Industrial enterprises 'listen' for opportunities to deploy capital

Many businesses have proactively calculated to expand production and invest in cooperation to seize opportunities. There are still many "silent gaps" waiting for policies, infrastructure and procedures to be synchronously removed after Ho Chi Minh City merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces.

Workers at Vexos Company (100% foreign-owned) in Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone (HCMC) - Photo: QUANG DINH

Be prepared but cautious

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online , many businesses said they see great development potential when the key industrial zone in the South is managed in a unified manner, creating conditions for sharing infrastructure, logistics, land funds and synchronous preferential policies.

Ms. Le Hai Lieu - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Duc Thanh Wood Company, shared that the enterprise has restructured production early to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

"We used to have factories in Go Vap district (HCMC) and Dong Nai, but eventually moved to a large factory in Binh Duong . In addition to saving on operating costs, we also have additional revenue from renting out old factories," she said.

According to her, the decision to choose Binh Duong was not only because of competitive land prices but also because of the convenient transportation and logistics infrastructure connecting to Ho Chi Minh City and export seaports.

The company has now rented an additional 16ha of land in Binh Duong to plan for production expansion and build factories for rent, targeting the strong demand from foreign enterprises.

However, Ms. Lieu also frankly pointed out the bottleneck of slow customs procedures that causes orders to be delayed. If this step can be improved, it will help Vietnamese enterprises compete better in the international market.

In the mechanical engineering industry, considered the "backbone" of the industry, businesses are still more cautious. Mr. Do Phuoc Tong - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Duy Khanh Mechanical Company - said that orders and connections between Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong are still stable but not enough motivation to expand immediately.

"Expanding production needs more time to calculate. For the industry to truly take off, long-term preparation is needed in terms of infrastructure, supply chains, attraction policies and highly skilled human resources," Mr. Tong shared.

Nam Tan Uyen Industrial Park, former Binh Duong province (now Ho Chi Minh City) - Photo: QUANG DINH

While manufacturing enterprises are still "waiting", industrial infrastructure in Binh Duong is proactively anticipating demand. Thaco of billionaire Tran Ba Duong has been approved to invest in the Bac Tan Uyen 1 industrial park of nearly 786 hectares.

The project, with a total capital of over VND75,000 billion, is oriented towards developing mechanical engineering, supporting industry, equipment and components, high technology and green industry. According to the plan, construction will start in August 2025 and the first phase will be put into operation from September 2026, creating over 30,000 jobs, of which about 10,000 will have university degrees or higher.

The investor also synchronously planned three housing areas for workers, dormitories, urban housing and social housing, with a total of more than 19,000 accommodations.

This is considered a new "urban industrial complex" in Binh Duong, extending Thaco's experience from the thousands of hectares of industrial and urban complex in Chu Lai ( Quang Nam ), now Da Nang.

Workers process pepper at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Binh Duong province) for export to the EU market - Photo: QUANG DINH

HCMC wants to reposition industrial space

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, the city currently has nearly 1,000 supporting industry enterprises, most of which are small and medium-sized, but the need to participate in the global supply chain is very large.

In a workshop on supply chain trends, many multinational corporations such as Samsung, Bosch Vietnam, and ITO Vietnam shared their needs for developing domestic suppliers and seeking Vietnamese partners in the mechanical engineering, semiconductor, medical, and transportation industries.

To attract FDI enterprises, according to economic experts, it is necessary to realize regional industrial space. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the consolidation of management of industrial parks and export processing zones of the city with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

At a recent meeting with industrial parks, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that the city has completed the documents and submitted them to the Prime Minister for issuance of a decision to establish the Management Board of Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks of Ho Chi Minh City (new) on the basis of merging the current management boards.

The merger aims to expand the management area, create a unified focal point for handling administrative procedures, and ensure continuous and smooth service to businesses.

The Ho Chi Minh City Management Board has also coordinated with localities to agree on a plan to receive documents, and at the same time contacted competent authorities to adjust information and issue accounts to process procedures on the public service portal.

Expect a regional industrial engine

According to experts, the consolidation of management and expansion of industrial areas is not just an administrative move but a strategic step to reduce logistics costs, share infrastructure, attract high-quality investment and develop value-added industry.

"Binh Duong is the capital of industrial parks, but if it wants to develop high technology, it must be linked to the research and innovation center of Ho Chi Minh City, connecting seaports and logistics.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau will also be empowered when the free trade zone is linked to the international financial center of Ho Chi Minh City, which is a resonance to create a new development momentum for the whole region" - an analyst.

Ho Chi Minh City aims to establish new growth drivers, realizing the goal of comprehensive development for a megacity of about 14 million people.

In the first 6 months of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City's industrial production index (IIP) is estimated to increase by 8.4% over the same period.

Import-export turnover reached 56.5 billion USD, up 13.3%, of which export reached 31.6 billion USD.

CONG TRUNG - HONG PHUC

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doanh-nghiep-cong-nghiep-nghe-ngong-co-hoi-bung-von-20250716171239135.htm