At the event, ABVietFrance Chairman Nguyen Hai Nam outlined Vietnam’s fundamentals, highlighting a population of around 101 million, 67% under 45, and an area exceeding 331,000 sq km, underscoring the advantages of a young demographic. He reviewed the country’s economic progress since the launch of Doi moi (Renewal) reforms in 1986 and its deepening integration into the global economy, marked by accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007, and the implementation of the E.U. - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in August 2020.
Vietnam has maintained an average annual growth rate of 6.3% over the past two decades, among Asia’s highest. Growth reached 7.1% in 2024 and 8.02% in 2025. GDP expanded from USD 57 billion in 2005 to USD 514 billion in 2025, nearly a 19-fold increase. In 2025, exports rose 17% year on year to USD 475 billion, while total trade climbed 18.2% to USD 930 billion. The economy continues to shift towards industrialization, with industry accounting for 38% of GDP, services 50%, and agriculture 12%.
Beyond export-led growth, Nam emphasized the momentum from Vietnam’s domestic market of more than 100 million consumers, a growing middle class, and sustained inflows of foreign direct investment, key engines of industrialization and modernization.
He said Vietnam targets becoming an upper-middle-income developing country with modern industry by 2030, and a high-income developed nation by 2045, with per capita GDP of about USD 15,000. The country, he noted, is entering a favorable development phase following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which set long-term strategic directions to 2030 and 2045.
ABVietFrance also introduced EDHEC students to opportunities for cooperation, internships and employment in Vietnam across fields including import–export, information technology, artificial intelligence, education and training, tourism, communications, business development and start-ups, while calling for closer ties between educational institutions in the two countries.
Céline Nguyen, a Vietnamese-origin student in EDHEC’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, said Vietnam offers many underexplored opportunities. She expressed her hope that the seminar would deepen students’ understanding of Vietnam’s culture and business environment, opening pathways to internships and careers in a dynamic market.
Meanwhile, Noemie Marquis, President of EDHEC’s Asian Business and Culture Association, said the partnership with ABVietFrance provides a timely platform to introduce Vietnamese culture on campus, adding that the seminar offered students a multi-dimensional view of the opportunities emerging in Vietnam’s new development phase.
Source: VNA