In total, 38.8% of surveyed firms believe that business in the second quarter would see an improvement from the first three months, and 35.3% said they expect stable business.
Meanwhile, 25.9% of businesses anticipate more difficulties.
The State-owned sector is the most optimistic, with 77.9% forecasting a stable or better Q2, the office said.
About 74% of total private and FDI firms said they expect better business in Q2, while 73.8% believe business will remain stable.
However, only 18% of businesses in the manufacturing and processing industry have confirmed a higher number of new export orders in Q2 than in the first quarter.
About 37.5% of enterprises said they are facing a fall in new export orders, while 44.6% said they would be on a par with the first quarter.
The GSO also reported that, among the main factors affecting production and business activities in the first quarter, 55.8% of businesses have said domestic competitiveness is the biggest factor.
In the first quarter, 42% of the manufacturing and processing industry experienced difficulties in production and business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, 37.1% had stable production and business performance, and only 20.9% improved from the last quarter of 2019.
