Vietnam’s growth is fast—but fragile

Jan 8th 2026|Singapore|3 min read

Size, it seems, matters in Hanoi. On December 19th workers broke ground on the Dong Son Bronze Drum Stadium, a 135,000-seat sports complex named after the prehistoric bronze-casters who populated Vietnam from 1000BC. Vingroup, the conglomerate developing it, says that the stadium will boast the world’s second-biggest seating capacity and its biggest retractable-roof system. The arena will be at the centre of a $35bn sports-themed megaproject and is slated for completion by 2035. Its vastness seems appropriate for the “era of national rise” that To Lam, the country’s leader, has declared.