A corner of Tan Phu Thanh Industrial Park in Can Tho City.

Can Tho has identified transportation infrastructure as one of the main bottlenecks hindering its development, and is therefore mobilising diverse resources to invest heavily in this critical sector.

Transportation development linked to industrial growth

Major expressways running through the city, such as the Can Tho–Ca Mau and Chau Doc–Can Tho–Soc Trang expressways, are being rapidly constructed. Once completed, they will enhance connectivity with neighboring provinces and inject strong momentum into socio-economic development.

Transport projects connecting national highways and provincial roads to industrial zones have been also being accelerated. The city has begun upgrading and expanding a 7 km section of National Highway 91 (with total investment exceeding 7 trillion VND) to provide a faster link from the city centre to the Tra Noc 1 and 2 industrial parks.

In addition to expediting construction of the more-than-19 km western ring road connecting National Highway 61C to National Highway 91, Can Tho is investing in a 16 km extension (total investment over 8 trillion VND) connecting to National Highway 80, facilitating access to planned industrial zones in Vinh Thanh.

The Viet Nam–Singapore Industrial Park in Can Tho (VSIP Vinh Thanh), covering more than 293 hectares in its first phase with 160 million USD in investment, has essentially completed infrastructure development. This smart and eco-friendly industrial park offers a diverse ecosystem suited to investor requirements.

Currently, 10 investors have registered to lease over 100 hectares of land in the park. Notably, Bestway Sports Technology Co., Ltd. (China) has begun constructing a large-scale plant at VSIP Vinh Thanh, expected to be completed by the end of 2026. With a total investment of 300 million USD, the project aims to establish a modern manufacturing facility integrating R&D, smart production, and green logistics for both domestic and export markets.

Leaw Wee Ming, General Director of VSIP Vinh Thanh, said: “The Can Tho leadership has been very supportive—ensuring administrative facilitation and rapid land clearance—which has enabled us to synchronously implement infrastructure and attract investors. We plan to expand the park to 900 hectares in phase two as approved, thanks to its strong connectivity to national highways and expressways that support efficient production and business operations.”

Under Can Tho’s planning period 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050, four additional industrial parks will be developed in Vinh Thanh. The city’s Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority has submitted planning proposals for two of them: Vinh Thanh 2 Industrial Park (519 hectares) and Vinh Thanh 3 Industrial Park (675.45 hectares)—both intended as ecological, high-tech, and supporting-industry zones.

The city has also planned two additional industrial parks in the former Hau Giang area: Long Thạnh Industrial Park (290 hectares) and Tan Binh Industrial Park (210 hectares), focusing on high-tech industries, processing and manufacturing, energy, supporting industries, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agricultural product processing—ensuring a clean land reserve for future economic investment.

According to the city’s Industrial and Export Processing Zones Authority, as of October 2025, Can Tho has 13 industrial parks, 3 concentrated industrial clusters, one Song Hau Power Centres and one Song Hau Industrial Park Operations Centre, with a total area of 3,036 hectares. An additional 27 planned industrial parks are under preparation for the 2030–2050 period.

Currently, 314 enterprises are implementing 381 projects in Can Tho’s industrial parks, with total registered capital of 10.29 billion USD; realised capital has reached 4.75 billion USD, equivalent to 46.3% of registration. Industrial parks employ over 93,000 workers.

In the first nine months of 2025, industrial production value reached 71.148 trillion VND, accounting for 22.82% of the city’s total production value. Export turnover reached approximately 1.6 billion USD, up 14% from the same period in 2024.

Bottlenecks that need to be addressed

However, several key transportation projects in the city have fallen behind schedule and seen cost overruns due to numerous obstacles in land clearance and resettlement. Industrial park infrastructure remains expensive to develop, land lease prices are high, while the city’s investment attraction policies are similar to those of other provinces, lacking competitiveness and distinctive advantages, thus failing to appeal strongly to investors. Technical infrastructure and logistics are not yet meeting industrial development needs; the road system, river ports, and seaports have not been uniformly developed. The low proportion of technically trained workers, along with shortages of engineers and high-tech specialists, are bottlenecks that need to be removed to accelerate the city’s development in the coming period.

Le Cong Ly, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Head of the Management Board of Export Processing and Industrial Zones of Can Tho, stated that in industrial development, the city needs to shift its industrial growth model from reliance on large land areas and low-cost labor to the use of automated technologies and resource-efficient practices.

Therefore, the Management Board is focusing on reviewing and adjusting the planning of industrial parks and centralised industrial clusters toward regional connectivity and specialization of sectors, linked with the development of transport infrastructure, ports, and logistics centres to meet enterprise needs. The Can Tho Industrial and Export Processing Zones Authority is building a set of criteria for selecting investors in high-tech industries, green industries, and circular production associated with environmental protection, aiming to attract major enterprises to these sectors.

Nguyen Phuong Lam, Director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Can Tho Branch, recommended that besides completing transport infrastructure connecting industrial parks and refining investment incentive policies, the city should focus on attracting investment into one or two strong pillar industries instead of spreading resources too thinly, allowing for specific and sufficiently strong policies to draw investment into local priority sectors.

In addition, the city should propose that the Government establish a specialised economic zone, combined with implementing outstanding preferential mechanisms and special policies, to create breakthroughs in attracting large-scale investment capital into Can Tho.

Truong Canh Tuyen, Chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee, affirmed that developing transportation infrastructure and industrial parks is an urgent requirement in restructuring the city’s economy. Therefore, the city is prioritising efforts to speed up major transportation projects and large-scale industrial park developments. At the same time, the city is determined to accelerate the construction progress of the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Expressway to ensure seamless connectivity, facilitating the development of ports, logistics services, and the Tran De Coastal Economic Zone (planned at 40,000 hectares). Once completed, Tran De Port will become the gateway for goods circulation across the Mekong Delta region, addressing long-standing logistical bottlenecks.

Moreover, the city is reviewing previously issued investment incentive policies, as well as special mechanisms under Resolution No. 45 of the National Assembly, to revise them in line with actual conditions. Administrative reform must be strengthened alongside digital transformation in the fields of investment, construction, and land management. The city also needs to prioritise developing high-quality human resources to meet business demands, creating momentum to attract investment and promote fast and sustainable socio-economic development.