Riding the AI wave: Vietnam is forecast to lead Southeast Asia's growth at 7.4%

The World Bank's October 2026 economic update for East Asia and the Pacific is titled 'Riding the AI Wave' — and its fastest rider is Vietnam. After growing 8% in 2025, Vietnam's economy is forecast to expand 7.4% in 2026 and 7.3% in each of the next two years, the highest rates in the region, ahead of Indonesia (5.2%), Malaysia (5.1%) and China (4.5%). The bank notes the region has become a giant of the AI supply chain: in the year to April 2026, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam exported $1.4 trillion of AI-related goods — chips, data centers, models and the rest — to the world.