Production activities at An Phu Printing and Garment Co Ltd in Hưng Yên. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is crunching the numbers — literally — as it gears up for its most ambitious economic census yet, set to begin in January 2026.

With digital tools and administrative data at the forefront, the survey aims to provide the most comprehensive snapshot of the nation’s economic activity to date.

Conducted under Decision No. 2837/QĐ-BTC recently issued by the Minister of Finance, the 2026 Economic Census will cover a broad range of economic units nationwide. These include corporations, companies, enterprises, cooperatives, People’s credit funds, non-public service units, associations, individual non-agricultural, forestry and fishery production and business establishments, religious and belief establishments and branches and representative offices of foreign enterprises and non-governmental organisations operating in Việt Nam.

The census will gather data across five key categories: unit identification and classification; production and business conditions such as labour, assets and capital sources; performance indicators including products, revenue and costs; the extent of science and technology application, digital economy and e-commerce; and in-depth thematic information for policy-making and analysis.

For the first time, Việt Nam will integrate existing administrative data sources and apply information technology throughout the entire census process – from data collection to processing and synthesis. This approach is expected to reduce operational costs, enhance efficiency and ensure the accuracy and transparency of the final results.

Information collection will be conducted in two phases.

Phase 1, from January 5 to March 31, 2026, will focus on individual non-agricultural, forestry and fishery production and business establishments, cooperatives and religious and belief establishments.

Phase 2, from 1 April to 31 August 2026, will survey enterprises, non-public service units, associations, unions, business establishments under administrative agencies and public service units, as well as foreign branches and non-governmental organisations.

To oversee the effort, the Prime Minister will establish a central steering committee, which will coordinate the census nationwide with the involvement of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Home Affairs and local governments. Steering committees will also be set up at provincial and commune levels to ensure consistency and thorough implementation.

Preliminary results are expected in January 2027, with full official data to follow in the third quarter of 2027. Findings from the census will support the development of socio-economic policies aligned with Việt Nam’s current and future priorities. — BIZHUB/VNS