Nguyen Cong Vinh, vice chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, made the statement at the CEO 500 forum, themed “The convergence of FDI, technology and global financial flows”. The forum brought together more than 500 business leaders, along with representatives of international organisations, financial institutions and regulators.
The event took place in Ho Chi Minh City as part of the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum (AEF 2026).
Vinh said investment decisions now depend on more than market size or individual incentives. Investors are paying increasing attention to infrastructure, energy, human resources, access to supply chains, access to capital markets and the ability to expand operations in the region.
In response, the city is focusing on four main areas of cooperation. In infrastructure and new development space, Ho Chi Minh City is prioritising transport links, transit-oriented development (TOD), seaports, logistics and a free trade zone. The city wants to attract investors with the financial capacity, technology and experience to carry out large-scale projects.
In finance, the Vietnam International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC) is intended to connect international capital with the development needs of the city and the region. Ho Chi Minh City is inviting international financial institutions to study the conditions, procedures and timetable for participation from the early stage.
“In energy, the city considers a stable supply of clean electricity an important condition for attracting industrial and high-tech sectors. Ho Chi Minh City wants to work with investors to identify locations, priority areas and a schedule for developing suitable energy projects,” Vinh said.
In the digital economy and technology sector, the city plans to develop data infrastructure and high-tech zones, promote the use of AI and establish a controlled testing mechanism for new technologies.
Speaking about VIFC-HCMC, Nguyen Huu Huan, deputy chairman of the centre's executive body, said the next stage should focus on increasing capital while improving investment quality and the value created for the economy.
In the first nine months of the year, registered foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached $50.36 billion, while realised capital stood at $21.07 billion. The foreign-invested sector continues to play an important role in production and exports. However, a large export volume does not mean that Vietnamese companies control the technology or retain a matching share of added value.
According to the OECD, foreign-origin value added accounted for about 48% of Vietnam's export value in 2020, while domestic value added accounted for about 52%, including the contribution of foreign-invested companies operating in Vietnam.
“This situation reflects significant dependence on imported materials, components and processing and assembly work. To increase the share of value retained domestically, Vietnam needs to move more decisively towards research, design, core technology development, intellectual property ownership and brand building,” Huan said.
He proposed that VIFC-HCMC should not only attract capital, but also direct international funds to high-value-added sectors such as AI, semiconductors, automation, robotics, digital finance, biotechnology and green technology. Investment attraction should be linked to R&D, engineer training, technology transfer and support for Vietnamese companies to join supply chains more deeply.
From the banking sector's perspective, Vo Hoang Hai, deputy general director of Nam A Bank, said an international financial centre creates real value only when capital reaches businesses. A large project may need funding or a loan term beyond the capacity of one bank, so the co-financing model needs to be expanded.
He proposed that over the next two years VIFC-HCMC support organisations in carrying out one or two co-financing transactions and connect Vietnamese companies with international sources of capital. At the initial stage, VIFC-HCMC could bring together domestic banks, foreign lenders, lawyers and partners to agree on company selection criteria, transaction requirements and coordination arrangements.
According to Hai, VIFC-HCMC should coordinate the participants and help address legal, foreign-exchange, cross-border capital-flow and reporting issues. Results could be measured by the amount of financing disbursed, the participation of international organisations and the time needed to complete transactions.
Sources: Dân Trí
