Huong shared that for non-public service units, associations and organisations, information on fixed assets by asset type would no longer be collected through surveys and would instead be sourced from administrative or alternative data.

Representatives from local statistics offices emphasised that the census had benefited from strong Government oversight and public communication campaigns, while enumerators generally met requirements for capacity and experience. Training, inspection and supervision had also been strengthened.

However, challenges remained in some localities, including uneven attention by local governments to statistical work, limited grassroots staffing and enumerators holding multiple roles. The large survey scope and reluctance among some business owners to provide tax-related financial information had also slowed data collection.

After reviewing reports and feedback, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang, head of the Steering Committee for the 2026 Economic Census, praised the NSO and steering committees at all levels for beginning preparations early in 2025 and completing many key tasks on schedule.

However, he noted that first phase data collection was progressing slowly in some areas, coordination remained weak in certain localities and limited grassroots resources continued to affect data quality and progress.

The adjusted plan must be implemented synchronously and decisively, he said, stressing that faster progress should not come at the expense of data reliability. Thang called for greater use of information technology to improve efficiency and avoid wasted resources.

The minister also instructed provincial steering committees to promptly revise local plans in line with the central adjustments, assign clear responsibilities and accelerate first phase data collection, while reviewing staffing, funding and organisational capacity and proposing additional support where needed.

The NSO reported that the 2026 Economic Census introduces several new features compared with previous rounds.

For the first time, the census will include cooperatives and individual business establishments operating online, extending coverage beyond traditional business models.

Survey content has also been updated to better capture digital transformation, the application of science and technology and innovation in production and business activities.

In another change, the compilation of lists of individual business establishments began earlier than in past censuses, starting in October 2025. Officials say the early listing is intended to improve coverage and classification accuracy, particularly in the highly volatile individual business sector.

The census will apply information technology across all stages, from preparation and data collection to verification, processing and data acceptance. Authorities will also strengthen digital management, including the use of artificial intelligence to determine industry codes and digital mapping tools to monitor survey progress in real time.

In addition, the census will enhance data connectivity and synchronisation with administrative sources, including business registration, tax and customs databases.

2026 Economic Census kicks off on January 7

The National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance on January 7 launched the 2026 Economic Census across the country.