Stepping up the grassroots economic census

The 2026 economic census is being carried out across Dong Nai and nationwide. The large-scale survey, conducted every five years under the Statistics Law, is overseen by the Ministry of Finance.

Economic census enumerators conduct interviews and gather information at a household business in Bien Hoa Ward. Photo: Hai Quan

The census is seen as critical to governance and decision-making, providing a key evidence base for socio-economic policy planning at both central and local levels.

Ensuring timely delivery and quality

The Dong Nai Statistics Office serves as the standing agency of the provincial Economic Census Steering Committee. The survey covers enterprises; cooperatives and cooperative unions; people’s credit funds; non-agricultural household businesses; cooperative groups; non-public service providers; associations; corporate branches and representative offices; foreign non-governmental organisations; as well as religious and belief institutions.

The census gathers core data on the number of establishments, employment, assets and capital, business performance and budget contributions, as well as the adoption of science and technology, digital transformation and e-commerce. It also features targeted thematic modules to meet the province’s socio-economic management and development requirements.

Under the framework set by the central Steering Committee for the 2026 Economic Census and Dong Nai’s implementation plan, the census in the province is being carried out in two phases.

The first phase, scheduled from January 5 to March 31, targets household businesses, cooperative groups and religious and belief institutions. This large and widely dispersed group is central to providing a full picture of the province’s economic activity. The second phase runs from April 1 to June 30, with production and business units under administrative agencies and public service institutions surveyed separately in July 2026. It covers enterprises, non-public service providers, associations, corporate branches, representative offices and other related organisations.

Cao Dang Vien, Director of the Dong Nai Statistics Office and Deputy Head of the provincial Economic Census Steering Committee, underscored that once the census was launched, the Dong Nai Statistics Office, with its role as the standing agency of the provincial Economic Census Steering Committee, would coordinate closely with relevant agencies and local authorities to ensure consistent implementation. Enumerators, team leaders and supervisors have been assigned to designated areas to keep the work on schedule.

Pham Thi My Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of the Bien Hoa Ward People’s Committee, noted that preparatory work for the economic census was carried out in line with approved plans and guidance from census steering bodies. Outreach reached neighbourhoods across the ward, coordination ensured a comprehensive review and listing of local economic establishments, and enumerators were selected, trained and prepared for deployment.

Stepping up public outreach

The Dong Nai Statistics Office noted that the 2026 economic census places stronger emphasis on digital tools, using a mixed approach to data collection. Enterprises and eligible units report via online electronic forms, while household businesses, cooperative groups and religious institutions are covered through in-person interviews recorded on mobile devices.

The census results provide a critical benchmark for assessing economic conditions and capacity, underpinning the compilation of core macroeconomic indicators, including GDP and GRDP. They serve as a reliable data base for shaping and adjusting socio-economic development policies at both central and local levels in the years ahead.

Local authorities are intensifying outreach to residents, businesses, household operators, service units, associations and religious institutions. In parallel, data verification, oversight and validation are being strengthened to ensure accuracy, quality and on-time delivery of the census in line with central and provincial requirements.

Nguyen Danh Thinh, Director of Phuong Lam Trade and Services Cooperative, the operator of Phuong Lam Market in Phu Lam Commune, noted that the market’s management team has coordinated with statistical officers and census enumerators to collect data from individual traders. Information on the economic census has been disseminated via the market’s broadcast system, banners and leaflets, targeting traders and household businesses.

Cao Dang Vien underscored that the effectiveness of the 2026 economic census hinges on active cooperation from enterprises, household businesses, service units, associations and religious institutions across the province. He noted that information provision is both a statutory responsibility and a practical benefit, contributing to a reliable data foundation that supports the sustainable development of the province and of the economic establishments themselves.

By Hai Quan – Translated by Tam Binh, Thu Ha