Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Vietnam's strategy to attract high-quality foreign direct investment (FDI) under the Politburo's Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW on foreign-invested economic development is creating fresh momentum for investment in high technology, innovation and value-added industries. The Republic of Korea (RoK) is emerging as one of the leading partners in this transition.
Samsung's decision to build its first factory in the northern province of Bac Ninh in 2008 marked a turning point in Vietnam-RoK economic ties. Today, around half of Samsung's smartphones sold worldwide are manufactured in Vietnam.
Peter Kim, CEO of HSBC Korea, said Vietnam remains one of the top destinations considered by Korean businesses when making global investment decisions.
The RoK is currently Vietnam's largest foreign investor by cumulative registered capital, with more than 10,400 valid projects worth over 95 billion USD. Two-way trade has reached nearly 95 billion USD, which is expected to reach 150 billion USD by 2030.
The figures reflect the presence of major Korean conglomerates in Vietnam's industrial landscape. Samsung has invested more than 23 billion USD, while LG's investment exceeds 8 billion USD, anchored by its display manufacturing complex in Hai Phong. Hyosung has committed 4 billion USD and plans to double that amount, while SK is studying energy projects in central Vietnam. Other major corporations, including Lotte, CJ and Doosan, are also expanding their operations, together with suppliers across their value chains.
Korean investment has expanded across a wide range of sectors, from electronics, display panels, textiles, petrochemicals, logistics, retail and finance to clean energy and digital infrastructure.
According to Kim, investment capital follows confidence, and confidence is built on a stable and predictable business environment. Vietnam has strengthened its attractiveness through sustained macroeconomic stability, a network of 17 effective free trade agreements and an increasingly skilled workforce.
HSBC Global Research estimates that annual FDI inflows into Vietnam are equivalent to more than 4% of GDP, among the highest levels in Southeast Asia.
Kim said the next stage of Korean investment in Vietnam will focus not only on expanding manufacturing capacity but also on moving up the value chain, from assembly to advanced manufacturing and from production to R&D.
A notable example is Samsung's 220-million-USD R&D Centre in Hanoi, the group's largest research facility in Southeast Asia, where thousands of Vietnamese engineers are working on artificial intelligence, software and next-generation technologies.
HSBC believes high-quality FDI will strengthen Vietnam's domestic capabilities by enabling local firms to participate more deeply in global supply chains while developing a highly skilled technical workforce. Vietnam has already produced more than two billion smartphones and is gradually moving beyond assembly into technology development.
Kim said this trend is closely aligned with Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW, which prioritises attracting high-value-added FDI, promoting technology transfer, strengthening the participation of Vietnamese enterprises in global supply chains and encouraging multinational corporations to establish R&D centres in Vietnam.
The investment model pursued by Korean businesses over nearly two decades reflects these priorities through technology transfer, supplier development, R&D integration and workforce training. In the first months of 2026, newly registered Korean investment in Vietnam rose by more than 30% year-on-year, indicating sustained investor confidence.
Lee Young Jick, Director of the Korea-ASEAN Financial Cooperation Centre, said Korean businesses praise Vietnam's strong macroeconomic fundamentals, supported by robust growth, low inflation, healthy exports and a stable balance of payments.
He said Vietnam is benefiting not only from the global relocation of manufacturing but is also becoming an increasingly important global production hub with a rising position in international supply chains and global value chains.
Lee noted that Vietnam is expanding into high-tech sectors such as electronics, mechanical engineering, smartphones, semiconductors and AI data centres.
Combined with the international financial centre and innovation clusters, these sectors are expected to create new growth momentum for the economy.
He added that financial market development would play a vital role in this process, expressing confidence that stronger financial cooperation between the RoK and Vietnam would generate greater synergies in supply chains, the innovation economy and financial market development./.
