Project

Developing eco-industrial parks to attract FDI

Published

14 hours ago

March 17, 2025

By 2030, about 40-50% of provinces and cities are expected to convert traditional industrial parks into eco-industrial parks, and 8-10% of localities will have plans to build new eco-industrial parks to plan and attract investment industries gradually.

In reality, industrial parks that develop sustainably are becoming the selection criteria for foreign investors with economic benefits and responsibility to the social community. In that flow, industrial parks in Vietnam face a trend of comprehensive transformation to retain investors and attract new investment projects, especially high-tech and large-scale projects.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has just coordinated with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to sign a project document on replicating the eco-industrial park approach to promote circular economy in Vietnam.

The project aims to promote the implementation of circular economy in enterprises in industrial parks, reduce the environmental impact of industrial production, and adapt to climate change.

Director of the Department of Economic Zones Management under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Le Thanh Quan said that since 2015, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNIDO have piloted the conversion of several traditional industrial parks into eco-industrial park models in four localities: Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai. In turn, 90 enterprises were supported with resource efficiency and cleaner production (RECP) solutions, and 429 out of 889 proposed solutions were implemented in Dinh Vu, Hoa Khanh, Hiep Phuoc, and Amata industrial parks.

RECP solutions helped enterprises reduce electricity consumption by 14,378 MWh/year, fossil fuel consumption by 264,127 GJ/year, water consumption by 278,690 m3/year, and greenhouse gas emissions by 55,663 tonnes of CO2 equivalent/year, bringing economic benefits to enterprises. Many industrial symbiosis and industrial-urban symbiosis solutions have been implemented, contributing to optimising waste reuse, concretising the implementation of circular economy, etc.

Currently, ecological industrial parks are becoming the selection criteria for foreign direct investment (FDI) with the goal of sustainable development, economic benefits and responsibility to the community and society. Many localities and industrial park infrastructure investors have identified that developing industrial parks according to a new model is an inevitable and urgent need to create sustainable competitive advantages.

Sharing at the recently held forum on comprehensive green solutions for industrial parks and investment promotion in Vinh Phuc Province, Chairman of Vinh Phuc Provincial People’s Committee Tran Duy Dong said that during the period of fluctuating global investment capital flows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FDI capital in this locality was still higher than planned. From 2020 to now, Vinh Phuc has attracted an average of 500-600 million USD of FDI capital annually, the highest year reaching nearly 1 billion USD.

In just three years, from 2021 to 2023, Vinh Phuc’s investment attraction results exceeded the target set for the entire 2020-2025 term of 2 billion USD. This province also attracts high-quality investment flows from big brands such as Honda, Toyota, Piaggio and Daewoo.

According to the plan, by 2030, Vinh Phuc will have 28 industrial parks with an area of about 4,800 hectares, in which priority is given to developing new industrial parks along key traffic routes such as the Hanoi-Lao Cai Expressway, Ring Road 4, Ring Road 5, etc.

In which, orienting investment to develop industrial parks to achieve high efficiency and towards sustainable development is one of the top urgent requirements.

According to economic experts, to successfully replicate the approach of eco-industrial parks to promote circular economy in Vietnam, it is necessary to develop a specific roadmap and implementation plan, continue improving mechanisms and policies, create favourable conditions for this transformation process, propose solutions for practical values and develop criteria to identify and register eco-industrial parks and eco-enterprises certification.

Project

Manufacturing, processing push up industrial growth in five months

Published

1 hour ago

March 17, 2025

Industrialzone.net

Vietnam’s industrial sector experienced positive growth in the January-May period, with 55 out of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities nationwide reporting annual increases in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The GSO identified manufacturing, processing, and electricity production and distribution as the primary drivers of the growth. Provinces recording high growth included Phu Tho (31.2%), Bac Giang (24.9%), and Binh Phuoc (14.8%). However, some other provinces like Ha Tinh, Quang Ngai and Ca Mau saw respective declines of 9%, 8.25% and 2.5% in their indexes.

Overall, the national IIP in May continued its upward trajectory, rising 3.9% month-on-month and 8.9% year-on-year. The five-month period saw an yearly increase of 6.8%.

A deeper analysis revealed the processing and manufacturing industries as the key contributor to the growth, boasting a 7.3% rise and adding 6.4 percentage points to the overall increase. The electricity production and distribution sector also performed strongly, with 12.7% growth, contributing 1.1 percentage points. Additionally, the water supply, waste, and wastewater management sector went up 6.3%, adding 0.1 percentage point. However, the mining sector experienced a decline of 5.2%, resulting in a reduction of 0.8 percentage point in the overall growth.

Specific product categories within the processing and manufacturing sectors posted impressive growth. Production of rubber and plastic products surged by 27.4%, while electrical equipment saw a 24% increase. Production of chemicals and chemical products grew by 20.1%, followed by beds, cabinets, tables, and chairs (19.6%) and metal products (13.2%).

In light of these findings, the GSO proposed a series of recommendations to further bolster Vietnam’s industrial development. It urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to prioritise a structural shift toward increasing the proportion of processing and manufacturing industries within the overall industrial sector, while simultaneously reducing reliance on the assembly and processing of imported products; enhance enterprise competitiveness and incentivise the use of domestically produced goods via technical barriers for certain imports.

Additionally, the GSO recommended that the MoIT refine key institutions such as the Key Industrial Law and the Law on Chemicals. Expediting the disbursement of public investment capital and hastening crucial projects in the fields of electricity, oil and gas, manufacturing, processing, and mining are also highlighted as crucial steps.

Head of the GSO’s Industrial and Construction Statistics Department Phi Thi Huong Nga suggested that localities should launch more stimulus and promotion schemes to increase purchasing power while helping industrial firms find partners and expand markets through trade exhibitions.

Project

Massive investments flow into Cam Lam district as airport town to take shape in Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa province

Published

2 hours ago

March 17, 2025

Industrialzone.net

Hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars are flowing into Cam Lam district, providing a major boost for Khanh Hoa as the province in south-central Vietnam accelerates its plans to develop an international-standard airport town.

A corner of Cam Lam district, Khanh Hoa province, south-central Vietnam. Photo by The Investor/Nguyen Tri.

The provincial People’s Committee recently issued decisions to select investors for four large urban complex projects, with a total investment exceeding VND22 trillion ($862.24 million) in Cam Lam district.

The Cam Tan Urban Complex spans over 290 hectares in Cam Tan and Suoi Tan communes, with a projected population of around 4,020 people and a total investment exceeding VND5.73 trillion ($224.6 million).

The Cam Thuong Urban Complex, at the cost of nearing VND6 trillion ($236.9 million), covers nearly 300 hectares in the same two communes and will be home to 4,010 people.

Located in Cam Tan and Cam Hoa communes, the 300-hectare Cam Hoa Urban Complex will have an investment of over VND5.24 trillion ($200 million) and house 4,410 people.

Lastly, the over VND5.1 trillion ($200 million) Suoi Tan Urban Complex, spanning nearly 240 hectares in Suoi Tan commune, will accommodate around 4,020 people.

The provincial People’s Committee also approved a list of projects seeking non-budget investments for the 2025–2030 period, including three projects in Cam Lam.

The most notable is the 10,365-hectare Cam Lam New Urban Area project, with an investment of VND285.3 trillion ($11.18 billion). This major project aims to create a new urban area and world-class entertainment zone, making it one of Khanh Hoa’s flagship initiatives for the 2025–2030 period.

Developing Khanh Hoa’s southern growth pole

Positioned between the coastal towns of Nha Trang and Cam Ranh, Cam Lam benefits from a highly convenient transportation network.

With 13 kilometers of coastlines, the district has attracted significant investment over the past 20 years, leading to the development of numerous resorts that have transformed the area.

In February 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha approved a master plan for the new Cam Lam Urban Area until 2045. The planned area covers the entire administrative boundary of Cam Lam district, totaling over 54,719 hectares (excluding the Thuy Trieu Lagoon area).

Under the master plan, Cam Lam is set to become the southern growth hub of Khanh Hoa and the south-central coastal region, contributing to the province’s ambition to become a centrally governed city. Vietnam currently has six centrally managed cities, namely Hanoi, Hai Phong, Danang, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho.

The district will be developed into a modern, international-standard airport town, focusing on coastal tourism, logistics services, finance, global innovation, education, healthcare, and cutting-edge research. The goal is to create a high-quality living environment with modern infrastructure.

In August 2024, the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee approved a zoning plan (scale 1/2000) that covers the coastal sub-area, the central urban sub-area, and the northern urban sub-area of the new Cam Lam town.

The central urban sub-area aims to develop a new political-administrative center for Cam Lam, as well as an innovation hub that is part of a larger regional center.

The northern urban sub-area will focus on developing a new urban center, featuring a chain of golf courses, amusement parks, and specialized parks near Cu Hin Mountain.

Meanwhile, the coastal urban sub-area will serve as a tourism, service, and coastal urban zone, acting as the maritime gateway to the new town.

Real estate market recovery

Nguyen Anh Tuan, vice president of the Khanh Hoa Real Estate Brokerage Association, stated that the local real estate market has emerged from its most challenging period and showed clear signs of recovery in 2024.

The market’s recovery is driven by significant improvements in infrastructure and well-planned, long-term development schemes, such as the Nha Trang master plan for 2040 and the Cam Lam airport town master plan through 2045, he noted.

These initiatives have drawn considerable interest from investors, highlighting the region’s sustainable property market growth potential.

“The real estate market in Khanh Hoa, particularly in hotspots like Nha Trang and Cam Lam, has experienced a notable rise in prices over the past year. This surge has created pressure for both homebuyers and new investors, potentially driving property prices to unsustainable levels, which could pose risks to liquidity and long-term value stability,” Tuan added.

With a strong foundation for recovery in 2024, Tuan believed that the local real estate market will continue to grow substantially in 2025, supported by the ongoing improvements in infrastructure.

Notably, key projects such as the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway and the expansion of Cam Ranh Airport will play a pivotal role in stimulating the market and attracting further investment.

Project

Agoda Offers Free Tickets for Japanese Fans to See NCT WISH, THE BOYZ, n.SSign and More at Seoul Spring Festa

Published

3 hours ago

March 17, 2025

Industrialzone.net

Digital travel platform Agoda is giving K-pop fans in Japan a reason to cheer with an exclusive offer to attend the Seoul Spring Festa’s opening concert, WONDER SHOW, which will take place on Wed, Apr. 30 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

TOKYO, March 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Digital travel platform Agoda is giving K-pop fans in Japan a reason to cheer with an exclusive offer to attend the Seoul Spring Festa’s opening concert, WONDER SHOW, which will take place on Wed, Apr. 30 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

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Fans from Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan can snag two free tickets per booking to the highly anticipated event featuring K-pop artists NCT WISH, THE BOYZ, n.SSign, TWS, NMIXX, god, STAYC, ALL(H)OURS, NEXZ, KickFlip, Hearts2Hearts, NouerA, KiiiKiii and more to be announced*. Travelers can secure the free tickets through the ‘Agoda x Wonder Show’ special room package available via participating properties on Agoda. The offer will be available starting March 17 to April 11, 2025, for check-ins between April 21-30, 2025, and includes an additional discount of up to 15% off accommodations.

The Seoul Spring Festa, a city-wide celebration of Korean culture, food, and entertainment, includes a lineup of performances by NCT WISH, known for their electrifying stage presence; THE BOYZ, celebrated for their dynamic choreography; and n.SSign, the rising stars captivating fans across Asia, and many more. Pre-sale tickets for the event have already sold out, making Agoda’s offer a golden opportunity for fans to experience the magic of K-pop live.

Jay Lee, Country Director, South Korea at Agoda, shared, “K-pop transcends borders, uniting fans worldwide, and we’re excited to bring Japanese fans closer to the action. Agoda is making dreams come true with free tickets to see NCT WISH, THE BOYZ, n.SSign, and more, along with unbeatable hotel deals—turning Seoul into the must-visit hotspot for K-pop lovers this spring.”

Travelers can enhance their Seoul experience by booking the Discover Seoul Pass on Agoda. This all-in-one offers access to major attractions, transportation, and connectivity in Seoul, ensuring visitors can explore the city with ease and convenience.

With over 5 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities available, Agoda offers everything travelers need to plan their perfect trip. For more information on this exclusive offer and to book your stay, visit Agoda.com or download the Agoda mobile app for the best deals.