Vietnam industrial parks face structural challenges amid manufacturing shift

Vietnam’s industrial parks (IPs) have served as the foundation of the nation’s manufacturing growth since the economic reforms of the 1980s. With more than 430 parks established, these zones generate over half of the country’s export turnover. Notably, electronics exports grew from $45 billion in 2020 to $108 billion in 2025.

As multinational corporations diversify production away from China, Vietnam has seen annual registered foreign direct investment exceed $20 billion since 2022. However, an analysis by Roland Berger indicates that the current model faces structural limitations. Key challenges include infrastructure gaps in energy and logistics, a lack of eco-industrial certification, and a significant shortage of skilled labor. Currently, only 24 per cent of the manufacturing workforce is formally trained, creating difficulties for high-tech sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing.