Many difficulties

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) branch in the Mekong Delta, in the first quarter of 2026, more than 7,700 new businesses entered the market, an increase of 57% compared to the same period in 2025. Total retail sales of goods and services reached VND 292,200 billion, an increase of 18.1% compared to the same period last year.

Despite its achievements, the Mekong Delta economy is facing many difficulties. The average registered capital per enterprise remains quite low at only 5 billion VND, indicating a predominantly small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) structure. FDI attraction in the Mekong Delta continues to be a weak point, showing no significant improvement. Last year, FDI from the Mekong Delta accounted for less than 1% of the total number of projects and about 4% of the total new FDI capital nationwide. To date, the Mekong Delta has 499 active FDI projects with a total capital of over 24 billion USD.

"Based on the economic data above, it shows that the Mekong Delta economy has not yet caught up with other economic regions nationwide. The region's economic scale has not expanded, the number of businesses has increased but not significantly in quality, there are not many groundbreaking investment projects, and infrastructure is still in the process of being completed, so more time is needed..." - Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam, Director of the VCCI Mekong Delta branch, assessed.

In early 2026, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) branch in the Mekong Delta conducted a survey across the entire region. The results showed that the biggest difficulties businesses are expected to face in 2026 include rising input costs; lack of orders and shrinking markets; lack of capital and difficulty accessing credit; and fluctuations in the international market.

Regarding the prospects and export expansion needs of businesses in 2026, 50% of businesses assessed their current business performance as more stable, 20% assessed it as better than the same period in 2025; and 29% assessed it as declining and more difficult. 

Overcoming difficulties together

Mr. Tran Chi Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, stated: In 2026, Can Tho City aims for a growth rate of 10.01% or higher, striving to reach 11.5%, with a GRDP of approximately 360,000-365,000 billion VND. This is a high target, while businesses still face many pressures. However, the implementation of the city's planning and the economic growth scenario for 2026 is creating clearer development opportunities for advantageous sectors, especially processing industries, trade and services, and logistics. Simultaneously, the development orientation of Can Tho to become the center of the Mekong Delta region for trade, logistics, processing industries, and innovation is gradually being concretized, creating new development space for businesses.

According to Mr. Tran Chi Hung, the city hopes that the VCCI Mekong Delta branch will continue to play its role in connecting businesses with the government; strengthen market connections, support businesses in accessing partners and expanding outlets; and promote linkages between businesses in the region. At the same time, it should play a role in reflecting and proposing solutions through indicators such as the PCI, contributing to helping the government clearly identify bottlenecks in procedures, costs, and the business environment so that timely adjustments can be made. 

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam emphasized that the Mekong Delta is striving, along with the rest of the country, to achieve double-digit growth. To achieve this goal, in addition to the efforts of local authorities, the role of the business community in the region is crucial. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) will continue to refine its research to propose important policies to advise the Government and local authorities on economic and business development; continue to promote international trade; and strengthen training to enhance the capacity of businesses. Especially starting this year, VCCI will develop business reports specifically for the agriculture, fisheries, logistics, and technology sectors, providing essential information for businesses in these industries.

According to Mr. Dau Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary General and Head of the Legal Department of VCCI, Vietnam is undergoing a shift in legislative thinking from "strict management" to "development-oriented." This context presents businesses with both opportunities and challenges. Opportunities include reduced market entry costs due to the elimination of conditional business sectors and the implementation of "green lanes"; benefits from new-generation incentives (investment flows into high technology, semiconductors, renewable energy, etc.); and a fairer and healthier competitive environment. However, businesses face intense "post-inspection" pressure. The government relaxes input requirements but imposes heavy penalties on output if standards are violated. Furthermore, businesses that are slow to adopt digital and green transformations will be eliminated from the supply chain…

It is evident that the economic development landscape in 2026 and subsequent years is projected to be favorable, with both opportunities and challenges intertwined. The business community needs to proactively seize opportunities, enhance competitiveness, and achieve sustainable development; while also actively participating with the government in creating development, improving infrastructure, enhancing national governance efficiency, and making positive contributions to the goal of double-digit growth.