Vietnam’s National Assembly has issued a series of targets for the government for 2025. It’s not clear how some of these targets were reached and some seem almost impossible.
For example, the NA has set a GDP per capita target for 2025 of US$4,900. Vietnam’s GDP per capita, according to the General Statistics Office, was US$430 billion in 2023. Assuming a 7 percent growth rate this year, that would see Vietnam clock a GDP for this year of about US$431.5 billion or US$4,315 per capita. Based on these numbers, to get to US$4,900 by the end of 2025, Vietnam would need to grow its GDP about 13.5 percent next year. On that note, the target for GDP growth next year has been set at 6.5 to 7 percent with a stretch target of 7.5 percent.
This speaks to the role of targets in Vietnam’s development discourse. This is worth keeping in mind in that targets often form a central pillar of media coverage in Vietnam, however, often come with little to no analysis and on closer inspection seem to be somewhat divorced from reality.
See also: Vietnam’s Economy: Unpacked
Full list of National Assembly targets for 2025
| Target | Plan |
| GDP | 6.5-7%, strive for 7-7.5% |
| GDP per capita | US$4,900 |
| Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP | 24.10% |
| Consumer price index growth rate | 4.50% |
| Social labour productivity growth rate | 5.3-5.4% |
| Proportion of agricultural labour in total social labour | 25-26% |
| Rate of trained workers | 70%, with degree 29-29.5% |
| Urban unemployment rate | under 4% |
| Poverty rate | down 0.8-1% |
| Doctors per 10,000 people | 15 |
| Hospital beds per 10,000 people | 34.5 |
| Health insurance participation rate | 95.15% |
| Rate of communes meeting new rural standards | 80.5-81.5% |
| Rate of collection and treatment of urban solid waste | 95% |
| Industrial parks, export processing zones with standard wastewater treatment systems | 92% |