Thai businesses expand investment in Ho Chi Minh City: Amata proposes developing high-tech industrial park

(Chinhphu.vn) - The Vietnam-Thailand cooperation relationship has entered a new phase, moving towards a comprehensive strategic partnership. Ho Chi Minh City is considered the key destination for Thai investment capital with a series of large corporations such as Amata, SCG, Central Group, Siam City Cement, etc.

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc received Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Vietnam and a delegation of Thai businesses operating in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City is Thailand's largest investment market in Vietnam.

On the afternoon of November 3, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc received Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Vietnam, and a delegation of Thai businesses operating in Vietnam.

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Urawadee Sriphiromya expressed his gratitude to the City leaders for sending representatives to express condolences at the Thai Consulate on the passing of Queen Mother Sirikit, and also thanked the Ho Chi Minh City government for the attention and support it has given to the Thai business community in recent times.

Ms. Urawadee said that after expanding its administrative boundaries , Ho Chi Minh City has become the area with the largest population and investment market of Thailand in Vietnam, with the presence of a series of leading corporations such as Long Son Petrochemical Complex (SCG), Central Group, BIJ, Siam City Cement, along with four major commercial banks and many enterprises in the fields of energy, retail, healthcare , and logistics.

“Thai businesses see a lot of investment potential in Ho Chi Minh City – especially in the high-end service, logistics and healthcare sectors. A large Thai retail group is also working with the City to build a new high-end shopping mall,” Ms. Urawadee shared.

The Ambassador emphasized that 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic relations, an important milestone in bilateral relations. The two countries are taking steps to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, with three key pillars of cooperation: economic connectivity – infrastructure connectivity – people-to-people connectivity.

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand and leaders of Amata Group.

Amata proposes to invest in new generation industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City

During the working session, Mr. Vikrom Kromadit, Founder and Chairman of Amata Group, had a remarkable exchange about Amata's investment orientation in Vietnam.

He said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Amata Group. After more than three decades of development, Amata has built more than 140 square kilometers of industrial parks in many countries, attracting more than 1,600 factories, contributing to the creation of over 50 billion USD of GDP from businesses operating in the group's ecosystem.

In Vietnam alone, Amata has been present for more than 30 years with a total investment capital of about 1.5 billion USD, of which more than half is concentrated in Dong Nai . As of 2024, Amata's industrial parks in Vietnam have attracted more than 8 billion USD in secondary investment capital, becoming one of the largest foreign industrial infrastructure developers in Vietnam.

Amata representative in Vietnam, Ms. Somhatai Panichewa, said that the Group is studying a proposal to invest in a new industrial park in Chau Duc area (formerly Ba Ria - Vung Tau, now part of Ho Chi Minh City) with a total minimum investment capital of 180 million USD, focusing on high-tech industries, logistics and smart urban areas.

"We have cooperated with Japanese partners to complete the master plan and feasibility report. If Ho Chi Minh City approves the project, Amata is ready to present details and immediately implement the project," Ms. Somhatai affirmed.

The Group also invited Ho Chi Minh City leaders to visit "Amata smart cities" in Thailand and Amata Bien Hoa industrial park to learn about the green urban-industrial development model that Amata is applying.

Ho Chi Minh City expands development space, ready to welcome Thai investors

Speaking at the reception, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized that the friendship between Vietnam and Thailand is "a relationship between two friends in the ASEAN house", with extremely positive results in economic and trade cooperation. Currently, Thailand is the 9th largest investor in Vietnam and one of the leading trade partners in the region.

According to Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc, after the administrative unit merger process, Ho Chi Minh City is strongly expanding its development space: Binh Duong (old) is oriented to be an industrial center; Ba Ria - Vung Tau (old) becomes a pole of marine economic growth, focusing on energy, petrochemicals and logistics; while the central area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City is planned to become a financial and digital economic center.

"If nothing changes, in November, the Ho Chi Minh City International Financial Center will be officially established," the Chairman of the City People's Committee shared, and also said that of the current 8.3 billion USD of FDI capital, more than 2 billion USD is invested in the digital economy - proving the growing attractiveness of Ho Chi Minh City in the era of digital transformation and Industry 4.0.

The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee affirmed: "The success of enterprises is also the success of the City. The difficulties of enterprises are our challenges. Ho Chi Minh City always accompanies, shares and wishes to attract more Thai investors, including Amata, to learn about and invest in the New City."

With Amata's investment proposal, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assessed that this is a project suitable for the city's industrial and logistics development planning.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc also welcomed Amata's capacity and experience in developing modern industrial parks in Vietnam, emphasizing: "We fully support Amata's investment policy in a new industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City, and are ready to support its expansion to neighboring industrial areas such as Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau."

The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee affirmed that the City especially encourages high-tech projects, green production and net zero emissions, considering them important pillars of sustainable growth. He also expressed his hope that Amata – with its international experience and global partnership network – will play a pioneering role in technology transfer and high-quality human resource training.

The reception took place in the context of Vietnam and Thailand promoting a series of activities towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1976-2026). The two countries agreed to strengthen people-to-people connections, including opening more routes and increasing flight frequency between the two countries – especially from Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya said: "Last week, we worked with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to discuss opening new routes. We hope that the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City will continue to support us to strengthen trade and tourism connections between the two countries."

At the end of the working session, the two sides agreed to continue promoting specific cooperation programs in the fields of investment, logistics, green industry and smart cities, contributing to realizing the common commitment: "Vietnam and Thailand develop together in prosperity, together towards a sustainable future of the ASEAN region."

PV

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/doanh-nghiep-thai-lan-mo-rong-dau-tu-vao-tphcm-amata-de-xuat-phat-trien-khu-cong-nghiep-cong-nghe-cao-102251105161356298.htm