Dong Nai plans 'green' free trade zone linked with Long Thanh airport
Authorities of Dong Nai are working on a master plan for a free trade zone (FTZ) that will make use of the upcoming Long Thanh International Airport, together with seaports, expressways, high-speed railways, and industrial parks across the southern province.

Long Thanh International Airport under construction. Photo courtesy of VNA.
The proposed Dong Nai FTZ will cover more than 8,200 hectares across seven sites connected with Long Thanh International Airport and Phuoc An Port. It will consist of four functional zones, namely a high-tech industrial production area, a logistics hub, a financial and commercial services center, and an innovation cluster.
Dong Nai plans to introduce eight policy groups and 29 special mechanisms to attract investment and position the FTZ as a regional hub for high-tech industries, logistics, financial services, innovation, and international trade.
Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, suggested that Dong Nai should develop a green, digital, and smart FTZ model linked with institutional reform and regional coordination.
He argued that Dong Nai, with its important role in the southern key economic region, could become the nucleus of a broader Southeastern Free Trade Zone (SEFZ) complex that is currently under study and may become Vietnam’s first integrated economic zone model.
The SEFZ will form a multi-polar growth space linking the Long Thanh logistics-industrial-airport free zone, the Cai Mep-Thi Vai free port, and an international financial and trade center in Can Gio of Ho Chi Minh City.
Similar models in Dubai, Shanghai and Incheon have successfully attracted FDI, boosted high-tech production and logistics, and delivered double-digit GDP growth for their regions, Vu noted.
With direct connectivity between Long Thanh Airport, Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport, the Phuoc An port system, and existing industrial parks, Dong Nai is well placed to become a strategic logistics and export production hub for the southeastern region.
To operate effectively, Vu recommended piloting a paperless and single-window electronic management system, along with clear decentralization in planning, investment licensing, and SEFZ management. He also proposed establishing a regional development coordination board for the Southeast to ensure cross-provincial planning, budget allocation, and investment coordination.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Kim Chung, scientific secretary of the Central Theory Council, emphaszsed that service industries are already a strength of Dong Nai. With the addition of Long Thanh Airport and its associated services, especially the FTZ, the province will have two growth engines, anchored in the Long Thanh airport service urban area.
He stressed that the airport, the largest in Southeast Asia once completed, will itself encourage major investment flows and spur infrastructure connectivity to socio-economic centers. The formation of an urban center of intergated services serving Long Thanh Airport will help Dong Nai “take off”.
Experts agreed that to fully leverage growth momentum generated by aviation, logistics, trade, and urban development, Dong Nai needs breakthrough policies and mechanisms to attract strategic investors, particularly those in high technology.
Ho Van Ha, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the FTZ will have an estimated investment of $16 billion. Public capital will account for about 5%, while domestic private investment will contribute 40% and foreign direct investment 55%.
- Read More
Central Vietnam province reviews investment proposal for thermal power project after Thai EGATi pullout
Authorities in the central province of Quang Tri are evaluating a proposal from Power Generation JSC 1 (EVNGENCO 1), a subsidiary of state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), to take over the Quang Tri thermal power plant project, following the withdrawal of Thai investor EGATi.
Energy - Tue, September 16, 2025 | 1:44 pm GMT+7
Amata to sell stakes worth $46 mln in Vietnam units to Novaland-tied buyers
Amata VN, the Vietnam arm of Thailand’s leading industrial park developer Amata, has approved a plan for its subsidiary Amata City Long Thanh Urban JSC (ACLT) to sell its remaining 51% stakes in two entities to local developer Novaland-linked buyers.
Real Estate - Tue, September 16, 2025 | 12:19 pm GMT+7
Vietnam already meets FTSE's criteria for stock market status upgrade: Finance Minister
Vietnam has fulfilled the criteria for a stock market status upgrade by FTSE Russell through reforms aimed at facilitating foreign investment inflows into its market, said Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang.
Economy - Tue, September 16, 2025 | 9:36 am GMT+7
Banks should be allowed to distribute, invest in mutual fund certificates: Vietnam's finance ministry
The Ministry of Finance is proposing a key reform that would allow commercial banks to invest in and distribute mutual fund certificates, as part of a broader plan to restructure the investor base and foster the development of Vietnam’s fund management industry.
Finance - Tue, September 16, 2025 | 8:00 am GMT+7
E-commerce boom a major driver of Vietnam's packaging paper industry growth
Vietnam's paper packaging industry is entering a period of strong growth, with an average annual growth rate forecasted at 10% until 2030.
Companies - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 10:20 pm GMT+7
Vietnam needs support from UK in developing international financial center: Deputy PM
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh has called on the UK and the City of London to continue supporting and accompanying Vietnam in promoting and introducing its international financial center (IFC).
Finance - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 10:12 pm GMT+7
Vietnam enforces 8% capital adequacy ratio for banks from Sept 15
Commercial banks and foreign bank branches in Vietnam must maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 8%, including at least 4.5% in Tier 1 core capital and 6% in Tier 1 capital, starting from September 15.
Banking - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 10:04 pm GMT+7
Tool for wood traceability management debuts in Vietnam
The Vn-WoodID application has been officially launched in Vietnam, becoming a key tool contributing to wood traceability.
Companies - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 10:00 pm GMT+7
Sun Group, US Embassy foster aviation-hospitality cooperation
Sun Group, in collaboration with the US Embassy in Vietnam, hosted the US – Vietnam Aviation Partnership Roundtable on September 12, bringing together 15 leading American corporations in aviation, technology, and financial services, opening up opportunities to position Phu Quoc as a new aviation and tourism hub in the region.
Companies - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 9:54 pm GMT+7
Vietnam tops Thai giant SCG’s overseas markets with 9% revenue contribution in H1
Vietnam remained the largest overseas market for Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) in the first half of 2025, contributing 9% of consolidated sales.
Companies - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 8:10 pm GMT+7
Central Vietnam to have new airport Mang Den
Procedures to adjust Vietnam's airport system planning, including the addition of Mang Den Airport in central Vietnam, are being proceeded, according to the Ministry of Construction.
Infrastructure - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 5:16 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's government seeks to position country as 'regulated hub for digital assets in Asia': Dragon Capital
The Vietnamese Government has advanced the regulation of digital assets, with a resolution launching a five-year pilot framework for issuance and trading. This framework signals the Government’s intent to position the country as a regulated hub for digital assets in Asia, which could attract new capital inflows, write Dragon Capital analysts.
Economy - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 2:20 pm GMT+7
Agribank introduces sizable $4.17 bln preferential credit package
Right from the beginning of 2025, Agribank launched a substantial preferential credit package worth VND110 trillion ($4.17 billion) to support individual customers.
Companies - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 1:32 pm GMT+7
'Precious space' in Vietnam's monetary policy
The Federal Reserve's continued cuts in 2025, with the most recent in September, are considered a valuable policy "space" for the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to maintain low interest rates to support growth without having to worry too much about exchange rates.
Economy - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 10:15 am GMT+7
Vietnam’s central bank sells $1.5 bln to stabilize currency: broker MBS
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) intervened in the foreign exchange market by selling approximately $1.5 billion via 180-day cancelable forward contracts from August 25-26, in an effort to ease pressure on the Vietnamese dong, according to a recent report by MB Securities (MBS).
Banking - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 8:04 am GMT+7
Hanoi aims to break ground on $11.4 bln Red River Boulevard & Landscape project by Jan 2026
A consortium of “tunnel king” Deo Ca Group and real estate developer Van Phu Invest has been assigned by the Hanoi People’s Committe to prepare an investment proposal for the VND300 trillion ($11.37 billion) Red River Boulevard & Landscape project.
Real Estate - Mon, September 15, 2025 | 7:55 am GMT+7