Hai Phong city okays 3 FDI projects of $90 mln
Hai Phong city granted investment licenses to three foreign-backed projects on Tuesday, with a combined registered capital of $90 million.
Singapore’s Starcharge Energy Pte. Ltd. obtained an investment license for a $14-million project fabricating electric vehicle charging stations. The 1.4-hectare project in the Marine Industrial and Service Park is poised to employ 1,000 workers.

A representative of Starcharge (left) receives an investment license in Hai Phong city, northern Vietnam on May 9, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Hai Phong news portal.
Singapore-based HW International Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. received an investment license for a $49 million project producing alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries. The 5.5-hectare project in the same IP will employ 500 workers.

A representative of HW International Investment Holdings (left) receives the investment license in Hai Phong on May 9, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Hai Phong news portal.
Taiwan-headquartered Thinking Electronic Industrial Co., Ltd secured an investment license for a $27-million project manufacturing electronic components. The four-hectare project in Nam Cau Kien Industrial Park will create 2,000 jobs.

A representative of Thingking Electronics (left) receives an investment license in Hai Phong on May 9, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Hai Phong news portal.
The northern city also conferred an investment license to Saigon Newport Corporation, a leading port operator in Vietnam, to invest VND12.79 trillion ($545 million) in constructing two berths at the Lach Huyen seaport.
The two berths, No. 7 and No. 8, with a length of 450 meters each, are designed to welcome container ships of up to 12,000-18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and one 200-meter barge berth designed to accommodate ships of up to 160 TEUs. The facility is set to span 79.86 hectares, including 22.33 hectares of water surface.
The new facilities, with a total capacity of handling 1.9 million TEUs annually, will enable Hai Phong to expedite import-export activities between northern Vietnam and Europe, and the Americas. It is slated to commence construction in the first quarter of 2025 and enter operation in the last quarter of 2027.
The investments in electronics and energy underscored the northern city’s allure for FDI and readiness to assist investors, said Le Trung Kien, head of Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority.
Registered FDI capital in Hai Phong plummeted 25.4% year-on-year in the first four months this year to $479.14 million, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. It comprised $198.13 million of newly registered capital, $174.83 million of additional capital for ongoing projects, and $106.18 million of capital contributions for stake acquisitions.
As of April 2023, the city had lured 1,010 valid FDI projects with a total registered capital of $25.69 billion, the sixth-highest figure in Vietnam, behind Ho Chi Minh City with $56.68 billion, southern province Binh Duong with $39.99 billion, Hanoi with $39.1 billion, the southern province of Dong Nai with $35.64 billion, and the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau with $33.31 billion.
Hai Phong’s index of industrial production surged 13.37% year-on-year in the first four months, despite a decline of 2.38% in April 2023, according to the municipal statistics office. Growth was propelled by expansion of 104.86% in the computer and computer component sector, 97.08% in paper and packaging, 80.49% in shipbuilding, and others.
- Read More
Vietnam's Deputy PM backs formation of free trade zone in Binh Dinh province
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung on Friday expressed his support for an early study of a free trade zone in Phu My Port area, the south-central province of Binh Dinh.
Economy - Sat, March 29, 2025 | 8:25 am GMT+7
Vietnam offers numerous advantages for Skoda Auto's investment: executive
Vietnam offers a range of advantages for investment by Czech automaker Skoda Auto, including its seaport system, logistics infrastructure, and skilled labor, the company’s chairman and CEO Klaus Zellmer said on Thursday.
Industries - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 7:33 pm GMT+7
Vietnam plans to cut import tax for LNG to 2%
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is drafting a decree on preferential import tax for some products, including a proposal of 2% tax rate for LNG.
Energy - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 4:31 pm GMT+7
AES’s $2.1 bln LNG power project needs solutions to meet deadline: Vietnam authorities
The 2,250-MW Son My 2 LNG-fired power project, invested by the U.S.'s AES and state-run Petrovietnam subsidiary PV Gas, “needs solutions” to meet its deadline.
Energy - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 4:06 pm GMT+7
Over $9 bln pledged for investment projects in central Vietnam province Binh Dinh
Binh Dinh province on Friday handed over MoUs on investment cooperation, in-principle approvals and investment registration certificates to 62 projects worth over VND231 trillion ($9.03 billion).
Industries - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 4:05 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's giant Vingroup eyes mullti-billion-dollar renewable, LNG power projects
Vietnam's leading private conglomerate Vingroup is seeking the government's permission to develop seven renewable energy projects worth $20-25 billion and a $5.5 billion LNG-fired power project from 2025-2030.
Energy - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 1:09 pm GMT+7
While the buzz around a market upgrade is back, who is this milestone for?
A key issue for the Vietnamese stock market is the underdevelopment of the institutional investor base. The dominance of retail investors can create heightened volatility, which, in turn, reduces the incentive for high-quality companies to list on the stock exchange, writes Gary Harron, head of securities services at HSBC Vietnam.
Consulting - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 10:31 am GMT+7
Vietnam's private lender VIB seeks strategic shareholders: chairman
Vietnam International Bank's (VIB) board of directors is now in discussions with banks and investment funds to find suitable partners for the lender, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership that goes beyond finance.
Banking - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 8:31 am GMT+7
Vietnam tech giant FPT opens semiconductor R&D center in central Vietnam
Vietnam’s leading tech group FPT on Thursday inaugurated its high-tech and semiconductor R&D center at the Danang Software Park No. 2 in the central city of Danang.
Industries - Fri, March 28, 2025 | 8:00 am GMT+7
HCMC's international financial center development to be phased out: city leader
Ho Chi Minh City aims to become an international financial center, with related development plan divided into three phases, said Vo Van Hoan, its Vice Chairman.
Economy - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 11:11 pm GMT+7
Car producers in Thailand postpone export models
Car manufacturers in Thailand have decided to delay making some models for export due to U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariff policy.
Southeast Asia - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 10:17 pm GMT+7
Indonesia approves $7 bln budget for food security in 2025
Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance on Wednesday announced that the government has approved a budget of IRD118 trillion ($7.1 billion) for food security programs in 2025.
Southeast Asia - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 10:14 pm GMT+7
Honda Vietnam rolls out first domestically produced electric scooter
Honda Vietnam has officially launched its first domestically produced electric scooter, the ICON e:, marking a significant step in the company’s electrification and sustainable mobility strategy in Vietnam.
Southeast Asia - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 10:09 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's Quang Ngai seaport system requires over $420 mln investment by 2030
The seaport system in the central Vietnam province of Quang Ngai will need about VND10.83 trillion ($423.54 million) in investment by 2030, according to the detailed 2021-2030 development plan for local seaport land and water areas, with a vision to 2050.
Southeast Asia - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 10:06 pm GMT+7
Leading steelmaker Hoa Phat targets record revenue on partial operation of central Vietnam plant
Hoa Phat Group, Vietnam’s top steelmaker, targets a record-high revenue in 2025, driven by the expected partial operation of a steel and iron complex in the central region this year.
Companies - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 8:10 pm GMT+7
Offshore wind power developer CIP seeks long-term cooperation with Vietnam
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a major Danish renewable energy developer, is seeking to reach long-term cooperation with Vietnamese businesses in the offshore wind power sector.
Energy - Thu, March 27, 2025 | 4:16 pm GMT+7