Vietnam still a darling for FDI despite global headwinds: HSBC
Vietnam, whose solid fundamentals have attracted an influx of foreign companies, remains compelling to foreign direct investment (FDI) despite intensified global competition, according to HSBC.
As the global investment landscape shifts amid developments such as the implementation of the Global Minimum Tax, there are questions as to whether Vietnam can sustain the momentum of robust investment flows it has enjoyed since its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007.

Chart by The Investor/Quang Minh.
In the past 20 years, Vietnam has grown to become a major manufacturing base that is tightly integrated with the global supply chain. Exports have grown more than 13% annually on average since 2007, dominated by foreign-invested enterprises.
Traditionally, FDI inflows have been led by South Korea, most notably by Samsung. Since Samsung’s establishment of its first phone factory in the northern province of Bac Ninh in 2008, more than half its global smartphone production is now manufactured in Vietnam, with a cumulative investment exceeding $20 billion.
The efforts of these “early movers” have encouraged other tech giants to invest in Vietnam’s manufacturing capabilities. Since 2023, leading Chinese manufacturing firms have ramped up their investments in Vietnam, with almost 20% of newly registered FDI being sourced from mainland China.

South Korea has been a leading FDI provider, but China is catching up.
The surge in multinational corporations’ (MNC) interests in Vietnam stems from a variety of factors, including competitive costs and FDI-friendly policies. Comparing labor costs across Asia, manufacturing wages in Vietnam are lower than that in mainland China and other peers. This is despite the population’s solid general education, suggested by Vietnam’s high PISA scores that measure the performance of 15-year-olds.

Manufacturing wages in Vietnam is less than half of that in mainland China
Other costs, such as of the energy needed to operate factories, are also competitive in Vietnam. When comparing electricity prices for businesses, Vietnam ranked second-lowest among its peers, though recent changes making electricity price adjustments more frequent may impact the current dynamics. Meanwhile, diesel, which is widely used in industrial sectors, reflects a similar competitive edge in terms of prices.

Electricity and diesel prices in ASEAN countries.
In addition, Vietnam has made significant progress in setting up various economic agreements with major trading partners, such as the EU-Vietnam FTA (EUVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). In turn, these developments have facilitated and enabled foreign investment, with Vietnam seen as increasingly open to FDI, per the OECD.

FDI regulatory restrictiveness index.
Part of the favorable investment environment can be explained by proactive support from the government via the tax system. Vietnam has a competitive position relative to its peers with a 20% statutory corporate income tax rate. Some firms have been able to use lengthy tax breaks and holidays to reduce the effective rate further.

Statutory corporate income tax rate.
So far, these pull factors have been important in attracting investment and integrating Vietnam with the global value chain (GVC). In fact, Vietnam’s GVC participation rate has sharply risen over the years, now comparable to that of Singapore.
That said, the rise in participation has been captured primarily through greater backward GVC participation. Vietnam is now positioned as a hub for importing complex intermediate inputs for final assembly, corroborated by a low localization rate in the electronics industry.
HSBC researchers reckon that if the country is to sustain robust investment inflows, it will be critical for Vietnam to climb up the manufacturing value chain and raise the domestic value-added content in these goods. Compared with the sharp rise in consumer electronics exports, Vietnam’s share of global integrated circuit (IC) exports has grown at a slower pace.
In the first seven months of this year, manufacturing FDI shows no signs of slowing. Newly registered manufacturing FDI has grown 36% year-on-year, already exceeding some preceding years year-to-date.

Manufacturing FDI has exceeded full levels during 2020-2022.
The northern province of Bac Ninh, a major electronics hub, drew more than 30% of total registered capital in June and July. This was led by Amkor, which boosted its semiconductor project investment in the province by an additional $1.07 billion.
Assessing Vietnam’s FDI outlook for 2024, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said that the FDI picture will remain bright this year, driven by the country’s increasing role in MNCs’ diversification strategies; an ongoing economic recovery; and stable macroeconomic fundamentals.
Both foreign institutions and the ministry are fairly optimistic about FDI expectations in the second half of this year, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong last month. He predicted registered inbound FDI to reach $39-40 billion this year, equivalent to or higher than in 2023.
Although workers are equipped with a solid educational foundation, the current lack of skilled technical workers has led to challenges in developing semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, say HSBC researchers. This has prompted the government to work towards expanding its semiconductor workforce in the coming years.
The lack of specialized workers is also weighing on other sectors, such as maritime transport and logistics. Beyond expanding and improving vocational education on a national level, more initiatives to help promote foreign companies’ engagement with the domestic economy could help broaden out the benefits of increasingly complex FDI inflows.
For example, U.S.-based chip firm Synopsys recently signed an agreement to work with students and lecturers of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City on semiconductor design, training, and research.
Encouragingly, signs have emerged of more complex manufacturing knowledge and processes entering Vietnam. In 2022, Samsung established an R&D center in Hanoi to further develop manufacturing capabilities while commencing production of certain semiconductor components. Meanwhile, Apple has raised its stakes in Vietnam, allocating product development resources for the iPad.
The researchers point out that factors beyond tax considerations, such as the quality of infrastructure, will also need to be proactively addressed as the Global Minimum Tax is implemented across jurisdictions. Measures such as further leveraging digitalization to streamline trade processes, securing reliable and green energy, and facilitating goods transport through better infrastructure are likely to impact MNCs’ investment decisions in the coming years.
- Read More
Vietnam’s army-backed construction firm proposes 14 offshore wind power projects
Lung Lo Construction Corporation (LLC), under the Ministry of National Defense, has submitted investment proposals for 14 offshore wind power projects with a combined capacity of 9,000 MW.
Energy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 5:07 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's agri major Hoang Anh Gia Lai fined for bond information disclosure failure
Vietnam's agri major Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC has been fined VND92.5 million ($3,528) for failing to disclose bond-related information as required by law.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 4:31 pm GMT+7
Northern Vietnam province accelerates $2.2 bln LNG-to-power project
Quang Ninh province will hand over 4.9 hectares of reclaimed land to the Quang Ninh LNG-fuelled power plant project before August 11, local authorities stated at a meeting on Wednesday.
Energy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 4:17 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's seafood firms ride profit wave ahead of US tariff hike
Vietnam’s seafood companies reported surging profits in Q2/2025, driven by importers ramping up purchases ahead of new U.S. reciprocal tariffs.
Economy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 2:21 pm GMT+7
Le Anh Tuan appointed new CEO of Dragon Capital Vietfund Management JSC
Dragon Capital Group, Vietnam's largest asset manager, has appointed Le Anh Tuan as CEO of its arm Dragon Capital Vietfund Management Joint Stock Company (DCVFM), starting from October 1, 2025.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 2:01 pm GMT+7
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand expand local currency transaction network
Bank Indonesia, Bank Negara Malaysia, and Bank of Thailand have added new Appointed Cross Currency Dealer (ACCD) participating banks to broaden services for bilateral transactions in local currencies across the three nations, Bank Indonesia said in a statement on Tuesday.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:48 pm GMT+7
ASEAN to sign MoU on regional power grid implementation
ASEAN member states are set to sign an MoU on the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid during the bloc’s Energy Ministers’ Meeting this October.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:43 pm GMT+7
Vietnam overtakes Thailand to become world's second-largest rice exporter
Vietnam has outranked Thailand as the world’s second-largest rice exporter in the first half of 2025, Thai PBS reported on August 3, citing the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:41 pm GMT+7
Vietnam posts trade surplus of $10.18 bln in 7 months
Vietnam’s export earnings grew by 14.8% to $262.44 billion in the first seven months of this year, while its import turnover rose by 17.9% to $252.26 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $10.18 billion.
Economy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:19 pm GMT+7
Malaysia pledges big purchases, investments with US
Malaysia has agreed to buy and invest over $240 billion (MYR1.02 trillion) in the U.S. to help reduce the trade gap between the two countries.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:08 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's leading property developer Novaland to issue 152 mln shares to settle $229 mln debt
Novaland, a major real estate developer in Vietnam, plans to issue nearly 152 million new shares to swap more than VND6 trillion ($228.8 million) worth of bond principal.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 10:11 am GMT+7
Vietnam's FDI capital disbursement hits five-year record high despite US tariff turmoil
Disbursed foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in Vietnam reached $13.6 billion in Jan-July, up 8.4% year-on-year, despite U.S. tariff concerns.
Economy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 9:57 am GMT+7
Malaysia steps up efforts to explore nuclear energy potential
Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang on Wednesday reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) in exploring the potential of nuclear energy.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 8:10 am GMT+7
Indonesia's economy grows faster than expected
Indonesia's economy expanded by 5.12% year-on-year in Q2/2025, up from 4.87% in the previous quarter, exceeding the forecasts of many economic organizations, which had previously projected a rate of less than 5%, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 8:07 am GMT+7
Philippine energy group eyes investment in Vietnam’s power sector
AboitizPower wants to invest in Vietnam’s electricity industry, especially in transmission infrastructure, said Danel Aboitiz, executive director of the corporation.
Energy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 11:11 pm GMT+7
Vietnam seeks 8.3-8.5% economic expansion for 2025
The Government has requested the State Bank of Vietnam to proactively adjust the credit growth aim for this year in line with a GDP expansion target of 8.3-8.5%.
Economy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 10:41 pm GMT+7