“Vietnam has set a goal of entering a new era of national rise with expectations of double-digit GDP growth from 2026. If the old bottlenecks in the private sector are not removed immediately, that goal will face many challenges,” says Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dong Phong, chairman of the Strategic Development Council, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), and Dr. Nguyen Kim Duc, acting head of the Faculty of Economics and Vice Director of the Institute for Regional Research and Development Consulting, UEH, in an interview with The Saigon Times. Chain reaction consequences The Saigon Times: The 2025 Private Economy Report by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) identified four bottlenecks for the private sector: (1) output markets; (2) access to capital; (3) policy transparency and predictability; and (4) informal costs. What are your comments on this issue? Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dong Phong and Dr. Nguyen Kim Duc: First, we highly value the 2025 report by VCCI; it is a very thorough study on the private sector. The four bottlenecks published by VCCI are completely consistent with certain realities we documented from independent research conducted in 2025, through surveys and in-depth interviews with private sector business leaders. […]