Developing modern industry in Dong Nai

Dong Nai is a key locality and ranks among the country’s leading provinces in industrial development. Industrial production has played a decisive role in the province’s economic growth in recent years and is now shifting toward modernization and environmental sustainability.

Green, smart, and high-tech industrial production, along with the selective attraction of investment into high-value-added sectors and future technologies, is the goal that Dong Nai aims for in the coming years.

Impressive results

Modern industry in Dong Nai is characterized by the expansion of its industrial parks and the large number of projects they attract, ranking among the highest in the country.

Production at Eco Polymers Co., Ltd. (Ho Nai Industrial Park). Photo: Vuong The

According to the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, although Vietnam’s economy has been affected by the global downturn in recent years, investment activity in the province’s industrial parks and economic zones has continued to show positive momentum. This accomplishment is attributed to Dong Nai’s extensive experience in industrial park development, abundant potential, and relatively attractive and practical investment promotion policies. Investment attraction, particularly in foreign direct investment (FDI), has remained strong, consistently meeting and even surpassing set targets. Between 2020 and 2025, total capital attracted into the province’s industrial parks and economic zones exceeded US$10 billion in FDI and reached VND 83.3 trillion in domestic investment. In the first 11 months of 2025 alone, the corresponding figures were over US$2.5 billion and nearly VND 56.5 trillion.

Dong Nai’s industrial parks and economic zones have attracted investors from 46 countries and territories, with a total of more than 2,700 projects, including nearly 1,900 FDI projects with total registered capital of over US$36.2 billion; 818 domestic projects with total registered capital of VND 164.7 trillion.

To meet investor demand, Dong Nai has continuously expanded the area of industrial land available for lease in recent years. The province now has 57 industrial parks (including two located within economic zones: Hoa Lu IP and Ledana IP), one Hoa Lu Border-gate Economic Zone (Phase 1), and one high-tech biotechnology zone. Of these, 42 industrial parks are operational, covering a total area of 14,300 hectares, or 66.35 percent of the total. The remaining parks have been established and are undergoing infrastructure development to meet the growing demand for industrial land from businesses.

The development of the industrial park system has also enabled Dong Nai to attract a higher-quality workforce. Currently, approximately 680,000 workers are employed in the province’s industrial parks and economic zones, with the proportion of experts, skilled workers, and technical personnel increasing annually. These zones contribute more than 40 percent of the province’s annual budget revenue and account for over 80 percent of its total industrial output, helping position Dong Nai among the country’s key provinces and cities in economic development.

Industry moving toward green growth

Dong Nai’s development approach is centered on leveraging its internal strengths, resources, and potential, with science, technology, and innovation as key drivers and digital transformation as a strategic breakthrough. The province is also promoting green transition, circular economy, and sharing economy models across sectors. Developing industrial parks in a green and modern direction has become the guiding principle in efforts to boost investment attraction, improve industrial and economic zone infrastructure, and enhance Dong Nai’s competitiveness in the coming period.

According to Pham Viet Phuong, Acting Deputy Head of the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, by 2030, Dong Nai is oriented to become a center for modern, eco-friendly processing and manufacturing industries. Key industrial development targets for the province, approved by the Prime Minister, are currently under review and being adjusted to align with the evolving situation.

Green development is being driven not only by the orientation of industrial park planning and the attraction of major FDI projects, but also by the active participation of domestic enterprises. In practice, domestic firms face substantial costs when implementing green initiatives, as they must restructure production and business operations, redesign processes, increase investment in technological innovation, improve product quality and lifecycle, recover industrial waste, and ensure reuse, recycling, or supply inputs for other production activities.

According to Duong Quang Tien, Director of Sales and Market Development at Eco Polymers Co., Ltd. (located in Ho Nai Industrial Park), after significant efforts, the company obtained GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification in 2023. To earn this certification, enterprises must meet a range of stringent criteria, including the proportion of recycled materials in products, traceability across the supply chain, fair working conditions, and environmentally friendly production practices.

According to Nguyen Minh Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, Dong Nai is a key industrial province and a destination for many domestic and international corporations. Keeping pace with high-tech trends and enhancing research, development, and innovation capacity is therefore an urgent requirement. In recent years, the department has collaborated with relevant units to organize various training and coaching programs, as well as to disseminate new policies that support enterprises in adopting high technology for production. Through these efforts, businesses are better able to identify opportunities to transform their production models, gradually adopt advanced technologies, and proactively participate in innovation programs. The Department of Science and Technology will continue to promote connections among enterprises, institutes, universities, and management agencies, contributing to the formation of a strong innovation ecosystem in Dong Nai. The department also remains committed to accompanying and supporting businesses in the process of innovation, technology adoption, and competitiveness enhancement.

Targeting future technologies

Selective investment attraction with a focus on modern, high-tech industries has been a priority for Dong Nai in recent years. In the current context, especially with the emergence of future industries, the province is placing greater emphasis on attracting investment in areas such as semiconductors.

A semiconductor plant at Nhon Trach 1 Industrial Park, with a total investment of US$127 million, specializing in silicon carbide substrates, optical glass, and advanced optical equipment, was inaugurated by Coherent Corp (USA) in July 2025. This occasion marks the beginning of a series of facilities the group plans to develop in Dong Nai, with total capital exceeding US$1 billion. The facility plays a pivotal role in advancing capabilities in silicon carbide and optics, two critical components for transforming industrial systems, enabling high-speed communications, and enhancing data center infrastructure.

According to Nguyen Minh Man, General Director of Coherent Vietnam, this is a significant step in the group’s strategy to diversify its global footprint. The project integrates cutting-edge technological capabilities and leverages Vietnam’s dynamic workforce and rapidly growing semiconductor ecosystem.

Dong Nai’s orientation toward 2050 is to establish a self-reliant semiconductor industrial ecosystem, encompassing training, research, and development centers, startup incubators, and a network of high-tech enterprises in chip design, packaging, testing, MEMS, and IoT.

At the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized that semiconductors are a key national investment priority. With its investment appeal, including in the semiconductor sector, Dong Nai should continue improving its investment and business environment toward greater openness, transparency, and stability in line with international practices; accelerate administrative reform and digital transformation; invest in synchronized transport infrastructure; develop a high-quality workforce, especially in semiconductors and AI; and prepare clean land reserves to attract strategic investors.

At the local level, in October 2025, the provincial People’s Committee issued a plan to implement Vietnam’s Semiconductor Industry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050, in Dong Nai.

Under the plan, Dong Nai aims to develop the semiconductor industry into one of its core high-tech pillars, with the centralized Information Technology (IT) zone in Long Thanh (Long Thanh Digital Industrial Park) serving as the leading center for industry development and for attracting enterprises across the microchip value chain.

By Vuong The – Translated by Thu Hien, Minho