Many urgent recommendations for Ho Chi Minh City to attract investment in industrial parks

VTV.vn - Foreign investors in Ho Chi Minh City have made many recommendations to resolve legal problems and administrative procedures in investing in industrial park infrastructure.

The merger of three major cities into Ho Chi Minh City brings many opportunities for industrial park development, but also comes with challenges in managing and coordinating projects.

Many legal barriers

In the context of Ho Chi Minh City's economy needing foreign direct investment (FDI) to promote the development of industrial parks (IPs), legal problems have become one of the biggest obstacles. At the 2025 Investment Legal Support Forum, held on November 21, 2025, in Ho Chi Minh City, many experts and foreign investors pointed out that complicated administrative procedures, lack of transparency in the process and lack of connectivity between management agencies are the biggest bottlenecks in the implementation of investment projects in industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City.

Representatives of FDI business associations all agreed that it is necessary to strongly reform administrative procedures, simplify licensing processes and create more favorable conditions for investors.

Speaking at the forum, Ms. Cao Thi Phi Van, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), emphasized that although Ho Chi Minh City has made significant reforms in adjusting planning and promoting the investment environment, there are still many difficulties when investors access land funds, carry out procedures for approving investment policies and site clearance. These problems have made investors wait for a long time, increasing costs and reducing the attractiveness of the industrial real estate market in the city.

According to Prof. Dr. Le Hong Hanh, Chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC), the merger of three major cities into Ho Chi Minh City brings many opportunities for industrial park development, but also comes with challenges in managing and coordinating projects. Legal problems and bottlenecks in investment mechanisms and procedures have reduced the attractiveness of projects, especially those with high risk factors.

In particular, according to Mr. Seck Yee Chung, Vice President of the Singapore Business Association in Vietnam, lengthy and unpredictable administrative procedures are one of the factors that cause great difficulties for investors. These problems not only reduce the effectiveness of project implementation but also affect the long-term strategy of foreign enterprises when investing in industrial park infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City.

Key solution: Administrative reform

To resolve the problems and attract quality FDI capital into industrial zones, representatives of FDI business associations all agreed that it is necessary to strongly reform administrative procedures, simplify the licensing process and create more favorable conditions for investors. In addition to improving the investment process, there needs to be a transparent and clear mechanism to minimize ambiguity between management agencies.

According to legal experts, to resolve difficulties in project implementation, there needs to be a unified, simple and easy-to-implement legal system.

Mr. Sam Conroy, President of the Australian Business Association in Vietnam, emphasized that foreign investors want a stable investment environment where legal procedures are clear and there is connectivity between agencies. This will help reduce risks, increase predictability and help investors save time and costs. The integrated industrial – urban – service model, which Australian investors favor, needs to be implemented more strongly to suit long-term development needs.

Mr. Nakagawa Motohisa, Vice President of the Japanese Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City, said that improving the legal mechanism and enhancing coordination between agencies will be decisive factors in removing obstacles. Barriers such as complicated legal procedures and lack of land funds suitable for the needs of specialized manufacturing industries such as maritime will need to be resolved if foreign investors are to be attracted.

According to legal experts, to overcome difficulties in project implementation, there needs to be a unified, simple and easy-to-implement legal system. Sharing from Lawyer Bui Van Thanh, Head of New Sun Law Office, shows that one of the most important factors is to strengthen cooperation between state management agencies and investors, to ensure progress in site clearance and infrastructure implementation on time. Project approval procedures need to be simplified, while transparency in the implementation of investment models needs to be ensured.

Meanwhile, lawyers such as Lawyer Ngo Thi Van Quynh said that investors also need to carefully prepare legally before signing contracts and implementing projects. Carefully reviewing information related to planning, environment and project progress from the beginning will help limit legal risks throughout the project's life cycle.

Experts say Ho Chi Minh City needs to continue to promote institutional reform, simplify administrative procedures and create a more transparent and sustainable investment environment. Only by doing so can the city take full advantage of opportunities to attract FDI capital, while improving the competitiveness of industrial parks in the context of increasingly deep international economic integration.

Notable points about legal changes for investment in industrial parks in 2025

• Planning compliance : Industrial parks must comply with regional, provincial planning and approved lists.
• Investment phasing : When expanding or building new industrial zones using double-crop rice land, the investment phasing must be no more than 500 hectares per phase.
• Occupancy rate : The average occupancy rate of established industrial parks in the locality must reach at least 60% when submitting new or expanded infrastructure projects.
• Synchronous social infrastructure : Housing and utility planning for workers in industrial parks must be approved.
• Conditions for investors : Investors in construction and business of industrial park infrastructure must meet legal requirements on real estate, land and land use conversion.

Source: https://vtv.vn/nhieu-kien-nghi-cap-thiet-de-tp-ho-chi-minh-thu-hut-dau-tu-khu-cong-nghiep-100251121144406584.htm