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Authorities of Da Nang City in central Vietnam have worked with Thailand’s WHA Group on a proposed 400-hectare industrial park with an estimated investment of VND2.71 trillion (US$105 million) in the city.

Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Nguyen Manh Hung chaired a meeting on Wednesday with WHA Group and a delegation studying investment opportunities for several projects in the city.

At the meeting, WHA reported on its proposals for several projects in Da Nang, with a focus on developing and operating infrastructure for the WHA Da Nang industrial park.

Under the plan approved by Da Nang, the industrial park will follow a multi-sector model, prioritizing industries such as automobiles, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics manufacturing, telecommunications, healthcare, high-tech industries, logistics and other environmentally friendly sectors.

The project will cover about 400 hectares in Thang Binh Commune and Dong Duong Commune.

The project is proposed to have an operating term of 50 years from the date the land is leased and the land-use purpose is changed.

Construction is expected to take 72 months from the date the state hands over the land.

City leaders said they will expedite relevant procedures to help WHA Group secure approval for its investment proposal.

Departments and agencies have been asked to closely coordinate and proactively prepare for land clearance, including land inventory, compensation, support and resettlement, to ensure the project stays on schedule.

A leader of the Da Nang High-Tech Park and Industrial Zones Authority told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that WHA is a major Thai investor in industrial park infrastructure development.

Imports of meat and meat products reached more than US$1.918 billion during the January–August period, up 26.3 percent from the same period last year, while fishery imports stood at $2.13 billion, down slightly by one percent.

Vietnam spent more than $4 billion importing meat, meat products and fishery products in the first eight months of 2026, with meat imports rising 26.3 percent year on year, according to the Customs Department.

Imports of meat and meat products reached more than $1.918 billion during the January–August period, up 26.3 percent from the same period last year, while fishery imports stood at $2.13 billion, down slightly by one percent.

Total spending on imports of the two groups therefore exceeded $4 billion after eight months.

India remained Vietnam's largest supplier of meat and meat products, accounting for 20.29 percent of the latter's total import volume. Imports from this market reached 120,800 tonnes worth $521.28 million, up 26.5 percent in volume and 55.8 percent in value year on year.

Imports of meat and meat products also increased in both volume and value from several other suppliers, including the US, Brazil, Spain, Canada, Germany, Türkiye, Japan and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, imports from Russia, the Republic of Korea, Poland, the Netherlands and Italy declined in both volume and value compared with the same period in 2025.

Vietnam mainly purchases poultry, pork, buffalo and beef, along with various edible offal products.

Based on complete data for the first seven months of the year, fresh, chilled or frozen poultry meat and edible offal accounted for 36.49 percent of Vietnam's total meat import volume, making it the largest category.

Fresh and frozen buffalo meat accounted for 18.89 percent of import volume and 29.28 percent of import value, while fresh, chilled or frozen pork made up 18.82 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively. Edible offal from pigs, buffaloes and cows accounted for 14.73 percent of volume and 7.03 percent of value. Fresh, chilled or frozen beef represented 5.85 percent of volume and 13.78 percent of value.

Other meat products accounted for 5.22 percent of import volume but 26.01 percent of total import value, statistics show.

In particular, Vietnam imported 112,000 tonnes of fresh, chilled or frozen pork worth $185.5 million, up 27.1 percent in volume but down 20.9 percent in value year on year. The average import price stood at $1,638 per tonne, down 38.4% from the same period last year.

The country's spending on meat imports in the first eight months of this year was nearly equivalent to the full-year figure for 2025, and far exceeded the $1.43 billion recorded in 2023 and nearly $1.8 billion in 2024.

In 2025, Vietnam imported 978,000 tonnes of meat worth more than $2 billion, representing increases of 11.6 percent in volume and 12.2 percent in value from 2024, reported the Customs Department.

With 17 free trade agreements currently in force, import tariffs on many meat products have fallen to zero, creating favourable conditions for imports. Exporters from the EU, India, Poland and other markets continue to view Vietnam as a promising destination.

However, the growing volume of imported meat is also putting considerable competitive pressure on domestic suppliers.

Italian heating and water solutions group Ariston has acquired an 83-percent stake in Vietnamese water purifier maker Mutosi as Mekong Capital exits after five years as an investor.

Mekong Capital said on Wednesday that it had completed the sale of its entire stake in Mutosi Group JSC to Ariston, a heating and water solutions group listed on Euronext Milan.

Mutosi’s management team will retain the remaining 17 percent and continue to run the company.

Founded in 2018, Mutosi is a Vietnamese home appliance and healthcare brand best known for its water purifiers.

The company says around 75 percent of the components used in its products are sourced from domestic suppliers.

Mekong Capital first invested in Mutosi in June 2021 through Mekong Enterprise Fund IV.

During the partnership, Mutosi expanded its range of water purifiers, replacement components, and after-sales services, while developing a nationwide multichannel distribution network.

Mekong Capital also supported the company in strengthening corporate governance, digital transformation, customer experience, and manufacturing efficiency.

It also helped bring Adrian Micu, former president and CEO of Haier U.S. and former global chief technology officer of Whirlpool, onto Mutosi’s board as an independent director.

Mekong Capital said the partnership with Ariston, which has operated in Vietnam for nearly 40 years and has an extensive distribution network, is expected to support Mutosi’s next stage of growth.

Founded in 2001, Mekong Capital specializes in growth equity investments in founder-led Vietnamese companies, with a portfolio spanning consumer goods, education, healthcare, biotechnology, agricultural technology, and regenerative agriculture.