World Bank: Vietnam’s GDP to Grow 7.4% This Year... AI-Related Production and Exports to Drive Growth

【Hanoi (Vietnam)=Kim Jun-seok, Correspondent】The World Bank (WB) raised its forecast for Vietnam’s economic growth this year to 7.4%, the highest level in East Asia and the Pacific. It expects rapid growth in the production and exports of AI-related products, strong FDI attraction and public investment disbursement to serve as the main drivers.
In its latest economic report on East Asia and the Pacific, released on the 6th, the World Bank said some economies in the region were growing faster than expected, as Southeast Asian countries benefited from a global boom in the production and exports of AI-related products.
Vietnam was named one of the biggest beneficiaries of the spread of AI. The World Bank forecast Vietnam’s GDP growth at 7.4% this year, 1.1 percentage points higher than its forecast in April. This is the highest level in the region.
Vietnam currently serves as a key hub for final-stage assembly in global supply chains. Finished products such as computers, servers and routers account for 60% of the value of Vietnam’s AI-related exports.
Alongside strong exports of AI-related products, robust FDI and increased public investment are providing strong support for Vietnam’s economic growth. Cumulative registered FDI through September this year reached $50.4 billion (about 67 trillion won). Actual FDI disbursements over the same period also rose 12% to $21 billion (about 28 trillion won), setting a five-year high for the first nine months of the year.
Public investment disbursement is also picking up pace. By September, about 643 trillion dong (about 33 trillion won) in public investment funds had been disbursed, equivalent to around 63% of the plan allocated by the prime minister. Previous analysis shows that for every 1-point increase in public investment disbursement during 2021–2025, GDP rises by 0.058 percentage points.
The Government of Vietnam plans to continue expanding public investment through 2030, focusing on energy, transport and logistics infrastructure, and to raise total social investment to 40% of GDP.
The World Bank forecast inflation at around 4.2% this year, citing factors including rising fuel, housing and public service costs. Vietnam’s economy is also forecast to maintain robust growth of 7.4% in 2027, continuing to benefit from AI tailwinds and from increased public investment that boosts domestic demand and revitalizes manufacturing.
[email protected] Kim Jun-seok Reporter