The Investment Promotion Conference in the Vietnam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC) took place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 6, to introduce the investment environment, mechanisms, policies and development orientations of VIFC-HCMC to the business community and domestic and international investors.
Vietnam is entering a new development cycle with a very large demand for long-term capital for infrastructure, urban areas, energy, green transformation and digital transformation. In the first 6 months of 2026, Vietnam's GDP increased by 8.18%, and Ho Chi Minh City's GRDP increased by 8.55%. In that context, VIFC-HCMC must solve a very specific problem: how to make international capital flows to Vietnam more favorable, more competitive in cost, with more financial products and in an environment that international investors can trust.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Huan - Vice Chairman of the VIFC-HCMC operating agency said that the theme "Creating gateways connecting Vietnam with global capital flows" is the way the Center's operators define the mission of VIFC-HCMC. Not simply building an additional financial zone, but creating a new market infrastructure to connect capital, institutions, technology and international talents with Vietnam's development needs.
We do not aim to build a second Singapore or Hong Kong (China). VIFC-HCMC must find its own position in the regional financial network. Our advantage is to become the financial gateway for an economy of over 100 million people, with high growth rates, very high investment demand and increasingly deeply integrated into the global value chain," he said.
It is known that from February 2026, after its official launch, up to now, in the process of preparing to operate, VIFC-HCMC has completed institutions and mechanisms, and promoted investment promotion activities at home and abroad. After 6 months of operation, the total committed capital from domestic and foreign investors and partners reached about 20 billion USD from the aviation financial center and the maritime financial ecosystem.
According to the ranking of international financial centers (GFCI 39) in 2026, Ho Chi Minh City increased 11 places, ranking 84/120 global financial centers and third in Southeast Asia. With the established regulations and mechanisms, it is expected that in August, VIFC-HCMC will begin receiving membership registration applications from organizations and businesses.
Leaders of VIFC-HCMC also said that in 2026, the key task is to shift from a "legal framework" to a "real market". A financial center only truly exists when there are operating institutions, capital is mobilized, products are traded and cross-border transactions are carried out.
Therefore, VIFC-HCMC focuses on fund and asset management, capital markets and international bonds, green finance, fintech and sandbox, digital assets, aviation finance, maritime finance, and international banking and payment activities.
