According to the Ministry of Finance, in the first ten months of 2025, the total registered FDI capital in Vietnam reached nearly $31.5 billion, marking an increase of over 15.6% compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, the realized FDI capital was estimated at approximately $21.3 billion, an 8.8% rise from the previous year.
Cumulatively, there have been a total of valid 44,801 FDI projects in Vietnam, with combined registered capital estimated at around 525.86 billion.
These impressive figures reflect the strong confidence of the international investment community in Vietnam's investment environment and its sustainable economic development prospects in the medium and long term.
However, FDI capital poured into high-tech and green projects remains low.
At a forum, theming "Perfecting policies to attract the new generation of FDI into industrial parks," hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry on November 28, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Head of the Central Commission for Policy, Strategy, noted that nearly 40 years of economic reform have seen the FDI sector play a crucial role in integrating Vietnam more broadly into the global value chain. Industrial parks, in particular, have become central to attracting FDI, especially its new generation, thanks to their comprehensive infrastructure and favorable business environment.
However, Mr. Hien candidly pointed out that while FDI inflows have increased significantly, the contribution of the FDI sector to total social investment remains relatively modest and is on a declining trend, particularly since 2018, dropping from 17.9% in 2018 to 16.5% in 2024. The advantage of low costs and cheap labor is gradually losing its competitive edge.
Moreover, the quality of FDI and its spillover effects remain low. The contribution of FDI to enhancing industrial capacity is limited. The linkage between FDI enterprises and domestic companies is weak; the localization rate of FDI enterprises is low (only about 20-25%); and the contribution of the FDI sector to the domestic value-added content in exports is much lower than that in other Southeast Asian countries.
The level of technology and technology transfer is not high, as FDI enterprises, including some large technology corporations, mainly operate in labor-intensive assembly and processing sectors with limited potential for technological spillover. The number and scale of investments in high-tech, green, clean, and environmentally friendly projects fall far short of the targets set by Resolution 50-NQ/TW.
Mr. Hien also highlighted significant limitations in the institutional, policy, and infrastructure conditions needed to attract the new generation of FDI. The institutional framework, policy mechanisms, and business environment are not yet truly favorable and still pose many risks. Administrative procedures remain complex and time-consuming, especially in post-investment licensing (related to land, construction, environment, and fire prevention procedures).
From policy to implementation at local level, there are still existing issues, and the institutional capacity in some localities does not meet the needs of the governance of new generation FDI, particularly in analyzing and appraising high-tech projects.
From the perspective of businesses operating in the industrial technology and infrastructure sector, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Nga, Deputy General Director of CNCTech Group, stated that multinational corporations are seeking destinations with stable production ecosystems, reliable infrastructure, and high readiness levels. This places a significant demand for improvement of infrastructure in industrial parks to attract new FDI capital flows.
According to Ms. Nga, today's industrial park infrastructure goes beyond providing leveled land or simple factories. New generation FDI investors, especially in high-tech, electronics, and precision mechanics, require a comprehensive ecosystem that includes international standard infrastructure, modern logistics, full business support services, technology integration capabilities, and especially green standards and ESG criteria.
Promptly issuing a strategy to attract new generation FDI
To continue effectively attracting the new wave of FDI into industrial parks, Mr. Hien suggested a new, more synchronized, and decisive approach. This includes focusing on improving the institutional framework, policy mechanisms, and strongly reforming the investment environment. It is necessary to quickly build institutional policies, including experimental mechanisms and sandboxes for new fields such as AI, digital technology, and green energy.
Building a comprehensive support ecosystem, particularly in infrastructure development, is crucial. The focus should be placed on developing specialized, smart, ecological industrial parks and high-tech parks with superior environments and institutions, strategic connectivity infrastructure, renewable energy, and social infrastructure, creating the best conditions for foreign corporations to invest and produce in Vietnam.
A key and directional highlight is the need for clear regulations on costs for greenhouse gas emission reduction activities and the development of industrial symbiosis models. "This mechanism helps create a strong financial incentive, encouraging businesses to transition to clean technology, save energy, and implement environmentally friendly solutions," Mr. Hien emphasized.
According to Mr. Pham Thanh Binh, Director of the Northern Investment Promotion and Support Information Center, Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Finance, specific solutions and actions are needed, such as improving the investment institutional framework and policies; promoting administrative procedure reform to maximize project implementation facilitation; upgrading infrastructure, especially logistics, energy, and industrial park infrastructure towards modern, green, and smart; enhancing the training of high-quality human resources to meet modern technology requirements; and intensifying targeted investment promotion, focusing on multinational corporations in high-tech and clean energy sectors.
Believing that the new generation of FDI is related to green and high-tech investment, Mr. Phan Huu Thang, former Director of the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Finance), Chairman of the Industrial Finance Association, proposed that the Government should promptly issue a strategy to attract new generation FDI for the 2025-2035 period; approve national criteria for new generation FDI suitable for each locality and region; and develop special incentive packages for high-tech and semiconductor industries.
The Ministry of Finance needs to complete the legal framework for green industrial parks and ecological industrial parks; establish a national FDI data mechanism; and determine tax incentives for R&D and innovation, he proposed.
Regarding human resources, Mr. Thang suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training focus on training human resources for the new generation to have a workforce ready to participate in the chain, while delegating vocational schools to localities.
Finally, in the new development phase, Mr. Thang believes that it is necessary to promote linkages and apply policies specific to each region instead of a uniform national policy.
To welcome the new wave of FDI into industrial parks, the Government needs to shift from a "red carpet" welcome approach to selecting investors with binding responsibilities for and substantial contributions to the development of supporting industries.
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