They developed domestic enterprises capable of accumulating technology and leading value chains. Yet the ambition of becoming a high-income country by 2045 requires a deeper look at the economy's structure. The result is a familiar cycle: short-term investment, low R&D spending, stagnant productivity, constrained internal accumulation, and limited upgrading within global value chains. If institutions not only ensure stability but also generate momentum, long-term investment confidence will be solidified. When internal strength is sufficiently accumulated, the vision for 2045 will no longer be a distant aspiration.

People buy gold at Mi Hong gold shop on Bui Huu Nghia Street in Gia Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, February 26, 2026. Some said they had sold gold a day earlier and returned to buy small quantities after prices edged down slightly. People hold umbrellas as they wait to buy gold despite the rain in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 26, 2026. A customer purchases gold from an automated vending machine operated by Bao Tin Minh Chau in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 26, 2026. A gold coin product, priced higher than other items of the same purity, is displayed at a gold shop in Vietnam, February 26, 2026.

A Sun PhuQuoc Airways aircraft lands at Da Nang International Airport in central Vietnam. Photo: Khai DangThe airline’s first commercial flight departed Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 6:15 am bound for Da Nang. The Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang route begins with two daily flights. Passengers from Hanoi arrive at Da Nang International Airport in central Vietnam on February 25, 2026. As of late this month, Sun PhuQuoc Airways operates a fleet of 10 aircraft.

A viaduct nears completion in the landslide-hit section of Mimosa Pass, a key gateway to Da Lat in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam’s Central Highlands. A viaduct nears completion in the landslide-hit section of Mimosa Pass, a key gateway to Da Lat in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam’s Central Highlands. In late November 2025, prolonged heavy rains triggered a serious landslide on Mimosa Pass. The viaduct project over a landslide site on Mimosa Pass stretches a total length of 133 meters. Mimosa Pass serves as a priority route for trucks, large passenger buses, and heavy transport vehicles traveling from Ho Chi Minh City and southeastern provinces to Da Lat.

At around 11:00 pm on Monday, after landing at Cam Ranh airport on a flight from Hanoi, passenger N.Q.T. The staff offered basic options including beef 'pho,' chicken 'pho,' and a special 'pho.' The articles about the incident were accompanied by a photo of a bowl of 'pho' placed on a table, taken by T., which he said was sold at Cam Ranh airport. Regarding the incident, leaders of Cam Ranh International Airport said they are reviewing the matter in line with regulations. The official added that Cam Ranh airport encourages passengers to provide feedback on service and pricing to help improve quality.

A weather forecast image shows storm clouds moving inland from the sea, bringing unseasonal rain to Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Vietnam. Satellite and radar imagery showed developing convective cloud systems bringing showers, thunderstorms, and lightning to the central areas of Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding parts. Rain forecast across much of the countryThe National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said much of the country would experience rain and thunderstorms on Thursday. Scattered unseasonal thunderstorms may continue in March and April, with the rainy season forecast to begin in southern Vietnam in early to mid-May. In Ho Chi Minh City, temperatures were forecast between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius, with showers during the day.

A medical staff holds a 3.2-kilogram baby boy who was safely delivered at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on February 25, 2026, nearly two months after doctors performed a 30-minute fetal cardiac intervention. Follow-up assessments showed the fetal heart disease progressing, with increasing underdevelopment of the right ventricle. N.T.T., 27, and her husband share a joyful moment after the successful fetal cardiac intervention performed on December 30, 2025 at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Dr. Tran Ngoc Hai, director of Tu Du Hospital, said the most striking aspect of the case was the procedure's duration. Fetal cardiac intervention is an advanced, highly specialized procedure that requires close coordination among obstetrics, pediatric cardiology, anesthesiology and resuscitation, and diagnostic imaging.

108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi has performed more than 1,300 organ and tissue transplants over the past decade. Photo: SuppliedAs of February 21, it has successfully carried out more than 1,300 transplant procedures, including many complex and high-risk cases, offering hope to thousands of patients. Le Huu Song, director of 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi, addresses a ceremony marking the hospital’s 10-year milestone in organ transplantation on February 25, 2026. Photo: M.AnhLooking ahead, the hospital has identified organ transplantation as a strategic spearhead. In 2024, during Lunar New Year’s Eve, the hospital performed a multi-organ retrieval and transplant from a brain-dead donor, saving eight patients.

Among the buyers, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust acquired an additional 80,000 shares. Its holdings rose from 163,504 shares, equivalent to 0.0479 percent, to 243,504 shares, or about 0.0714 percent of PNJ's charter capital. Hanoi Investments Holdings Limited purchased 100,000 shares, lifting its holdings from 1.67 million to 1.77 million shares, with its ownership ratio rising from 0.49 percent to 0.52 percent. Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) bought an additional 60,000 shares, increasing its total holdings from 7.56 million to 7.62 million shares and its ownership from 2.22 percent to 2.23 percent. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust manages the endowment assets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization founded more than 20 years ago by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates.

A driver is caught using a phone while driving on an expressway in Vietnam. 6, under the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department, on Wednesday said patrol officers recently handled multiple cases of drivers using handheld phones while operating vehicles on the expressway. On Thursday afternoon alone, officers caught two passenger bus drivers holding and using mobile phones while driving. In 2025 and early 2026, the unit processed 120 cases of drivers using phones while driving, including 67 tractor-trailer drivers, 35 passenger bus drivers, nine car drivers, and nine truck drivers. Police stressed that using phones while driving is extremely dangerous.

People pose for photos at the flower street during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi TreCrimes affecting social order declined by 56 cases, or 58.5 percent, during the holiday from February 14 to February 22 compared with the preceding period, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security. In the robbery case, eight suspects were arrested within hours and stolen property was returned to the victim, police said. Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Duc Thang, deputy head of the criminal police division of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, Vietnam. Thang said most cases recorded during the holiday were spontaneous incidents and not linked to organized or professional criminal groups.

Photo: Phuc TaiIn Vietnamese custom, God of Wealth Day, observed on the 10th day of the first lunar month, is believed to bring luck and prosperity to those who buy gold. Vuong Thi Hanh, a resident of Hai Ba Trung Ward, said she had arrived at 4:00 am after failing to buy gold the previous day. "Every year close to God of Wealth Day, prices edge up," she said. In the days leading up to Thursday's God of Wealth Day, domestic gold prices rose sharply and remained at high levels. Compared with converted global gold prices, SJC gold bars were trading at a premium of about VND20.48 million ($785) per tael.

A train slams into a tractor-trailer, leaving the driver of the vehicle dead in Hanoi, February 25, 2026. The train was operated by driver H.M.H..A train slams into a tractor-trailer, leaving the driver of the vehicle dead in Hanoi, February 25, 2026. Photo: D.C.As the train was approaching a level crossing equipped with warning signals, it struck a tractor-trailer driven by N.V.T., a 52-year-old resident of Hanoi. At around 9:00 pm, firefighters and rescuers clear the scene and extricate the trapped victim, February 25, 2026. Photo: Thien KhoiVietnam Railways confirmed that none of the passengers aboard the train or the train driver were injured.

Many areas in Vietnam are forecast to experience rainfall on February 26, 2026. -- Traffic police have fined multiple drivers who were using their mobile phones while driving on Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway. -- A farmer in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam on Wednesday caught a big crab that weighed 1.1 kilograms and sold for nearly VND500,000 (US$19.2). -- Train SE3 running from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City collided with a tractor-trailer in the Thuong Tin - Ngoc Hoi area of Hanoi at around 7:50 pm, leaving one dead and another injured. -- Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam has fined a number of livestock farming facilities for environmental violations.

Vong Canh Hill offers one of the most spectacular views of the iconic Huong (Perfume) River in Hue City, central Vietnam. Photo: Nhat Linh / Tuoi TreThe 43-meter-high hill lies about seven kilometers southwest of the city center, overlooking a sweeping bend of the river that is especially striking at sunset. A corner of Vong Canh Hill is covered in plastic waste after the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Photo: Nhat Linh / Tuoi TreNguyen Minh, a tourist visiting the site, said he felt saddened to see waste scattered at such a well-known attraction. Motorbikes disturb a walking path around Vong Canh Hill, a tourist attraction in Hue City, central Vietnam.