Be proactive to break through the development of supporting industries

VTV.vn - The supporting industry has great opportunities from restructuring the global supply chain, but Vietnamese enterprises can only make a breakthrough when they proactively raise standards and innovate themselves.

New dynamics, new requirements

In 2021, when SMC Precision had no orders in hand, this enterprise decided to build a new factory and invest in modern stamping machines, proactively upgrading production standards to the level required by multinational corporations. Just one year later, in 2022, SMC Precision became a tier 1 supplier of Samsung in Vietnam. The door to the global supply chain is not open to businesses that wait, but to those who dare to go one step ahead, accepting "invest first, orders come later".

The above information was given by Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dang Khoa, Deputy Director of Business Development of SMC Precision at the forum "Promoting the development of Vietnam's supporting industry in the global supply chain" held on the afternoon of December 4 in Ho Chi Minh City. There are many opportunities for businesses to break through to develop the supporting industry, according to experts, "the most important thing is for businesses to proactively adapt". With more than 500 delegates from management agencies, associations, research institutes, FDI corporations and nearly 300 domestic enterprises participating, the event not only aims to assess the current situation but also lay the foundation for strategic orientation 2026-2035.

Supporting industry is identified as a "platform industry", a pillar to improve growth quality for Vietnam.

Ms. Cao Thi Phi Van, Deputy Director of ITPC, emphasized the strategic role of supporting industries in national competitiveness. Updated figures show that Vietnam has reached a historic milestone: total import-export turnover by November 15, 2025 reached 801 billion USD, of which exports were 410.28 billion USD, imports were 390.74 billion USD, creating a trade surplus of 19.54 billion USD. Key industries such as computers, electronic products and components increased by 48.3%, equivalent to 30.01 billion USD; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts increased by 11.7%, equivalent to 5.33 billion USD.

But these impressive growth figures are accompanied by a sobering reality: Vietnam is still heavily dependent on imported components and semi-finished products. The electronics group alone reached 6.62 billion USD in imports; the machinery and equipment group reached 2.59 billion USD. The gap between domestic production and the actual needs of multinational corporations is still very wide. "These figures clearly show that there is still a lot of room for development of domestic supporting industries, and at the same time, there is a need to improve supply capacity," Ms. Phi Van emphasized.

Meanwhile, the expansion of administrative boundaries has made Ho Chi Minh City take the lead in total effective FDI capital, reaching 141.267 billion USD. In this context, supporting industry is identified as a "foundational industry", a pillar to improve growth quality in the next decade.

However, the capacity of Vietnamese enterprises is still not up to the "global standard" requirements. Ms. Truong Thi Chi Binh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries (VASI), said that Vietnam's network of supporting industry enterprises has achieved a revenue of 4.58 billion USD in 2024, with 55% operating in metal processing, 25% in plastic - rubber, 10% in electricity - electronics. Enterprises have expanded their models from OEM to ODM and OBM; technical capacity has been significantly improved, as evidenced by the supply of complex components to Toyota, Hyundai, VinFast , LG, Honda and many international corporations.

Domestic enterprises have expanded their model from OEM to ODM and OBM; technical capacity has been significantly improved, as evidenced by the supply of complex components to Toyota, Hyundai, VinFast, LG, Honda and many international corporations.

However, Ms. Binh emphasized that to accelerate in the period 2025-2026, businesses need to optimize the QCD criteria (Quality - Cost - Delivery) and integrate ESG and digitalization in all operations. Standardization according to ISO 9001, IATF 16949 or AS 9100D is no longer an "advantage" but a prerequisite.

The global supply chain is shifting from "globalization" to "regionalization", with the "China +1" strategy opening up a golden opportunity for Vietnam. However, according to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dang Khoa, businesses can only enter the supply chain if they meet the requirements: 100% traceability via QR and MES, automatic quality control using Vision System, real-time data management and strict ESG compliance. "Customers require delivery times 30-50% shorter than before, forcing businesses to be more flexible than ever," he said.

Be proactive to enter the big game

The 2025 Forum emphasized a key point: businesses must proactively upgrade themselves before waiting for any incentives or support from the outside. Because FDI capital flows are moving faster than the policy-making cycle, and only qualified businesses can enter the global supply network.

Ho Chi Minh City is ready to create a favorable ecosystem with four key tasks, from perfecting policies, developing specialized industrial zones, promoting technological innovation - digital transformation to enhancing supply - demand connections. But the final effectiveness still depends on the actions of each enterprise in the ecosystem.

The supporting industry can only make a breakthrough when businesses proactively transform digitally, invest in technology, standardize governance and participate in regional and chain linkages.

From a national strategic perspective, the trend of developing sustainable supporting industrial clusters, similar to the Japanese or Korean models, is completely consistent with Vietnam's goals for the period 2026-2035. However, to form a true industrial cluster, enterprises must meet international standards in technology, quality, governance and social responsibility.

Mr. Huynh Quang Nhung, Deputy General Director of Sales of Thaco Industries, said that the 786-hectare specialized mechanical industrial park project of Thaco Industries, with an investment capital of more than VND 75,000 billion, will be an important stepping stone to promote the development of the supporting industry. This is a new generation industrial park model aiming at a closed value chain, boosting exports and creating a foundation for mechanical and supporting industry enterprises to participate deeply in high-tech fields. The planning of a linkage center right in the industrial park further reinforces the message: Vietnamese enterprises can only develop if they know how to connect and raise standards together.

In the context of increasingly stringent logistics costs, quality control and technological requirements, the "everyone does it their own way" approach has become outdated. The supporting industry can only make a breakthrough when businesses proactively transform digitally, invest in technology, standardize governance and participate in regional and chain linkages.

According to experts, opportunities do not wait, when international investment capital is restructuring, Vietnam's position will be determined by the speed of transformation of domestic enterprises. Lessons from SMC Precision show that proactiveness can create strategic turning points. On the contrary, delay will cause enterprises to be left out of the game even though the market is right in front of them.

Source: https://vtv.vn/chu-dong-de-but-pha-phat-trien-nganh-cong-nghiep-ho-tro-100251204163515959.htm