HÀ NỘI — Despite an unfavourable global economic climate and ongoing challenges facing foreign investment flows, Việt Nam continues to present strong opportunities that could drive a significant boost in investment, according to analysts.

One key source of optimism stems from a series of strategic cooperation agreements signed between Vietnamese and Thai partners during the recent official visit of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to Việt Nam. 

Among the most prominent is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hưng Yên Province and Thailand’s WHA Group to develop the Phù Cừ Industrial Zone (IZ). Another MoU was signed between Phú Thọ Province and Amata Vietnam Group for strategic investment cooperation, alongside a decision approving investment policy for Giang Quang Thịnh IZ in Thanh Hóa Province, a project also backed by Amata.

These developments underscore the increasing activity of Thailand’s leading industrial real estate players in Việt Nam. WHA and Amata, which have already committed billions of dollars to projects in Quảng Ninh, Đồng Nai, and Nghệ An, are now expanding further -  a move widely seen as strategic positioning to capture sustained foreign investment inflows despite global economic uncertainties.

Amata Vietnam CEO Somhatai Panichewa said her company would conduct investment research and implement projects in industrial zones, smart urban areas, logistics and trade in Phú Thọ Province. 

Beyond Thailand, foreign investment in Việt Nam continues to gather momentum through other international partnerships. In a meeting with Việt Nam’s General Secretary Tô Lâm, Kudryashov Sergei Ivanovich, General Director of Russian energy giant Zarubezhneft, affirmed cooperation with Vietnamese partners to develop renewable energy projects, including offshore wind power and green hydrogen.

Meanwhile, in discussions with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, Chairman of China Huadian Engineering Co Peng Gangping, expressed intentions to expand investments in biomass, wind and energy storage projects across provinces such as Đắk Lắk, Trà Vinh, Quảng Trị, and Lâm Đồng. To date, Huadian has invested approximately US$2.8 billion in power projects in Việt Nam, with a total installed capacity of 1.5 GW.

Applauding Việt Nam’s response to US tariff issues

In a strong vote of confidence in Việt Nam’s investment climate, US investment fund Warburg Pincus has announced an additional $1 billion investment in The Grand Hồ Tràm project, reaffirming its long-term commitment to the country. 

The move underscores the continued appeal of Việt Nam as a destination for high-value foreign investment, despite global economic uncertainties and recent concerns over US tariff policies that could potentially impact investment flows, baodautu.vn reported. 

The Director of Public Policy at Meta, Molly Montgomery,expressed her appreciation for Việt Nam's proactive response to the US government's tariff policies.

Speaking during a recent meeting in Washington, DC, with Võ Xuân Hoài, Deputy Director of the National Innovation Centre Montgomery highlighted the significance of the Vietnamese Government's statements to Washington.

For companies with large production networks in Việt Nam, these responses are crucial in guiding decisions to invest and expand operations in the country, she said. 

Foreign investment disbursement in Việt Nam for the first four months of 2025 is estimated at US$6.74 billion, up 7.3 per cent year-on-year. This also marks the highest figure for the first four months in the past five years, according to the Ministry of Finance's General Statistics Office (GSO). 

The GSO said that foreign investment registered in Việt Nam hit $13.82 billion in the first four months, marking a yearly rise of 40 per cent.

Singapore led with $1.6 billion in newly-registered capital (accounting for 28.6 per cent), followed by mainland China with $1.52 billion (27.1 per cent) and Japan with $573.2 million (10.3 per cent). Others were Hong Kong ($499.9 million); Taiwan ($389 million) and South Korea ($148 million).  

It added that $6.40 billion was added to 540 operating projects from January to April, 3.9 times higher than last year's corresponding period.  

Meanwhile, capital contributions and stake acquisitions made by foreign investors in Việt Nam also saw a two-fold increase to $1.83 billion, with a total of 1,106 deals recorded. — VNS