Chinese firms ramp up high-tech investment in Vietnam as capital flows accelerate

More than 6,000 Chinese enterprises are operating in Vietnam, placing China among the country’s largest foreign investors, according to data presented at the event co-organized on Thursday last week by the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and the Chinese Business Association Ho Chi Minh City Branch.

New investment momentum has strengthened in recent years, with about $9.2 billion committed by Chinese enterprises in Vietnam in 2023–24, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the cumulative capital, alongside 1,662 new projects, or roughly a quarter of the total.

In 2025, Chinese firms' newly registered capital in Vietnam reached an estimated $3.64 billion, about 1.3 times higher than a year earlier, reflecting continued expansion driven by Vietnam's supportive policies and Chinese companies’ ‘going global’ strategies.

Manufacturing and processing remain the core investment sectors for Chinese investors, representing roughly 50–60 percent of the total capital, said Zhang Lin, general manager of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited - Ho Chi Minh City branch and head of the business association.

He added that 38 percent is in electronics and technology components, 25 percent in textiles and light industry, 18 percent in automotive and mechanical parts, and 12 percent in new energy and green technology.

According to Zhang, Chinese enterprises' investment is shifting from labor-intensive industries toward higher value-added fields such as precision electronics, smart devices, new energy batteries, and automotive components.

Participants at the conference said Chinese firms in Vietnam also face challenges in cross-border payments, an issue highlighted as increasingly important for trade, investment, and tourism amid the growth of e-commerce.

Vietnamese and Chinese officials said economic ties between the two countries are entering a new phase, with continued cooperation expected in industrial investment, infrastructure, logistics, high technology, and green transition sectors.