Addressing top global technology conglomerates, financial institutions, and industry experts at the project’s investor consultation conference on August 26 in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, emphasized the city’s strategic shift in attracting high-value foreign direct investment (FDI).

“Ho Chi Minh City is officially shifting its core mindset from simply attracting capital to developing a comprehensive strategic investment foundation. We are building robust industry clusters, integrated value chains, and an advanced innovation ecosystem, using the quality and depth of core technology as our primary benchmark,” he said.

Mr. Duoc committed that the city will design breakthrough policies and build synchronized infrastructure to ensure the strategic tech center becomes operational quickly and effectively, maximizing value for pioneer investors.

At the conference, global experts and business leaders engaged in direct dialogues to construct operational mechanisms capable of helping researchers and enterprises overcome major bottlenecks in technology development.

Addressing human resource constraints, Mr. Don Lam, CEO and Co-founder of VinaCapital, noted that the city currently faces a shortage of highly specialized, professional talent in deep-tech sectors. He stressed that attracting top international experts requires an all-inclusive living ecosystem, encompassing international schools, healthcare facilities, and high-quality services.

Mr. Lam also highlighted that Ho Chi Minh City’s current competitive advantages lie in software development, research and development (R&D), and innovation. Consequently, the city should prioritize expanding these existing strengths first to build immediate momentum.

To minimize setup time, strategic investors proposed that the city offer shared, ready-to-use physical infrastructure, such as fully furnished office spaces and specialized laboratories, allowing multinational companies to deploy personnel and commence operations immediately without costly facility construction.

Furthermore, high-tech enterprises outlined stringent requirements regarding green energy. Investors recommended that developing shared green infrastructure, including centralized district cooling systems and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), would create a major competitive edge for Ho Chi Minh City.

By pairing groundbreaking policy incentives with green, high-tech infrastructure, the Strategic Technology Development Center promises to establish Ho Chi Minh City as Southeast Asia’s premier destination for high-value technology capital.

Covering nearly 53 hectares within the Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP), the Strategic Technology Development Center is structured into three specialized functional zones.

It inherits the solid foundation of SHTP, which has attracted $13.4 billion across 166 high-tech projects. The center prioritizes seven key pillars: artificial intelligence and big data, semiconductors, 5G/6G networks, robotics and automation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), biotechnology, and green energy solutions.

To meet rigorous ESG standards, projects inside the center will adhere to strict green criteria, including liquid cooling technology and a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) index below 1.25.