Speed up work on Vietnam-Singapore Innovation Center, investor urged

By Nguyen Thuy
Fri, August 25, 2023 | 2:46 pm GMT+7

The Binh Duong administration has urged leading property developer Becamex IDC to accelerate work on the Vietnam-Singapore i4.0 Innovation Center in the southern province.

The center, to be located within the Becamex-founded Eastern International University (EIU), aims to facilitate the adoption of industry 4.0 (i4.0) technologies in Vietnam’s manufacturing industry.

A student exchange event at the Becamex-founded Eastern International University in Binh Duong province, which will house the Vietnam-Singapore i4.0 Innovation Center. Photo courtesy of the university.

A student exchange event at the Becamex-founded Eastern International University in Binh Duong province, which will house the Vietnam-Singapore i4.0 Innovation Center. Photo courtesy of the university.

The center is co-funded by Becamex and the VSIP Group – a joint venture between Becamex and leading Singaporean conglomerate Sembcorp that is known for the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) built across the country. The industrial parks have been hailed as a symbol of the successful economic cooperation between the two countries. As a result, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during his official visit to Vietnam on August 27-29, is scheduled to update the ground breaking date (September 9) for a VSIP industrial park in Can Tho City as the joint venture’s first park in the Mekong Delta.

The Vietnam-Singapore i4.0 Innovation Center’s training provided by the Vietnam-Singapore i4.0 Innovation Center will be supported by Singapore Polytechnic International and Singapore-based Smart i4.0 Transformation Alliance (SiTA), according to an MoU signed in February 2022 by Sembcorp and Becamex.

The center will also offer best-in-class products and services to small and medium manufacturing enterprises based in industrial parks established by the Vietnam-Singapore joint venture, helping them adopt relevant i4.0 solutions for operational efficiency. It will also build an ecosystem for a future-ready workforce in this sector.

The Sembcorp-Becamex joint venture has established 12 VSIP parks in Vietnam. The joint venture’s 13th IP, VSIP Can Tho will cover around 294 hectares and embrace green production for sustainable industrial development, the developers have said. The VSIP Group has not publicized the investment outlay for its latest project.

Singapore is among Vietnam's top economic partners. The city state is Vietnam’s 15th largest trade partner, while Vietnam is Singapore’s 12th largest trade partner. Bilateral trade turnover reached $9.15 billion in 2022, up 11.57% year-on-year.

Singapore ranks first in ASEAN and second globally in terms of investments in Vietnam with 3,273 projects worth $73.4 billion, according to Vietnamese official data.

Comments (0)
  • Read More
SK Group pushes for potential investment in $2.2 bln LNG-fired power plant in central Vietnam

SK Group pushes for potential investment in $2.2 bln LNG-fired power plant in central Vietnam

A delegation from South Korean chaebol SK Group has held a second round of talks with Nghe An province authorities to explore investment opportunities for a $2.2 billion LNG-fuelled power plant project.

Energy - Sat, July 5, 2025 | 1:47 pm GMT+7

Vietnam GDP grows 7.52% in H1, 15-year record high

Vietnam GDP grows 7.52% in H1, 15-year record high

Vietnam's economic growth rate reached 7.52% in the first six months of the year, a record high in the period 2011-2025, the General Statistics Office reported on Saturday.

Economy - Sat, July 5, 2025 | 10:46 am GMT+7

Vietnam needs two-pronged policy approach to mitigate impact of rising oil prices: RMIT experts

Vietnam needs two-pronged policy approach to mitigate impact of rising oil prices: RMIT experts

A surge in global oil prices poses a significant threat to Vietnam’s economy and to cushion these impacts, the country needs a two-pronged policy approach, write Dr Vu Hong Nhung and Dr Phan Thanh Chung, lecturers at the economics and finance department, Business School, RMIT University Vietnam.

Consulting - Sat, July 5, 2025 | 8:54 am GMT+7

Vietnam's registered FDI tops $21 bln in H1, highest in 16 years

Vietnam's registered FDI tops $21 bln in H1, highest in 16 years

Registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam hit over $21.51 billion in the first half of the year, up 32.6% and a record high since 2009, while disbursed capital reached $11.72 billion, up 8.1%.

Economy - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 8:50 pm GMT+7

Gemadept’s southern Vietnam port receives mega container ships

Gemadept’s southern Vietnam port receives mega container ships

Within just over two years of trial operations (from March 2023 to May 2025), Gemalink Port of Vietnamese logistics giant Gemadept in Ba Ria-Vung Tau has safely received 70 container vessels of over 200,000 DWT (up to 232,494.5 DWT) under partially loaded conditions.

Companies - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 4:54 pm GMT+7

Agro-forestry-fisheries exports near $34 bln in H1

Agro-forestry-fisheries exports near $34 bln in H1

Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fisheries exports hit $33.84 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 15.5% increase year-on-year.

Economy - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 3:36 pm GMT+7

Malaysia’s data center operators struggle due to power cost hike

Malaysia’s data center operators struggle due to power cost hike

Malaysia’s data center sector is projected to grow at a 22% CAGR from 2023 to 2029 due to cost competitiveness, skilled workforce, and a robust digital ecosystem, according to a report by global investment bank ARC Group.

Southeast Asia - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 3:23 pm GMT+7

Tetra Pak inaugurates expanded aseptic packaging plant in southern Vietnam

Tetra Pak inaugurates expanded aseptic packaging plant in southern Vietnam

Swedish food processing and packaging giant Tetra Pak has inaugurated the second phase worth EUR97 million of its aseptic packaging plant located in the VSIP II-A Industrial Park in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing the total investment to EUR217 million.

Companies - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 3:16 pm GMT+7

Vietnam Prime Minister requests early removal of credit growth limits

Vietnam Prime Minister requests early removal of credit growth limits

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday instructed Vietnam's central bank to urgently consider removing the administrative tool of setting credit growth quotas for individual banks, and shift toward a market-based control mechanism.

Banking - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 3:14 pm GMT+7

Vietnam GDP growth hits 7.3% in H1, highest in 17 years: Minister

Vietnam GDP growth hits 7.3% in H1, highest in 17 years: Minister

Vietnam’s GDP is expected to increase by 7.3% in the first half of this year, the highest level since 2008, said Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang.

Economy - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 2:31 pm GMT+7

Vietnam’s realty market may soon shift from undersupply to oversupply: experts

Vietnam’s realty market may soon shift from undersupply to oversupply: experts

The real estate market in Vietnam will soon face oversupply, a reversal of the supply shortage seen in recent years, according to economist Dr. Le Xuan Nghia.

Real Estate - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 11:29 am GMT+7

Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index likely to reach 1,500 points on new US tariff: broker

Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index likely to reach 1,500 points on new US tariff: broker

The VN-Index, representing the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), may reach 1,500 points in the coming time as the tariff agreement reached with the U.S. is expected to boost investor sentiment, according to Maybank Securities Vietnam (MSVN).

Finance - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 8:38 am GMT+7

Chinese materials major Kingfa on track to complete $80 mln plant in southern Vietnam

Chinese materials major Kingfa on track to complete $80 mln plant in southern Vietnam

Kingfa, China’s leading advanced materials company, on Wednesday held a topping-out ceremony for its $80 million plant in Dong Nai province, a key industrial hub in southern Vietnam.

Industries - Fri, July 4, 2025 | 8:23 am GMT+7

Vietnam’s stock market expects upgrading in September

Vietnam’s stock market expects upgrading in September

The State Securities Commission (SSC) is working intensively with ministries and stakeholders to settle remaining issues and improve foreign investor access, a critical step ahead of the expected review in September, Deputy Finance Minister Nguyen Duc Chi said at his ministry's (MoF) press meeting on Wednesday.

Finance - Thu, July 3, 2025 | 9:23 pm GMT+7

Vietnam's construction giant Coteccons plans $53 mln bond issue

Vietnam's construction giant Coteccons plans $53 mln bond issue

Vietnamese construction giant Coteccons (HoSE: CTD) plans to issue bonds worth up to VND1.4 trillion ($53.45 million) to the public this year as part of its 2025 capital mobilization plan, according to a company release.

Companies - Thu, July 3, 2025 | 8:12 pm GMT+7

Over $534 mln needed for central Vietnam city’s seaport infrastructure

Over $534 mln needed for central Vietnam city’s seaport infrastructure

Hue city in central Vietnam needs about VND14.05 trillion ($534.24 million) in investment for its seaport system during the 2021-2030 span, with approximately VND12.79 trillion ($488.05 million) for wharves.

Infrastructure - Thu, July 3, 2025 | 4:24 pm GMT+7