Prioritize attracting high-tech projects
In the first months of 2026, information about FDI attraction received much attention, which is that the Samsung Electro-Mechanics Vietnam project in Thai Nguyen province has been granted an investment registration certificate with the goal of producing high-end FCBGA electronic circuit boards to serve robots, self-driving vehicles and high-tech electronic equipment.
According to the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Finance), this is a "bright spot" in attracting large-scale high-tech projects. The implementation of this project is proof of Vietnam's selective FDI attraction orientation, prioritizing advanced technology projects with high added value and the ability to link with the domestic business sector.
Selecting foreign investment capital flows, creating sustainable growth momentum is also the direction set by many localities.
According to Mr. Le Trung Hieu - Deputy Director of Hanoi City Department of Finance, in the period 2026 - 2030, Hanoi sets a target of attracting about 25 billion USD of registered FDI capital and 16 billion USD of realized capital. On average, each year, the city strives to attract about 4-5 billion USD, higher than the previous period in both scale and quality.
Hanoi focuses on attracting FDI into sectors with large spillover effects such as: Semiconductor industry, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, financial technology, smart logistics, environmental technology, medicine - pharmaceuticals, financial services - international trade.
Bac Ninh prioritizes attracting large, high-tech projects in fields such as IT, semiconductors, AI, logistics, digital economy, green and circular economy. The province encourages FDI to use domestic suppliers, form a supporting industrial ecosystem, and increase the localization rate and production chain value.
And in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam International Finance Center in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC) officially launched in mid-February, opening up great expectations in attracting global capital flows. At the launching ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the formation of the International Finance Center is a strategic choice and a necessary step to attract and orient capital flows into strategic infrastructure, foundational industries, logistics, green transformation and digital transformation; and at the same time provide modern financial tools for Vietnamese businesses to participate more deeply in the global value chain, gradually raising the national position from receiving capital to co-creating regional and international financial markets.
Previously, on February 9, G42 Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a consortium of domestic investors signed a long-term cooperation framework agreement to develop a large-scale data center infrastructure in Vietnam, with a total expected investment value of up to 2 billion USD.
These agreements affirm the strong commitment of strategic investors to accompany Ho Chi Minh City in developing digital technology infrastructure to international standards, creating an important foundation to attract financial institutions, fintech businesses and global technology corporations.
Selection towards quality, sustainability
In the context of growth transformation, project licensing shifted from capital prioritization and disbursement to quality selection: Technology, energy consumption, domestic value and business linkage. The appraisal process is stricter, no longer "laying carpets" on a large scale.
Along with that, some industries will also be strongly screened. Energy-intensive projects, high pollution risks, outdated technology or mainly simple processing and assembly will gradually no longer be prioritized. Instead, localities will aim for fields with high technology content, high added value and strong spillover potential such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, big data or green technology.
Tightening" energy-intensive projects does not mean reducing investment attractiveness, but raises the requirement to change the way FDI is attracted. Instead of competing with low costs or simple incentives, localities need to upgrade infrastructure, improve institutions, develop high-quality human resources and build a strong enough domestic business ecosystem. At that time, capital flows will not only come for incentives, but for an effective and sustainable investment environment, an important foundation for the Vietnamese economy to go further in the global value chain.
Dr. Phan Huu Thang - Chairman of the Vietnam Industrial Park Finance Association, former Director of the Foreign Investment Agency - commented: "Vietnam is facing a historic opportunity to welcome a new FDI wave in the context of global supply chain shift.
According to Mr. Thang, the implementation of the "new generation" FDI attraction policy - attracting high-quality FDI, associated with technology, added value, and sustainable development is an inevitable requirement for Vietnam, when the global environment changes and cheap labor costs are no longer a long-term advantage. Policy completion should not only stop at tax/land rent incentives, but also need to change thinking: from "attracting all sources of FDI capital" to "attracting effective, sustainable, and spreading FDI capital".
From the investment practice in localities, it can be seen that the orientation of innovating the growth model is no longer limited to policy, but is being concretized by increasingly clear steps. Not growing at all costs, localities aim for high-tech projects, high added value, sustainable and capable of pulling the entire development ecosystem.
Overall on this issue, economic expert, Prof. Dr. Pham Hong Chuong commented: "All the achievements in the field of investment in the direction of green transformation, digital transformation, and strengthening the application of science and technology contribute to shifting our growth model to a growth model that is more based on scientific and technological progress and innovation.
