Attracting high-quality investment capital.
Speaking at the conference, Dr. Tran Du Lich, Vice President of VIAC, noted that Ho Chi Minh City is entering a pivotal stage of development, converging advantages in logistics, seaports, finance, trade, and innovation, creating significant room for breakthrough growth. Ho Chi Minh City is implementing a series of strategic tasks such as perfecting specific mechanisms for the digital economy , artificial intelligence (AI), and an international financial center; developing logistics infrastructure, seaports, urban railways, and inter-regional connectivity; and establishing a creative investment fund and a venture capital fund with state capital acting as "seed capital" to attract social resources.
Simultaneously, the city is promoting FDI attraction in high-tech fields, research and development (R&D), AI, semiconductors, biotechnology, and innovation; developing high-quality human resources; and accelerating green transformation, digital transformation, and the circular economy. These orientations are opening up significant opportunities to attract high-quality domestic and foreign investment. In fact, FDI inflows into Ho Chi Minh City are showing clear signs of accelerating.
“Ho Chi Minh City still maintains many outstanding advantages in terms of market size, business ecosystem, international connectivity, and innovation. The important issue now is not only expanding the scale of investment but also improving the quality of capital flows, promoting linkages between FDI enterprises and domestic enterprises, and creating more space for the development of high-tech industries and the green economy. This shows that Ho Chi Minh City is gradually shifting from a mindset of “attracting capital” to “creating an investment ecosystem,” aiming to retain R&D centers, investment funds, and technology enterprises for long-term development,” emphasized Ms. Cao Thi Phi Van, Deputy Director of ITPC.
Enhancing the "credibility" of the investment environment.
Along with expanding development space, many experts believe that Ho Chi Minh City's competitive advantage now lies not primarily in cost or market size, but in the quality of governance and the ability to create a stable and transparent investment environment. According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Liem, Director of VCCI-HCM, in the context of increasingly fierce competition to attract investment, investors are now not only interested in incentives but also pay more attention to policy stability, legal predictability, and compliance costs.
Regarding this issue, Dr. Phan Hoai Nam suggested that the new tax policy system should be further revised to both support businesses and enhance transparency and management efficiency in the context of the rapidly developing digital economy and cross-border transactions. Notably, many new regulations are expanding the scope of deductible expenses for R&D, market research, new product development, and innovation to encourage businesses to invest long-term. Businesses should also proactively review their operating models, update policies, and improve their compliance management capabilities to mitigate legal and financial risks arising during the investment and business process.
From the perspective of foreign businesses, Michael K. Lee, a partner lawyer at DILINH Legal, noted that many current investment disputes stem from poorly drafted contracts and inadequate risk management mechanisms. Therefore, businesses need to conduct multi-layered legal due diligence, proactively update policies, and build risk management mechanisms throughout the project lifecycle to effectively capitalize on investment opportunities in Ho Chi Minh City.
In the first four months of 2026, the city attracted nearly $3.3 billion in FDI, an increase of approximately 127.1% compared to the same period last year. This is considered a noteworthy sign in the context of Ho Chi Minh City's efforts to restructure its growth model and expand its development space into high-tech sectors, international finance, logistics, and innovation.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-kien-tao-he-sinh-thai-tang-truong-moi-post853998.html
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