HCMC – Japan’s Sumitomo Forestry Group is exploring opportunities to expand its long-term investment in HCMC, with a particular focus on green sectors such as renewable energy, biofuels, carbon credit markets, and sustainable forestry.

HCMC authorities welcomed the company’s investment orientation and provided details of the city’s medium-term investment portfolio, which focuses on five key pillars: urban development, technical infrastructure and logistics, renewable energy, high technology, and the circular economy. The discussions took place during a meeting on June 17 between Nguyen Van Duoc, chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, and Kamibayashiyama Masao, general director of Sumitomo Forestry Vietnam. The Japanese group’s interest in expanding its investment portfolio comes shortly after a major administrative restructuring that reshaped HCMC’s economic landscape. The merger of former HCMC, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau has created a larger metropolitan area with an extensive economic space and an integrated port-industrial-logistics network. The expanded development space is expected to require a new approach to resource allocation, with less reliance on land- and labor-intensive growth and greater emphasis on technology-driven, low-carbon investment. Sumitomo Forestry’s decision to deepen its involvement in renewable energy and carbon credits suggests that international investors see significant opportunities arising from efforts to green supply chains in the newly expanded southern economic hub. From a circular economy perspective, the group’s integrated value chain—from sustainable forestry and eco-friendly wood materials to biofuel production—could help support HCMC’s efforts to achieve its net-zero emissions commitments. The shift from conventional real estate investment toward environmental and sustainability solutions could also bring higher-quality foreign direct investment, contributing to more sustainable economic growth. For its part, HCMC’s commitment to coordinating through relevant departments and proactively addressing legal and administrative obstacles may strengthen its appeal to foreign investors at a time when global competition for FDI is intensifying.