HCM CITY TO TURN EXISTING IPS, EPZS INTO ECO-INDUSTRIAL, HIGH-TECH ZONES

The HCM City People’s Committee wants changes made to a proposal to convert industrial parks and export processing zones into eco-industrial and high-tech zones by 2025.

Earlier, the HCM City Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zones Authority (HEPZA) had submitted the plan for the committee's approval with the aim of gradually weeding out labour-intensive firms and those using outdated technologies in Industrial Parks (IPs) and Export Processing Zones (EPZs).

It has instructed HEPZA to clarify certain requirements related to investment in high technologies by businesses.

HEPZA should encourage enterprises in existing industrial zones to convert their businesses into eco-services and ecological urban areas, it said.

It needs to come up with solutions for moving enterprises from their current IPs to new ones after their land lease expires and do not want to convert their businesses, it said.

It also needs to identify lands on its borders with neighbouring provinces and in underdeveloped areas or near the city’s gateways for developing new industrial parks in future, it said.

HEPZA plans to pilot the programme at four IPs: Tân Thuận EPZ in District 7, Tân Bình IP in Tân Bình District, Hiệp Phước IP in Nhà Bè District, and Cát Lái IP in Thủ Đức City.

It also wants to build two new industrial zones in Bình Chánh District, the 320ha Lê Minh Xuân 2 Industrial Park and 670ha Phạm Văn Hai Industrial Park, to house clean, advanced and high-tech industries.

Recently, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in collaboration with the UN Industrial Development Organisation and the Management Board of IPs and EPZs, held a seminar in the city to discuss how to turn IPs and EPZs into eco-industrial parks (EIPs).

This is among the activities within the framework of the project on establishing EIPs in Việt Nam following the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP), in which Hiệp Phước IP is selected to be the first in HCM City to pilot the model.

Speaking at the event, Phạm Thanh Trúc, deputy head of Management Board of IPs and EPZs in the city, said that after 30 years of construction and development, IPs and EPZs in the city have gained certain achievements, making positive contributions to the industrialisation and modernisation of the country. However, there remain certain limitations.

Sharing the same view, Nguyễn Trâm Anh, an expert from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said that the limitations in the development of IPs today are the lack of linkages between businesses in the zone; inefficient use of resources; unsecured energy and water; and their negative impacts on the natural environment and living environment of near-by residents.

She affirmed that the trend of shifting from traditional IPs to EIPs is inevitable.

The city has 17 IPs, EPZs and high-tech parks covering a total area of more than 3,800 hectares. It targets having 23 ‘green’ high-tech EPZs and IPs with 6,000ha.

Source: VNS

Related News

MEMBER CORNER / PROMOTIONS

KNIC ENGAGES WITH GOVERNMENT AND HIGH-TECH BUSINESS COMMUNITIES IN CHINA

From Beijing to Shandong, KN Holdings and KN Industrial City are continuing to expand their engagement with government authorities, trade promotion organizations, and high-tech business communities in China. In Beijing, the delegation met with the Center for International Economic and Technological Cooperation under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), exchanging perspectives on industrial and technology cooperation between the two markets.

Sep 24, 2026

VIETNAM ECONOMY INVESTMENT

VIETNAM’S TRADE TOPS $825 BILLION BY MID-SEPTEMBER

Figures released on September 21 showed goods trade reached nearly $55 billion in the first 15 days of September alone, bringing cumulative turnover since the beginning of the year to more than $825 billion. The strong growth reflects robust trade flows, with demand for consumer goods and production inputs remaining high.

Sep 23, 2026

TECHNOLOGY

VIỆT NAM'S BUSINESSES MOVE TOWARDS AI AGENTS

Việt Nam’s AI landscape is entering a new phase as businesses move beyond generative AI (GenAI) tools designed to assist human users towards autonomous AI, agentic AI and AI agents that can take action with limited supervision, experts have said. The shift comes as Việt Nam seeks to accelerate science and technology, innovation and digital transformation under Politburo Resolution 57-NQ/TW, issued on December 22, 2024.

Sep 23, 2026

GARMENT / TEXTILE

VIỆT NAM TARGETS $48 BILLION IN TEXTILE-GARMENT EXPORTS

Việt Nam’s textile and garment industry is facing both opportunities and challenges amid complex and unpredictable developments in the global market, prompting businesses to improve growth quality, optimise production costs and enhance adaptability in pursuit of an export turnover of about $48 billion this year. The target is considered an important milestone that requires concerted efforts from management agencies and the business community.

Sep 23, 2026

INFRASTRUCTURE / CONSTRUCTION / LOGISTIC / PORT

CUTTING LOGISTICS COSTS KEY TO BOOSTING EXPORTS

Reducing costs has become an increasingly urgent priority for import-export activities, particularly logistics costs, a conference in Hà Nội was told on Tuesday. According to Deputy General Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Agency for Foreign Trade, Trần Thanh Hải, import-export activities has remained a bright spot for the economy in recent years, playing an important role and helping drive macroeconomic growth.

Sep 23, 2026

LEGAL UPDATE / POLICY

FLEXIBLE FISCAL POLICY HELPS DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH

Việt Nam’s fiscal policy has been implemented in a targeted expansionary manner since early 2026, helping maintain macroeconomic stability and supporting the country’s goal of achieving double-digit economic growth. According to the Ministry of Finance, State budget revenue in the first eight months of 2026 was estimated at VNĐ2.02 quadrillion (US$77.7 billion), equivalent to 80 per cent of the annual estimate and up 16 per cent year-on-year.

Sep 23, 2026