Megastory series: 'Thirst' for labor in the industrial capital of Dong Nai (Part 1)

From being a “promised land” for workers and laborers from other provinces to work, and also a locality in the southern region experiencing an industrial boom, Dong Nai is no longer a “good land for birds to nest” for many migrant workers. In recent years, the labor supply for the locality has decreased, and many enterprises are in a state of “labor thirst”. Although enterprises have many “retention” policies, workers are still not interested in staying.

Báo Đồng Nai•14/05/2025

Lack of human resources and inability to recruit workers cause businesses to face many challenges to operational efficiency. In the long term, it will impact and affect the sustainable development process for the local and national economy . And is labor reduction a problem for Dong Nai alone or also for other provinces and cities when focusing on accelerating development?

After nearly 40 years of opening its doors to foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises, Dong Nai has always been a place that FDI corporations pay attention to and want to invest in. Many enterprises have chosen the province as the first place to set up their factories and after being successful, they have expanded to many other provinces and cities such as: CP, Amata, Nestlé, Bosch, Hyosung, Formosa, etc.

On the economic “map” of Vietnam, Dong Nai is one of the top 5 localities in the country in attracting FDI, and also maintains its position in the top provinces and cities with the largest budget revenue in the country.

A corner of Nhon Trach 2 Industrial Park seen from above. Photo: Xuan Mai

Since the early years of opening up and integration, Dong Nai has become an attractive destination for foreign investors thanks to its favorable geographical location, increasingly complete infrastructure and open investment attraction policies. To attract huge FDI capital flows, the province has built many programs and activities to invite, promote and attract investment. Thanks to that, FDI projects invested in the locality have all developed well. Dozens of FDI projects with large investment capital belong to corporations: Hyosung (Korea with more than 2.2 billion USD), Formosa (Taiwan with more than 1.6 billion USD), SMC Manufacturing (Japan with nearly 1 billion USD) ... have proven this.

In 2024, Dong Nai province attracted about 1.5 billion USD in foreign investment capital, an increase of 36% compared to the plan set for 2024 and an increase of 22% compared to the same period in 2023. The province has newly granted investment certificates to 95 projects with a total registered capital of nearly 758.8 million USD, an increase of 62% in newly registered capital compared to the same period last year. In addition, 137 projects have adjusted their capital increase with nearly 738.2 million USD.

Ho Nai Industrial Park (Trang Bom District) is quickly filled with many large projects, creating jobs for thousands of workers. Photo: Van Gia

Deputy Director of the Department of Finance Ngo Duc Thang shared that by the end of 2024, Dong Nai had more than 1,700 valid FDI projects with a total registered capital of nearly 36 billion USD, from 46 countries and territories. The leading investors were South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. The province's export turnover also reached nearly 17.7 billion USD, up 20% over the same period and import turnover reached nearly 14.5 billion USD, up 33% over the same period.

Notably, the province has granted an investment certificate to the SLP Park Loc An Binh Son project in Loc An - Binh Son Industrial Park (Long Thanh district), belonging to the world's largest multinational corporation in the field of real estate development and operation, logistics Global Logistics Partner (GLP) from Singapore. The SLP Loc An - Binh Son project has the largest total investment capital of over 121 million USD.

According to the Dong Nai Industrial Park Management Board, since the beginning of 2025, the revenue of FDI enterprises in industrial parks in Dong Nai has reached more than 8.2 billion USD, a sharp increase compared to the same period last year. In the first 4 months of 2025 alone, FDI enterprises contributed more than 304 million USD to the state budget, an increase of 10 million USD compared to the same period in 2024.

Up to now, industrial parks such as: Amata, Long Binh, Nhon Trach 1, Nhon Trach 2... have quickly filled up with factories and enterprises in various fields such as: textiles, footwear, electronics, mechanical engineering... FDI enterprises play an extremely important role in creating jobs for workers in the industrial province of Dong Nai.

Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park (Bien Hoa City) is one of the first industrial parks to welcome FDI giants to invest in Dong Nai. In the photo: Production activities in industrial parks in Dong Nai. Photo: VNA - Contributor

Mr. Tsutomu Nara, General Director of Ajinomoto Vietnam Company (Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Bien Hoa City) said that Ajinomoto Vietnam Company is one of the first FDI enterprises to invest in Vietnam. For more than 34 years since its establishment in 1991, the company has always made continuous efforts to improve production and business activities, contributing to the development of Dong Nai province and Vietnam.

“During its operations, the company has encountered some difficulties. However, it has always received timely and valuable support from the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Committee of Dong Nai Province and local authorities, helping us overcome all challenges to continue developing and contributing to the health and happiness of the people and society of Vietnam through providing quality products and valuable initiatives,” Mr. Tsutomu Nara emphasized.

Ms. Wiraka Moodhitaporn, Consul General of Thailand in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in Dong Nai, not only has Amata Group created a strong development mark for the locality, but many Thai enterprises have also come to invest and do business.

According to Ms. Wiraka Moodhitaporn, Thai enterprises invest in Dong Nai in particular and Vietnam in general in many fields from trade, education and training, promoting road construction, aviation, supermarkets, etc. Thereby, not only contributing to the construction and development of the local economy but also creating jobs. The stability of employment has created conditions for workers to feel secure in their commitment to the enterprise, building a skilled and high-quality workforce.

Currently, Dong Nai is attracting investment projects in the fields of modern technology, supporting industry, semiconductor industry, green technology... which are less labor-intensive. Photo: Van Gia

In the process of economic development of Vietnam, industrial capitals play a key role, not only creating economic value but also being the place to "take shelter" millions of migrant workers. From the Northern and Central provinces... simple farmers familiar with the fields, have come to Dong Nai with the desire to escape poverty, relying on youth and diligence to build the future.

Ms. Hoang Thi Huong (from Nghe An province), currently working as a worker at TKG Taekwang Vina Joint Stock Company (Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park, Bien Hoa city), shared that in the early days of nearly 25 years ago when arriving in the new land, the lives of migrant workers encountered many difficulties. She had to get used to a different living environment and the hustle and bustle of industrial life. With a strong will and a desire to rise up, Ms. Huong and many others have gradually overcome all difficulties, stuck together and built a new life in the industrial "capital" of Dong Nai.

At the time when foreign enterprises chose Dong Nai as their “base”, many companies had to recruit thousands of workers to meet production and business needs. The demand did not stop at unskilled labor but also included technical, managerial and highly specialized positions. The competition to attract and retain talent was increasingly fierce, companies had to go to many places to “hunt” for workers.

Mr. Dinh Nhat Thanh, in charge of human resources for a garment manufacturing company with more than 30,000 workers in Vinh Cuu district, said that the provinces in the North, Central and Southwest regions with abundant human resources have become potential markets to meet this demand. Each region has its own cultural color, but the common point is the honesty and diligence of the workers. He not only interviews but also listens to everyday stories and concerns about life to encourage them to leave their hometowns and families to go to a new land to start a business.

“Workers working at the factory with a stable income, one person tells another, attracting many people from the same hometown to work at the company. There are departments and production lines in the company, relatives work together” - Mr. Thanh said.

To date, many of those workers have become stable residents of Dong Nai. They have built houses, started families and consider this place their second home. Their children and grandchildren have also grown up and continued to contribute to the development of the province. The story of workers from three regions of the country coming to Dong Nai to work has always been a vivid testament to the spirit of overcoming difficulties, solidarity and aspiration to rise of the Vietnamese people.