VISIP 3 in HCM City. The southern city attracted more than US$5.3 billion in new and additional investment into export processing and industrial zones in 2025. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM — More than US$5.3 billion in new and additional investment was channelled into HCM City’s export processing and industrial zones in 2025, up 0.37 per cent year-on-year and exceeding the annual target by 17.5 per cent.

Over 470 hectares of land and about 492,000 sq.m of factory space were leased during the year, according to the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA).

Foreign direct investment (FDI) reached more than $3.39 billion, down 7.09 per cent from 2024. Of this, 210 new projects were licensed with registered capital totalling $1.93 billion, a decline of 44.32 per cent. Meanwhile, additional capital registered by 179 existing projects surged 74.53 per cent to $1.99 billion.

Hong Kong (China) topped the list of countries and territories by number of newly licensed projects, with 66 projects worth nearly $392 million. It was followed by mainland China, with 36 projects totalling more than $247 million. Singapore, with 24 projects, registered the largest amount of new investment capital, exceeding $415 million.

Sectors attracting the most foreign investment included mechanical engineering, with 52 projects worth more than $258.5 million; plastics and rubber, with 22 projects totalling over $80 million; and electronics, with 21 projects worth more than $210 million.

Domestic investment reached more than VNĐ48 trillion (over $1.9 billion), up 16.96 per cent year-on-year. This comprised 99 new projects worth over VNĐ33.6 trillion and 52 projects registering additional capital totalling VNĐ14.3 trillion.

HEPZA reported a positive structural shift in FDI inflows, with capital increasingly directed towards priority industries such as mechanical engineering, which accounted for 18.5 per cent of total FDI, and chemicals, which represented 15.2 per cent. Domestic investment also maintained strong momentum, rising nearly 17 per cent from 2024.

Of the 99 newly licensed domestic projects, the real estate sector accounted for the largest share, representing 56.2 per cent of total capital, or VNĐ18.9 trillion. Mechanical engineering and food processing followed, accounting for 9.59 per cent and 8.21 per cent, respectively.

HEPZA Director Bùi Minh Trí said exceeding the 2025 investment target as early as mid-December created an important foundation for economic breakthroughs in the coming period. In 2026, HEPZA will focus on strengthening business linkages and improving the timely provision of information to better support enterprises and workers.

The authority also plans to develop and implement a scheme on industrial and export processing zones, restructure key industries in line with high-tech development, and build eco-industrial parks and new-generation smart zones once approved by the municipal People’s Committee. These efforts are expected to stimulate growth while fostering stable and harmonious labour relations in key economic areas. — VNS