Optimization challenge for industrial park infrastructure investors

Selective attraction of investment to high-quality industries and services, along with the trend of customers leasing land and infrastructure in areas with superior amenities and technologies, is placing pressure on infrastructure businesses to optimize for investors in industrial parks (IPs).

The Long Thanh High-Tech Industrial Park, operated by Amata Corporation, aims to develop into an eco-industrial park. Photo: Vuong The

In Dong Nai province, in line with the policy of developing industrial parks in a green and sustainable direction, many industrial parks have gradually transformed, integrated, and optimized their industrial ecosystems to meet customer demand.

Adapting to trends

According to a survey by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for investors, the key criteria for choosing factory locations are strategic position and infrastructure quality. Enterprises prioritize areas with rapid connectivity to supply chains, infrastructure that meets international standards, and professional support services. Factors such as green standards, the speed of bringing projects into operation, and the flexibility of factory models are increasingly becoming decisive in investors’ choices.

For Dong Nai - a key locality in industrial park development and foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction – the standardization and upgrading of industrial park infrastructure systems towards smart industrial parks is inevitable.

According to Nguyen Quoc An, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Industrial Parks and Economic Zones of Dong Nai province, achieving breakthroughs in the development of smart industrial infrastructure requires prioritizing the development of synchronized telecommunications networks and deploying 5G coverage across all industrial parks and economic zones. This accomplishment is the foundation for deploying Internet of Things (IoT) and big data applications for online environmental monitoring, efficient energy use, and sustainable production.

In the transition to eco-industrial and smart industrial park models, digital technology serves as a “brain” coordinating waste management, resource recycling, and real-time emission control. Dong Nai encourages enterprises to apply enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, automate production lines, and promote e-commerce and smart logistics.

According to Nguyen Kim Long, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee of Dong Nai, the province is promoting investment in green infrastructure. This endeavor includes developing renewable energy (solar power) and centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems, and building modern logistics infrastructure, cold storage facilities, and commercial centers. The province will prioritize high-tech, green, and low-emission projects; restructure industries and raise added value; promote the circular economy through industrial symbiosis and cleaner production; and encourage enterprises to exchange by-products, energy, and wastewater, while sharing environmental services and waste treatment.

Enterprises join the race to optimize operational efficiency

Along with local planning, industrial infrastructure investors in the province have implemented measures to optimize operational efficiency in industrial parks and service businesses.

Sonadezi Long Thanh Joint Stock Company is expanding its land fund and developing factories in Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Lam Dong. The company focuses on ready-built factories for lease, integrated with modern logistics services. In 2025, it started construction of factory clusters phase 2 at Chau Duc Industrial Park (Ho Chi Minh City) and phase 6 at Long Thanh Industrial Park. These projects provide dozens of international-standard factories under a “tailor-made factory” model designed to meet specific customer needs. In 2026, the company will continue launching new factory clusters to increase supply, capture the rising shift of FDI projects into Vietnam, and develop service ecosystems within industrial parks such as commercial centers, showrooms, and healthcare services.

Dong Nai prioritizes attracting projects with high technological content, smart manufacturing, and supporting industries, while also creating a favorable environment for enterprise innovation, supporting the establishment of research and development (R&D) centers within industrial parks, and strengthening close links among enterprises, research institutes, and universities.

Notably, Dong Nai is preparing to commence construction of three new industrial parks: Bau Can - Tan Hiep, Xuan Que - Song Nhan, and Long Duc 3, covering thousands of hectares. These are expected to create a strong breakthrough in attracting high-quality investment capital into the province. According to Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy General Director of KN Holdings, these industrial parks will be developed under an industrial park – urban – service model, ensuring harmony among production, living, and commercial services.

In addition to large-scale infrastructure developers, some enterprises are targeting niche markets with utility-focused projects. KCN Vietnam Group currently operates warehouse and factory leasing projects at Nhon Trach 6 Industrial Park and Ho Nai Industrial Park. Hardy Diec, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of KCN Vietnam Group, noted that Dong Nai serves as a key industrial hub in southern Vietnam. The group is developing green buildings to help customers optimize energy and resource efficiency, reduce emissions, and support the province in attracting more effective and higher-quality FDI.

By Vuong The - Translated by Diec Quyen, Minho