The event was jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), the ASEAN-Korea Center (AKC), and the Vietnamese Trade Office and Embassy in South Korea.
Speaking at the forum, Ms. Cao Thi Phi Van, Deputy Director of ITPC, described South Korea as one of Ho Chi Minh City’s most strategic investment partners. The city currently hosts more than 20,800 foreign direct investment projects worth over US$142 billion from 152 countries and territories. South Korea ranks second in the number of active projects, with 3,349 ventures concentrated in manufacturing, technology, logistics, and trade.
According to Ms. Cao Thi Phi Van, HCMC aims to deepen ties with Korean businesses to expand high-tech supply chains, accelerate technology transfer, promote digital transformation, and develop green manufacturing. In the coming years, the city will prioritize investment in four key sectors: international finance and fintech, artificial intelligence and semiconductor ecosystems, startups and venture capital funds, and smart urban development linked to green growth.
South Korean representatives said investment trends are also shifting rapidly. Mr. Kim Jae-shin, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Center, noted that Vietnam is emerging not only as an attractive consumer market but also as a key manufacturing hub within ASEAN. As global supply chains undergo restructuring, Korean firms are increasingly focusing on technology, electronics manufacturing, AI, semiconductors, and supporting industries in Vietnam.
Mr. Kim Dae-young, Vice Chairman of the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA), said Vietnam holds strong competitive advantages in electronics, information technology, textiles, agriculture, and food processing, creating favorable conditions for deeper bilateral cooperation within regional supply chains.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bok Dug-Gyou, a representative of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), said Korean enterprises are increasingly building integrated production ecosystems in Vietnam. He noted that Samsung alone has attracted more than 1,000 satellite suppliers, while LG Electronics is supported by around 35 affiliated suppliers.
At the forum, many Korean businesses expressed interest in expanding investment in HCMC’s priority high-tech sectors while strengthening supporting industries to raise Vietnam’s localization rate and deepen its participation in global value chains, particularly in electronics, semiconductors, automobiles, and advanced technologies.
“If Vietnam can increase localization rates and strongly develop its supporting industries, the country will have greater opportunities to integrate more deeply into global value chains in electronics, semiconductors, automobiles, and high-tech industries,” Mr. Bok Dug-Gyou emphasized.
