Shaping The Path To Vietnam’s $1 Trillion Economy
Vietnam’s next phase of growth will be decided by what gets built — and how it’s governed.
For more than two decades, Peter R. Ryder, Executive Chairman of Indochina Capital, has been at the center of Vietnam’s institutional real estate development—shaping not just assets, but entire urban, hospitality, and commercial ecosystems.
At the first Vanguard Summit 2026, themed “Investing in the Next Vietnam – Shaping the Path to Vietnam’s $1 Trillion Economy,” which brought together more than 400 senior leaders, policymakers, and global investors, Mr. Ryder shared a long-cycle investor’s perspective on Vietnam’s next decade of growth.
During the discussion session “From Capital Access to Capital Efficiency,” he emphasized that Vietnam’s primary challenge is not borrowing costs—which remain competitive at around 7 percent—but prolonged approval processes. Projects that should ideally be completed within 18 months are now taking up to four years, significantly eroding internal rates of return and weakening Vietnam’s competitiveness compared with markets in Europe and the United States.
Real estate is where optimism meets reality. It reveals planning failures, regulatory friction, and leadership gaps faster than most sectors. Few investors have observed Vietnam’s growth across multiple cycles from this vantage point—which is what makes this conversation particularly worth hearing.
Read more from the Vanguard Summit Outlook and other panelists’ perspectives here: https://en.vneconomy.vn/shaping-the-path-to-vietnams-1…
