The index signals a return to strong confidence after nearly a decade marked by disruption, volatility and prolonged neutrality, a release from the chamber said.
Conducted by DXL Research and Consulting, the survey results direct to a clear inflection point: confidence has not only rebounded, but re-entered strong growth territory, surpassing both pre-tariff and pre-COVID-19 levels.
This rebound represents one of the strongest upward movements since the BCI’s launch in 2011 and reflects broad-based improvements across both current business conditions and future expectations, the chamber noted.
In Q4 2025, 65 per cent of respondents rated their current business situation as positive, while 69 per cent expressed confidence in their outlook for Q1 2026.
Realised business conditions in the quarter exceeded expectations set in the previous quarter: while only 56 per cent had anticipated positive conditions for Q4, when surveyed in Q3, the actual outcome reached 65 per cent, pointing to better-than-expected performance.
“After years of hovering around the mid-line, reaching 80 tells us that confidence is now grounded in delivery—in factories running, orders returning, and investments being executed. We are seeing a structural shift where Vietnam is quickly transforming itself into a powerful growth engine, on track to rank among the top three economies in ASEAN,” EuroCham Vietnam chairman Bruno Jaspaert said.
Eighty-eight per cent of respondents expressed optimism about their organisation’s prospects in Vietnam over the 2026-2030 period, including 31 per cent who described themselves as ‘very optimistic’.
Sixty per cent of companies reported improved business results in 2025 compared to 2024, while 82 per cent expect further improvement in 2026, signalling confidence that current momentum will carry forward.
Eighty-seven per cent of respondents say they are likely to recommend Vietnam as an investment destination to other foreign businesses, with confidence highest among larger employers with substantial on-the-ground operations.
In 2025, 42 per cent of respondents reported a net negative impact from global trade tensions, compared with 24 per cent who reported a positive impact, while 34 per cent experienced little or no effect.
Smaller organisations are more likely to report negative impacts, highlighting their greater exposure to volatility and more limited buffers against external shocks. Larger companies, by contrast, appear more insulated.
Among the sources of global tension, US tariff policies and trade disputes are cited most frequently, mentioned by 46 per cent of respondents. The impact is felt primarily through demand shifts and revenue uncertainty (43 per cent), followed by higher operating costs (16 per cent), resulting in direct pressure on profitability.
In response, businesses have adopted a range of strategic adjustments. Cost optimisation is the most common response, pursued by 41 per cent of firms, followed closely by increased use of technology, automation, and artificial intelligence (35 per cent).
A smaller share has diversified operations outside Vietnam (23 per cent) or adjusted investment plans (19 per cent) and expansion strategies (17 per cent). Notably, 20 per cent reported making no operational changes, suggesting that for some, the impact of global tensions remains manageable or might fade out over time.
Despite these pressures, 56 per cent of businesses report increased optimism about Vietnam as a place to operate or invest.
Administrative complexity and regulatory inconsistency remain the most frequently cited business challenges, but the Q4 2025 data shows meaningful improvement. Fifty-three per cent of respondents cited administrative burdens as a key concern—still high, but down by 12 percentage points from Q3.
Other key frictions include unclear or inconsistently applied regulations (52 per cent), followed by customs procedures and trade barriers, as well as visa and work permit constraints, each mentioned by around 33 per cent of respondents.
These challenges translate most commonly into operational delays or uncertainty (59 per cent), followed by higher administrative and compliance costs (31 per cent) and resource diversion and productivity loss (20 per cent).
ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)
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