Southern Key Economic Region: key investment hub in 2026

With advantages including the country’s leading economic scale, top-tier investment attraction, and increasingly complete infrastructure, the Southern Key Economic Region continues to draw strong interest from domestic and foreign investors seeking partnership opportunities in the period ahead.

Long Thanh High-Tech Industrial Park prioritizes attracting investment in industries with high scientific-technical content, new technologies, and environmental friendliness. Photo: Vuong The

According to experts, the region’s vast investment prospects require parallel efforts to improve the business environment in localities across the region, strengthen inter-regional governance connectivity, and remove infrastructure bottlenecks to better meet business needs.

National hub for investment attraction

Experts believe that, based on recent efforts and results, the Southern Key Economic Region will remain a prominent investment focal point in 2026. Vo Tan Thanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), assessed: The Southern Key Economic Region is one of the country’s leading and most important growth drivers. Its core is Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring localities, including Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, and Lam Dong. The area is a major center for industry, trade, services, finance, logistics, and innovation, serving as home to a large community of dynamic businesses and prominent domestic and international corporations.

Sharing the same view, Dau Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary General and Head of the Legal Department of VCCI, commented: The Southern Key Economic Region is a bright spot for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), accounting for 34.5% of the national total, equivalent to 13.3 billion USD in 2025. It is highly appealing to investors thanks to its short supply chains and complete ecosystem. Confidence among FDI enterprises in the region is also high, with 42% planning to expand their businesses, compared with the national average of 37%.

Surveys of Chinese businesses show strong confidence in Vietnam's business environment. Xu Xi, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Chapter - China Business Association in Vietnam, stated: 75 percent of businesses expressed satisfaction with the business environment in Vietnam. Political stability and market dynamism are factors that give businesses confidence to invest and expand production in Vietnam, in general, and in the Southern Key Economic Region in particular, in the time ahead.

Like other localities in the region, Dong Nai is a preferred destination for international businesses. In 2025, Dong Nai attracted more than 3.3 billion USD in FDI capital and ranked among the leading localities in investment attraction. According to Hatake Masakazu, Director of the Environment Division, Department of Labor, Industry and Trade of Hiroshima Prefecture (Japan), Dong Nai has substantial room for economic development. Japanese businesses, in general, and those in Hiroshima Prefecture in particular, are seeking investment opportunities not only in industry but also in high-tech agricultural projects. Therefore, Dong Nai needs to create even more favorable conditions for businesses, especially by serving as a focal point for organizing and connecting businesses on both sides to explore cooperation opportunities.

“As a representative of the business community's voice, VCCI is committed to continuing to be a reliable bridge between businesses and the State, and between Vietnamese businesses and the international investor community. VCCI will coordinate with units and localities in the region to promote activities that support businesses in enhancing their capacity, connecting to markets, and promoting trade and investment.”

 VO TAN THANH, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)

Accompanying businesses

According to economic experts, the Southern Key Economic Region currently brings together top strengths, including the largest province in the country by area (Lam Dong), the largest population (Ho Chi Minh City), the largest airport, Long Thanh (Dong Nai), and the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, Can Gio and Phuoc An ports, a system of expressways, and hundreds of industrial parks, creating a strong draw for domestic and foreign investors.

As the largest economic region in the country and a key area for attracting investment from large enterprises and corporations, the Southern Key Economic Region still faces many challenges. According to Vo Tan Thanh, the issue is that, after serving as the growth engine for the entire country and developing rapidly for a long time, the region is under pressure from transportation and logistics infrastructure, strained development space, increasingly fierce competition in attracting high-quality investment, and rising demands for green development, sustainable development, and digital transformation.

Vo Tan Thanh recommended that the region continue to make breakthroughs in infrastructure and regional connectivity, not only in expressways, railways, and seaports, but also in logistics, digital, and supply chain infrastructure. The region is also advised to prioritize science - technology, digital economy, and semiconductors; encourage businesses to take a more proactive role, especially in training high-quality human resources; pursue stronger institutional reforms; remove bottlenecks related to land, investment, and administrative procedures; and effectively mobilize social resources, especially the private economic sector; while steering businesses toward green transformation and sustainable growth.

Similarly, Nguyen Hai Minh, Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham Vietnam), also assessed that the business community has confidence in Vietnam's substantial transformation, especially in renewing its mindset and approach to the private economy. Along with optimism, businesses hope that each locality in the region will identify its strengths to showcase them and attract investment. At the same time, the region needs to focus on infrastructure, including railway systems, airports, and seaports, as these are of particular concern to businesses.

By Vuong The – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho