Ho Chi Minh City, April 23 -- Ho Chi Minh City's economy showed encouraging signs in the first quarter of 2026, with gross regional domestic product (GRDP) estimated to expand by 8.27% year-on-year - the strongest performance in more than five years. As it has set a GRDP growth target of over 10% for 2026, growth in the first half must reach at least 10.3%, with the second quarter alone tartgeted at 11.59-12.49% (average 12.04%). During January-March, the services sector remained the primary engine of growth, rising 8.91% and accounting for 51.9% of GRDP while contributing 56% to overall expansion. Despite some improvement, industry and construction fell short of expectations. The sector grew by 7.73%, representing 35.2% of GRDP but contr...