Ahead of summit, Fortune Southeast Asia 500 giants hold investment talks with Ho Chi Minh City leaders

The discussions took place during the Ho Chi Minh City Investment Cooperation Forum 2026 on Monday afternoon, bringing together top executives from major corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions, along with over 100 representatives of domestic and international businesses and trade associations.

The event was held ahead of the Fortune Southeast Asia 500 Summit, which is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time on Tuesday.

During the dialogue, municipal officials outlined the city's commitment to creating favorable conditions for international investors, while business executives shared proposals on streamlining administrative procedures, enhancing supply chain integration, and accelerating key infrastructure projects to match Ho Chi Minh City's growth ambitions.

Vietnamese companies’ revenue 3 times faster than regional average

Speaking at the forum, Nguyen Loc Ha, permanent vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said the city hoped to turn connections with the Fortune business community into substantive, long-term partnerships.

The city is looking for long-term partners in strategic infrastructure, high technology, finance, logistics and green energy.

Beyond investment capital, it also hopes to attract advanced technologies, management expertise and opportunities to develop its workforce.

Ho Chi Minh City attracted US$19.1 billion in registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in January-October 2026, exceeding its full-year target by 73.9 percent.

The city currently has 22,036 active FDI projects with a total registered capital of more than $157.4 billion.

Andrew Staples, editorial director for Asia at Fortune, said the 500 companies featured in the 2026 Fortune Southeast Asia 500 generated nearly $1.9 trillion in combined revenue, up 3.4 percent year on year.

Vietnam accounted for 72 companies on the list, with combined revenue of nearly $178 billion, representing 10.5 percent growth.

This was three times the regional average and the second-highest growth rate among Southeast Asian countries, behind Cambodia.

Although Vietnamese companies contributed less than 10 percent of the ranking's total revenue, they accounted for approximately one-quarter of the overall revenue growth generated by the 500 businesses.

Staples said the strong performance of Vietnamese companies was among the reasons Fortune selected Ho Chi Minh City to host the first Fortune Southeast Asia 500 Summit.

The November 3 summit is expected to bring together more than 60 speakers, most of them chairpersons, chief executive officers and senior executives from major regional and global corporations.

US businesses eye investment opportunities in 3 sectors

At the Ho Chi Minh City Investment Cooperation Forum 2026, Travis Mitchell, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, identified high technology and semiconductors, energy, and healthcare and life sciences as three sectors with significant potential to attract further investment from U.S. companies in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the technology sector, he noted that U.S. companies such as Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm have invested billions of dollars in Vietnam, with growing interest in advanced manufacturing, semiconductor design, artificial intelligence and research and development.

Vietnam is no longer viewed merely as a low-cost manufacturing base, but increasingly as a destination with potential for innovation and higher value-added activities, he said.

In the energy sector, Mitchell stressed that a stable electricity supply at competitive prices was among the most important factors influencing U.S. companies' investment decisions, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing.

In healthcare, US businesses see further opportunities to cooperate in advanced pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, clinical research and workforce development.

However, Mitchell emphasized that investment incentives alone would not be enough to attract long-term commitments.

A transparent, stable and predictable business environment was equally important to U.S. investors considering expansion in Ho Chi Minh City.

Fortune Southeast Asia 500 is an annual ranking of the region's 500 largest companies by revenue, first published by U.S. business magazine Fortune in 2024.

It is dedicated specifically to Southeast Asia and is separate from the Fortune 500, which ranks the 500 largest U.S. companies, and the Fortune Global 500, which ranks the world's 500 largest companies.

The 2026 edition marks the ranking's third year and is based on companies' 2025 business results.