Over 64,000 businesses enter market in first two months

Over 64,000 businesses enter market in first two months

Vietnam recorded a strong wave of market entry in the first two months of 2026, with 64,484 businesses newly established or returning to operation, up 29.4 per cent on year. The figure reflects strengthening business confidence within the corporate community, according to data released by the Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance on March 6.

In February alone, 11,300 new businesses were registered nationwide, down 53.2 per cent from the previous month but up 11.6 per cent compared with the same period last year. Nearly 6,200 companies resumed operations, down 74.9 per cent on-month and 12.6 per cent on-year.

Meanwhile, 4,257 enterprises registered temporary suspension of operations for a fixed period, down 92.2 per cent from the previous month but up 19.8 per cent on-year. Another 3,492 companies suspended operations while awaiting dissolution procedures, decreasing 52.2 per cent on-month but increasing 17.5 per cent on-year. A further 3,290 enterprises completed dissolution procedures, down 28.6 per cent from January but surging 89.4 per cent compared with February last year.

Overall, during the first two months of 2026, about 32,200 businesses entered or re-entered the market each month.

The surge suggests a strong wave of business formation at the start of the year, reflecting the positive impact of policies aimed at encouraging the development of the private sector.

By locality, Vietnam’s three major economic hubs, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Dong Nai, continued to pull in the largest number of newly established businesses. Among them, Dong Nai stood out with an 82.3 per cent increase, highlighting the growing appeal of satellite industrial provinces.

However, the number of businesses exiting the market also reached 77,000, up 14.9 per cent on-year, equivalent to an average of 38,500 enterprises leaving the market each month.

At the same time, total additional registered capital injected into the economy during the first two months of 2026 reached nearly VND852 trillion ($34 billion), representing a 20.1 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.

A closer look suggests that the situation is not entirely negative. In fact, 75.9 per cent of businesses exiting the market chose temporary suspension rather than permanent closure, indicating that many companies are pausing operations to restructure and search for new opportunities rather than withdrawing entirely.

This pattern is also cyclical: businesses often reassess performance at the end of the previous year and register temporary suspension at the start of the new financial year. Most of the companies leaving the market are small-scale enterprises, reflecting the market’s natural process of selection and consolidation.

VIR