Japan pneumatics firm SMC to invest $330 mln more in Vietnam, $1 bln in total

SMC Manufacturing Vietnam, under Japanese pneumatic instrument producer SMC, will invest $330 million more in Vietnam’s southern industrial hub of Dong Nai province.

The provincial authorities on Friday granted investment registration certificates to 14 domestic and foreign businesses, including eight new projects and six projects with additional capitals. SMC Manufacturing Vietnam’s $330 million expansion was the biggest at the event.

The move will increase SMC’s total investment in Dong Nai to nearly $1 billion, making it the biggest Japanese investments in the province. The investment will focus on manufacturing and assembling automotive items in Long Duc Industrial Park.

In May 2024, SMC president Yoshiki Takada said the firm planned to move mass-produced products to Vietnam and have Chinese factories specialize in the Chinese market.

The aim was to prepare for contingencies like geopolitical risks arising out of tensions between the U.S. and other countries as also rising labor costs in China, the executive added.

Other major foreign investments at the event included Singapore’s Saffron Logistics Asset Holdings PTE.LTD investing $101 million in Mapletree Logistics Park Tam An 1, an industrial real estate project; and Cayman Island-invested Quest Composite Technology Vietnam pouring $40 million in making bicycle components.

Thailand-invested Mega Lifesciences Vietnam will invest $28 million in making pharmaceutical items, healthcare items, functional foods, and cosmetics.

Taiwan-invested Atai Fuji Electric will invest $24 million in making cooling pumps.

Singapore-invested Leader Electric Appliance will invest $10 million in manufacturing household electricals.

Hyosung will invest $19.7 million more in Dong Nai province, raising its total investment to $976.3 million.

Japan-invested Olympus Vietnam, a manufacturer of medical products, will invest $53 million more, increasing its total investment to $163 million.

Japan’s electronic manufacturer Murata Manufacturing will pour an additional $25 million, increasing its total figure to $41 million.

Registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached $4.33 billion in the first month of 2025, up 48.6% year-on-year, while disbursed FDI capital hit $1.51 billion, up 2%.

The biggest recipients were Bac Ninh province with $1.39 billion (32.2%), a six-fold rise year-on-year; Dong Nai province with nearly $959 million, a 3.4-fold increase, and Hanoi with $716.4 million, up 1.9%.