TÂY NINH ATTRACTS WAVE OF NEXT-GENERATION FDI

Companies in electronics, precision engineering, and supporting industries have increased investment as Tây Ninh strengthens its position as one of southern Việt Nam's leading industrial hubs.

Long Hậu Industrial Park in Tây Ninh Province. The province will prioritise foreign investment in projects that deliver high added value, utilise advanced and clean technologies, and ensure energy efficiency. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The fact that a growing number of multinational corporations are choosing Tây Ninh Province to expand their manufacturing operations underscores its rising appeal as a destination for high-quality foreign investment focused on innovation, advanced technology and long-term economic value.

Among the latest investors is Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage, which this month opened in the province’s Hựu Thạnh Industrial Park a new plant that cost more than US$300 million.

The company's largest and most advanced facility in Việt Nam reflects a broader shift in foreign investment towards advanced technology, automation, sustainability, and long-term manufacturing capacity.

Ashish Joshi, CEO and managing director of Suntory PepsiCo Việt Nam, said the significance of the Tây Ninh plant extended far beyond increasing production capacity.

"It represents the next stage in our manufacturing journey in Việt Nam."

The facility integrates advanced automation, digital technologies and smart manufacturing systems across production, warehousing and logistics, enabling greater operational efficiency, more consistent product quality and faster responses to changing consumer demand.

Joshi said the investment demonstrated the company's confidence in the country's economic trajectory.

"Việt Nam has consistently demonstrated strong economic resilience, a dynamic consumer market and solid long-term growth fundamentals.

"Our Tây Ninh plant should therefore be viewed through a long-term lens. This investment reflects our belief that Việt Nam will play an increasingly important role in both Suntory and PepsiCo's regional growth strategy."

Suntory PepsiCo is among a growing number of international manufacturers expanding operations in the province. Companies in electronics, precision engineering, and supporting industries have also increased investment as Tây Ninh strengthens its position as one of southern Việt Nam's leading industrial hubs.

Bùi Đức Thọ, deputy general director of Airspeed Manufacturing Vietnam, a subsidiary of the global Airspeed Group that supplies cable assemblies, plastic components, and metal parts, said the province's well-developed transport, power, water, and telecommunications infrastructure would support reliable and cost-effective production.

Airspeed has two plants in Tây Ninh employing nearly 900 workers and is building a third that is expected to create another 1,000 jobs.

Provincial authorities said investors were no longer drawn primarily by low labour costs but by infrastructure quality, supply chain connectivity, skilled labour, institutional transparency, and a commitment to sustainability.

Following the recent administrative merger, Tây Ninh has expanded its development space, population and market size while strengthening its strategic position linking HCM City, the southeastern region, the Mekong Delta, and Cambodia.

Major infrastructure projects, including HCM City's Ring Road No. 4, the HCM City–Mộc Bài Expressway, key industrial transport corridors, logistics centres, and border economic zone infrastructure, are expected to reduce logistics costs significantly and strengthen integration into global supply chains.

Trương Văn Liếp, director of the Tây Ninh Department of Finance, said the province was pursuing a more targeted investment promotion strategy aligned with investors' long-term requirements.

Alongside improving the domestic business environment, it had stepped up investment promotion in key markets like the US, China, Malaysia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Suntory PepsiCo’s new Tây Ninh Province plant uses advanced automation, digital technologies and smart manufacturing systems across production, warehousing and logistics. — Photo courtesy of the company

Resolution reshapes FDI strategy

Tây Ninh's approach closely aligns with Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW on foreign-invested economic development.

The resolution marks a shift in Việt Nam's FDI strategy from attracting capital broadly to selectively targeting projects that strengthen technological capability, innovation, green growth and national competitiveness.

It prioritises investment in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, green industries, modern logistics, financial services and other high-value sectors.

Rather than treating FDI primarily as a source of capital, the resolution aims to turn foreign investment into domestic productive capacity by strengthening industrial capabilities, expanding market access, improving economic resilience and increasing Việt Nam's participation in global value chains.

Tây Ninh appears well placed to capitalise on this policy.

In the first half of this year, it licensed new foreign projects worth nearly US$340 million and additional capital of US$1.9 billion at existing projects to rank fourth nationally in FDI.

The province is now home to 2,051 foreign projects with US$27.6 billion in capital, with recent investments increasingly flowing into high-tech manufacturing, supporting industries, electronics, logistics and green production.

The chairman of the province People's Committee, Lê Văn Hẳn, said Tây Ninh sought to improve its investment climate through administrative reform and faster development of transport, industrial parks and logistics infrastructure.

Over the next five years, the province aimed to attract high-value-added projects that use advanced technologies, adopt sustainable manufacturing practices, improve energy efficiency and deepen the integration of local suppliers into global value chains.

Hẳn said major projects such as the new Suntory PepsiCo plant would deliver benefits beyond investment.

"It is a model for advanced technology adoption and sustainable development.

"The plant will contribute to technology transfer, foster the development of a modern industrial ecosystem, accelerate digital transformation, and create high-quality jobs while improving the skills and livelihoods of local workers." — VNS

Source: VNS