Southeastern Vietnam and the Red River Delta are often regarded as the country’s two largest economic engines. In the early years of Vietnam’s economic reforms, Southeastern Vietnam experienced remarkable growth and became the nation’s most important growth driver for more than two decades. However, over the past decade, the Red River Delta has begun to overtake it as Southeastern Vietnam has shown signs of slowing down. This article analyzes the shift in position between these two economic powerhouses from 2001 to the present. Changes in GRDP Structure A clear shift in GRDP structure took place during the 2001–2025 period. In 2001, Southeastern Vietnam (including what are now Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai City, and Tay Ninh Province) accounted for 37.6% of the country’s total GRDP at current prices, creating a gap of 12.4 percentage points compared with the Red River Delta’s 25.2% (including what are now Hanoi City, Bac Ninh Province, Haiphong City, Quang Ninh Province, Ninh Binh Province and Hung Yen Province). This gap narrowed to 11.3 percentage points in 2010 as Southeastern Vietnam’s share rose to 39.3% while the Red River Delta reached 28%. Over the following nine years, the Red River Delta continued to maintain strong […]