However, many businesses are also leaving the market and not many are making a profit.

This shows that the business sector in Vietnam is still not very strong. The main issue is not just about new businesses starting, but about how many can survive and grow.

In the first six months of 2026, over 169,000 new businesses started or restarted, which is 11.2% more than the same time last year. These new businesses also started with more money, with an average increase of 35.7% in their starting capital.

Despite these positive signs, there is growing pressure on businesses. Over 151,000 businesses stopped operating, which is 18.8% more than the same time last year. This is a bigger increase than the number of new businesses starting.

The health of Vietnamese businesses should not be measured by how many new ones start, but by how well they can survive, grow, and be successful in the long term.

More businesses are starting, but they are not healthier.

According to Pham Ngoc Thach from VCCI, out of over one million active businesses, about 420,000 made a profit, while about 432,000 lost money. This means many businesses are not making enough profit to save money and invest.

The main problem is the structure of these businesses. About 70% of private businesses have less than VND10 billion in starting capital, and 81.4% have fewer than 10 employees. Most businesses are very small and do not have many resources.

This is clear when looking at their performance. The average profit margin for private businesses is only 2.22%, which is much lower than that of foreign-invested businesses and state-owned enterprises. With such small margins, even small changes in the market or costs can cause financial problems.

A survey by VCCI found that the biggest challenge for businesses is finding customers and markets for their products. Over 60% of businesses said this was their main difficulty.

Even when businesses have orders, getting loans from banks is hard. About 75.5% of businesses said they had trouble getting bank loans, and most loans require collateral.

The situation is similar for household businesses. Vietnam has around 6.1 million household businesses, which employ nearly 10 million people. While they play a crucial role in the economy, they are not very resilient, with 73.7% reporting only small profits.

With the global economy being uncertain, these businesses are facing even more challenges. Over 53% of manufacturing businesses said their export orders had decreased due to changes in international markets.

Overall, Thach said that Vietnamese businesses are numerous but not yet strong. The number of businesses is increasing, but they are mostly small, not very profitable, and do not have much capital or resilience.

Improving policy implementation is key.

In the first half of 2026, VCCI received 879 complaints about laws and regulations. Most of these complaints were about unclear or impractical regulations, high compliance costs, or overlapping laws.

However, there are positive signs. In 2025, over 3,000 administrative procedures were simplified or eliminated. Businesses are also satisfied with online public services, which shows that administrative reforms are working.

Thach pointed out some immediate solutions.

The first solution is to improve access to capital by lending based on a business's cash flow and viability, rather than just its collateral.

For household businesses, the costs of taxes, accounting, and electronic invoices should be reduced. There should also be a plan to help these businesses become formal enterprises. Additionally, businesses need support to lower logistics costs, diversify their supply chains and export markets, and make better use of economic diplomacy.

The focus should shift from just reducing the number of administrative procedures to improving the quality of policy implementation and supervision.

Lan Anh