High-tech investors urge Ho Chi Minh City to offer ready-to-use infrastructure, cut red tape

The proposals were put forward at a meeting on Wednesday on plans to develop the Ho Chi Minh City Strategic Technology Development Center.

Tran Thanh Hai, deputy general director in charge of energy, technology, and infrastructure investment at VinaCapital, said major technology groups want to begin research and product development as soon as they establish operations in Vietnam.

Requiring investors to build their own factories and laboratories after receiving cleared land could add three to four years to project timelines and disrupt their business plans, he said.

Hai proposed that the city attract professional infrastructure developers to build shared offices, laboratories, and other facilities in advance so technology firms can lease them and start operations immediately.

He also suggested that the city focus on its strengths in software, software engineering, research and development, and innovation.

For the roughly 50-hectare site planned for the strategic technology center, Hai recommended prioritizing R&D and innovation rather than large-scale high-tech manufacturing, which typically requires significantly more land to form a complete supply chain.

Businesses at the meeting also raised concerns over administrative delays.

Nguyen Thi Quyen, a representative of BESI Vietnam Co. Ltd., said the company had been granted a special investment project at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park but had faced delays during implementation due to procedures involving multiple agencies.

She said the company had waited more than two months for instructions from relevant authorities on where to transfer site-clearance compensation payments.

Therefore, BESI called for a more effective inter-agency mechanism to shorten processing times for investors.

Tran Van Chinh, founder and chairman of Arobid, meanwhile, proposed that the city standardize investment project data and place it on an AI-powered digital investment promotion platform to help screen projects and connect them with suitable global investors.

Nguyen Van Duoc, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, said the city aims to strengthen its investment appeal through improved institutions and a development strategy centered on three major growth poles: finance, services, and high technology; the marine economy and international logistics; and large-scale, high-value, environmentally sustainable industry in Binh Duong.

He identified four major bottlenecks that need to be addressed: an underdeveloped supporting ecosystem, demand for clean energy, shortages of highly skilled workers, and cumbersome administrative procedures.

Duoc criticized investment and construction procedures at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park that still take 10-15 days or longer to process.

He ordered the park management board to take direct responsibility for assisting investors and required procedures related to investment, environmental approvals, and construction to be completed within five days after receiving complete dossiers.