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FDI attraction: Time to shift from “red carpet rollout” to long-term partnership

FDI attraction: Time to shift from “red carpet rollout” to long-term partnership

An expert said that Việt Nam needs to move towards a new-generation investment attraction model – one that seeks not only capital but also advanced technology, modern governance, innovation and stronger spillover effects on domestic enterprises.

HÀ NỘI — As Việt Nam enters a new phase of development driven by ambitions for fast and sustainable growth, the question of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is no longer simply about the scale of capital inflows. Increasingly, the focus is turning to the quality of investment, its spillover effects and its ability to strengthen the economy’s intrinsic capabilities.

From “FDI at any cost” to selective attraction of high-quality investment

Việt Nam currently hosts more than 46,500 valid foreign-invested projects, with total registered capital exceeding US$543 billion and cumulative disbursed capital reaching around $357.6 billion. The FDI sector now contributes more than 20 per cent of GDP, accounts for roughly 70 per cent of export turnover and provides employment for millions of workers.

According to experts, Việt Nam will require enormous investment resources to achieve its high and sustainable growth targets for the 2026–30 period, with the FDI sector and the domestic private sector expected to account for around 80 per cent of the country’s total investment demand across society.

Associate Professor and Dr Hoàng Văn Cường, Vice Chairman of the Việt Nam Economic Science Association, said that Việt Nam’s earlier FDI strategy focused primarily on mobilising foreign capital to expand production and make use of low labour costs. However, that model is increasingly revealing its limitations.

“If Việt Nam continues with the old approach to investment attraction, domestic enterprises will remain peripheral to the foreign-invested sector, while Vietnamese workers will largely participate only in low value-added stages of production. That cannot deliver breakthroughs in labour productivity or growth quality,” he said.

Cường said that Việt Nam needs to move towards a new-generation investment attraction model – one that seeks not only capital but also advanced technology, modern governance, innovation and stronger spillover effects on domestic enterprises.

More importantly, FDI and domestic businesses must be viewed as partners developing side by side, rather than as two separate economic sectors operating within the same economy. Many economists have also argued that foreign-invested firms and Việt Nam’s private companies should become strategic partners capable of sharing benefits, creating new value and generating sustainable growth momentum together.

Weak linkages remain biggest bottleneck

Despite the strong expansion of the FDI sector over recent years, the linkages between foreign-invested and domestic firms remain limited.

Việt Nam is now home to more than one million active businesses, yet only around 5,000 are directly connected to global supply chains or multinational corporations. Notably, only about 100 Vietnamese firms have become tier-one suppliers to major global groups, a figure regarded as strikingly modest.

This highlights the fact that while FDI has grown rapidly, its spillover effects on domestic enterprises are still constrained.

Dr Lê Duy Bình, Director of Economica Việt Nam, noted that the country in the coming period needs not simply “more FDI”, but rather “next-generation FDI” focused on high technology, environmental sustainability, modern governance and deeper integration with local enterprises.

Cường said that achieving such a change will require a fundamental adjustment in investment incentive policies. Rather than relying mainly on investment scale, incentives should be linked to tangible outcomes delivered by FDI enterprises.

These could include the degree of technology transfer, localisation rates, the number of Vietnamese firms participating in supply chains, or the effectiveness of high-quality workforce training programmes.

Many experts believe this approach is better suited to today’s increasing competition in the investment environment, in which Việt Nam can no longer rely chiefly on low-cost advantages but must instead build competitiveness through institutional quality, skilled human resources and innovation capacity.

According to analysts, Việt Nam needs to redesign its investment incentive system centred on measurable outputs rather than simply tax breaks or registered capital. At the same time, the country should accelerate experimental policy mechanisms, improve the investment climate and build ecosystems for high technology, the green economy, artificial intelligence and innovation.


Source: VNS

Photo: VNA/VNS Photo

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Vietnam has potential to become Southeast Asia’s renewable energy hub: Suzlon

Vietnam has potential to become Southeast Asia’s renewable energy hub: Suzlon

Speaking with Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy on the sidelines of the APAC Wind Energy Summit 2026 in Hanoi, Mr. Girish Tanti, Vice Chairman of Suzlon Group, said Vietnam is not only a promising market but also has the potential to become a regional hub for renewable energy development, services, and supply chains.

Nearly seven months have passed since Suzlon first began actively exploring opportunities in Vietnam. How would you assess the current outlook for Vietnam’s wind energy market, particularly in light of the revised Power Development Plan VIII and the country’s long-term energy transition goals?

Vietnam, within Asia, stands out, in terms of its bold targets-almost 24 gigawatts of renewable energy already operational, and 7 gigawatts of wind operational in the country, and set out a very strong goal for energy green transition by 2035, to adoption of renewable energy.

It is the fastest growing renewable energy market in the region, and Suzlon being one of the pioneers in Asia, we have opened up several markets in Asia, with product portfolio ranging from 2 megawatt to almost 6 megawatt now, largely focused on onshore wind.

We see Vietnam market for onshore, near shore also pretty interesting, that is something that is more likely to happen in the immediate future, and we are very confident that we should be able to make a meaningful contribution to Vietnam's growth from here.

Does Suzlon view Vietnam primarily as a potential market for wind turbine sales, or does the Group see Vietnam as a strategic manufacturing and service hub for Southeast Asia in the future?

Vietnam being the largest market in Southeast Asia has a very unique position, because it is an early starter with probably the largest, almost 7 gigawatts installed wind fleet. It is very uniquely placed to play a regional role.

Any company that is focused around renewable energy operating out of Vietnam, will use Vietnam as a regional player, so we too will not just focus on the supply of wind turbines, but also the full scale service of wind turbines, and then using it as a base for the rest of Asia.

If market conditions are favorable, would Suzlon consider establishing its first manufacturing facility or technical service center in Vietnam during the 2027-2030 period?

I think we are in the first phase of kick-starting our build-out in Vietnam, so we are in that stage where we are connecting with all the key developers and customers to see how we can develop long-term portfolio projects with our customers.

And as the outcome of that come out, I think the first phase service business will pick up, then we will have new turbine sales, and with that then we will look at how we can build the supply chain ecosystem in Vietnam, not just for Vietnam, but for the rest of the region.

Suzlon played an important role in helping India develop a strong domestic wind energy manufacturing ecosystem. Based on that experience, what lessons could Vietnam learn to build its own wind power supply chain and supporting industries?

I think Vietnam has a beautiful opportunity right now, we can replicate some of the things we did in India.

First and foremost for any market to grow and develop in a strong way, you need a stable policy.

Vietnam now has a good vision and a stable policy in place, which is very critical.

The second important element is to make sure that you have the right infrastructure to be able to build this.

So your grid infrastructure, your port infrastructure, all the other infrastructure to allow renewable energy adoption.

The third is, you know, having the market development, creating the demand for adoption of renewable energy and energy transition, that is another third important area.

And when we look at building the ecosystem for manufacturing, I think it's important that you do a phased manner adoption of local development of things, otherwise it can hamper your growth.

So while the growth is coming out, not to slow down your growth, it's important that we build out ancillary industries and ecosystems across Vietnam, which can benefit from the growth of the renewable sector also.

Many wind farms in Vietnam are now entering the operational phase and require professional maintenance services. How does Suzlon evaluate the potential of the operations and maintenance (O&M) market in Vietnam?

So you have 77 gigawatts of already installed capacity of wind. Suzlon today operates close to about 21.5 gigawatts globally, around 17 nations that we have this fleet.

Within Asia itself, the largest part of this fleet is there. So very strong competency and we are close to Vietnam geographically also. So I think in India, Vietnam cooperation is very good. So there is a good partnership relationship between the two countries. I think we can leverage that to build a whole ecosystem, which can be of mutual benefit on that.

And definitely the service business is an important piece, and Suzlon has been very strong on the service side. Because we strongly believe it's not just installing the turbines, it's making sure that the green electrons delivered over the life of the project, which ultimately gets investors to kind of reinvest into renewable energy.

Today we see almost 90% of Suzlon's business comes from repeat business, which is primarily because they are happy with Suzlon's performance.

Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have expanded rapidly across Asia with highly competitive pricing. How does Suzlon differentiate itself and compete in markets such as Vietnam?

Cost competitive and affordability of energy is very critical. Suzlon's unique proposition is that, like if you see our current 5 megawatt and 6 megawatt project, which we launched at this conference for the Asian market, the Blue Sky platform, both of these are very uniquely designed to meet the energy profile and the grid requirement of this region and the climate requirement.

The 5 megawatt is largely for the low wind conditions to extract the maximum energy. And you have a 6 megawatt, which is a high wind turbine, which can extract energy from higher 8, 9 meters per second of that.

So I think with this combination of two turbines, today effectively we are able to provide almost 90% coverage of any wind sites that exist in Asia to fit this turbine.

So the competitiveness is coming purely not just from cost, but it is the value delivery.

So from a cost per kilowatt hour, there is a little, at times people just look at the capital cost, but you must also see the life cycle cost, LCOE as we call it.

I think Suzlon product is very competitive on the life cycle cost of a turbine, means a unit cost of generation of electricity from Suzlon will be competitive to any other product. And these two products are powerhouses. They are very strong on performance.

Suzlon is entering a new phase of global growth and business transformation. Within Suzlon’s long-term international strategy, what role do you envision Vietnam playing over the next five to ten years?

We are entering a new phase of Suzlon 2.0, where we are growing the global markets in a big way. We will also grow beyond wind.

So the idea is to do wind solar storage and make firm renewable energy. So we will work with partners and develop plans of not just one or two years from project to project, but build relationships for a decade and help them build their energy portfolio of wind solar storage together.

Technical partner, operational partner, end-to-end service. And Vietnam is uniquely placed with its strong ahead-of-the-curve build-up of renewable energy. So we will be leveraging that for the Asia market build-up.


ADB plans $4.6bln financing package for Vietnam through 2029

ADB plans $4.6bln financing package for Vietnam through 2029

The Asian Development Bank plans to support Vietnam with a portfolio of 27 projects worth approximately $4.6 billion through 2029.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to support Vietnam with a portfolio of 27 projects worth approximately $4.6 billion through 2029, focusing on infrastructure, energy, urban development, agriculture, and public sector efficiency.

The plan was discussed during a meeting on June 15 in Hanoi between Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Quoc Phuong and Mr. Kim Dongil, Executive Director at ADB representing a constituency that includes Vietnam and some other Asian countries.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed future cooperation priorities, including budget support lending, large-scale infrastructure projects, and initiatives aimed at expanding ASEAN power grid connectivity.

According to ADB, the proposed project pipeline aligns with Vietnam’s key development priorities and is designed to support sustainable economic growth. The two sides agreed that future cooperation should focus on large-scale, high-impact projects capable of generating broad economic benefits rather than dispersing resources across smaller initiatives.

Deputy Minister Phuong noted that Vietnam’s financing needs remain substantial as the country pursues ambitious development goals. He emphasized that investment resources will be directed toward growth-driving sectors and regions with strong capacity to absorb capital effectively.

For his part, Mr. Kim Dongil reaffirmed ADB’s commitment to expanding its operations and financial support through 2030. He said the bank stands ready to assist Vietnam in achieving its socio-economic development objectives and expressed confidence that cooperation between the two sides will continue to deepen in the years ahead.



Automechanika 2026 highlights Việt Nam’s new energy vehicle boom

Automechanika 2026 highlights Việt Nam’s new energy vehicle boom

Over 400 businesses from 17 countries and regions have participated at the Automechanika HCM City 2026 exhibition on Thursday at HCM City’s Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center.

HCM CITY — Over 400 businesses from 17 countries and territories are participating at the Automechanika HCM City 2026 exhibition on Thursday at HCM City’s Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, featuring the latest solutions and technologies across various sectors of the automotive industry.

The three-day event is co-organised by German based Messe Frankfurt Group, Chan Chao International Co Ltd and Yorkers Exhibition Service Vietnam.

The exhibited solutions and technologies cover various sectors, including parts & components, electrics & electronics, accessories & customising and others.

Key exhibitors at the event include leading carmakers from Việt Nam and China, as VinFast and BYD Oway, along with original equipment (OE) and aftermarket manufacturers and suppliers from Italy, Japan, Germany and Korea.

It also offers visitors an overview of the latest trends across the entire automotive value chain, including Việt Nam's rapidly growing new energy vehicle (NEV) market.

Fiona Chiew, general manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said: “Việt Nam’s transition to EVs and hybrids is driving change for the domestic automotive sector, with both national and global carmakers making their impact on the market.”

According to the event organiser, EV and hybrid vehicle sales in Việt Nam reached 162,039 units in the first quarter of 2026, up over 36 percent year-on-year, creating expanding opportunities and challenges within the value chain.

The rapid growth of the electric and hybrid vehicle market is creating new demand for components, diagnostic equipment, charging infrastructure, repair services and technical workforce, while also opening up room for growth across the entire automotive supply chain.

She also mentioned that the event serves as a comprehensive platform for international and Vietnamese businesses to connect, share ideas and forge partnerships.

The event also provides visitors with numerous activities, including a Collision Repair Training Workshop, an Automotive Mobility Solutions Conference and B2B activities.


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