Vietnam eyes MSCI emerging market status by 2030, steps up investment promotion

Vietnam is aiming to upgrade to MSCI emerging market status by 2030 as it steps up investment promotion efforts and continues financial market reforms aimed at attracting greater foreign capital, according to the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.

In the medium and long term, Vietnam aims to achieve inclusion in MSCI’s emerging market classification and progress toward higher-tier status by 2030, the office said in a statement.

This pathway will be supported by continued legal reforms, expansion of foreign ownership ratios, development of financial products and enhancement of governance standards, the office said.

In April, FTSE Russell confirmed that it would upgrade Vietnam to emerging market status from frontier status beginning on September 21.

This is expected to attract large-scale capital flows from global investment funds, particularly ETFs and index funds, the office said.

After nearly four decades of implementing Doi Moi (Renovation), Vietnam has entered a pivotal phase, with the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045, according to the office.

The focus of this new phase is to shift the growth model toward higher quality, efficiency and innovation, while promoting further integration into the global economy, it said.

Between 2024 and 2026, the government has issued a series of strategic resolutions prioritizing science and technology, digital transformation, private sector development, energy security and improvements in human resource quality, the office said, noting that these measures have helped improve the investment environment.

In 2025, Vietnam recorded an estimated GDP growth of 8.02 percent, among the highest in the region and globally, the office said. It noted that average income per capita reached about US$5,026, placing Vietnam in the group of upper-middle-income countries.

Meanwhile, total import and export turnover exceeded US$930 billion, while the country recorded a trade surplus of more than US$20 billion, according to the office.

Foreign direct investment has continued to grow steadily, placing Vietnam among the top 15 developing countries attracting the most FDI globally, the office said.

It added that inflows are increasingly shifting toward higher value-added sectors, including technology, smart manufacturing and the digital economy, thereby expanding opportunities for financial investors.