Japan’s Sojitz plans to build smart green industrial park in southern Vietnam

Japan’s multi-sector business Sojitz Corporation plans to build a smart green industrial park in Vietnam’s southern industrial hub of Dong Nai under a program run by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

A delegation of Sojitz made the proposal at a Wednesday meeting with Dong Nai province Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hoang, highlighting that the program has been deployed for five years in 13 nations. In Vietnam, there are similar projects in Hanoi, the central city of Danang, and the northern province of Quang Ninh, the delegation noted.

Sojitz plans to connect Dong Nai with Kobe city in Japan's Kansai region thanks to their joint focuses on industry, seaports, and aviation.

Welcoming the proposal, Hoang said the project meets Vietnam’s development path, including the transition of industrial parks in Dong Nai into smart and green zones.

The Dong Nai government asked its industrial zones authority to cooperate with Sojitz on the project, per Sojitz’s suggestions of implementation in 2024-2026.

Dong Nai is now home to 33 industrial parks. Among them, 31 are operating; one is under construction, namely Long Thanh high-tech park; and one was established in July 2023, namely Long Duc 3 Industrial Park, according to the Dong Nai Industrial Zones Authority.

Long Duc 3 Industrial Park is also a Sojitz project, covering 244.5 hectares with an investment of VND1,800 billion ($74.1 million).

As of end-2023, industrial parks in Dong Nai had leased out 6,024.4 hectares, or 85.66% of their total areas. They have attracted 2,108 investments, including 1,456 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with registered capital of $29.6 billion, of which $22.71 billion has been disbursed. Registered FDI reached $1.2 billion in 2023.