Vietnam FDI drives manufacturing growth amid supply chain challenges

Vietnam continues to see significant growth in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), though structural challenges remain regarding domestic integration and capital markets. Between January and August 2026, Vietnam's exports reached approximately $374.84 billion, with FDI enterprises accounting for 80.1% ($300.37 billion) of that total. While global giants like Samsung, NVIDIA, and Apple have established strategic manufacturing hubs in the country, domestic firms remain largely confined to low-value-added roles such as assembly and simple component supply.

In the industrial real estate sector, new FDI manufacturing projects are increasingly focused on factory space. Analysis from Savills Vietnam indicates that out of 468 new manufacturing FDI projects, 266 are factory-related, attracting over $7 billion in capital. Market researchers at JLL expect continued positive momentum in industrial real estate due to manufacturing shifts in the Asia-Pacific region and rising demand from electronics, semiconductor, and automotive component sectors.

Despite the economic strength of FDI, there is a notable lack of FDI participation in Vietnam's local stock market. Only about 10 FDI companies are listed or registered for trading, representing a tiny fraction of the market's total charter capital. Challenges for these firms seeking to go public include original investment commitments made to local authorities in exchange for incentives, which can create bottlenecks during divestment or IPO processes.