Driving Regional Synergy and Investment

During a working session between MBA Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice President of VCCI, and Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Chairman of the WFZO, both leaders explored strategic cooperation in developing economic zones, special economic zones (SEZs), free trade zones (FTZs), and innovation hubs. The talks focused on ramping up investment attraction and deepening economic integration within ASEAN.

According to Dr Al Zarooni, economic and special economic zones are playing an increasingly critical role in attracting capital, stimulating trade, fostering innovation, and generating employment. Consequently, rather than competing solely on tax incentives and concessions, economic zones must now focus on upgrading their ecosystems, operational capacity, global value chain connectivity, and responsiveness to evolving investor demands.

This shift is particularly vital for Vietnam as the country witnesses a surging demand for high-tech projects, pioneering industries, and high-quality capital inflows.

Bridging Vietnamese Enterprises with the World

During the meeting, VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh highlighted VCCI’s role in representing and supporting the business community, as well as in policy recommendations. Leveraging its extensive network of enterprises, business associations, and international partnerships, VCCI is uniquely positioned to act as a catalyst for the WFZO to expand its footprint and deepen cooperation in Vietnam and the wider Southeast Asian region.

Mr Vinh noted that collaboration between the two entities should extend far beyond member networking. It presents a prime opportunity to share global best practices, facilitate policy reforms, and streamline the investment landscape.

Significantly, as Vietnam seeks new growth engines, its economic zone model is facing a pressing need for transformation. Moving away from traditional industrial parks, the country is pivoting toward specialized ecosystems capable of drawing technology, capital, and high-calibre talent.

Consequently, free trade zones, innovation hubs, and next-generation economic zones are no longer viewed merely through the lens of land discounts, tax breaks, or administrative reform. Instead, they must be built as integrated ecosystems that seamlessly blend manufacturing, services, R&D, innovation, and human resources.

This is precisely where the WFZO’s international expertise can deliver substantial value to Vietnam by providing data, global benchmarks, and performance evaluation tools. Currently, the WFZO identifies the provision of research, data, insights, practical toolkits, and advisory services as core benefits for its members.

Metrics That Matter: Reimagining the Scorecard

In parallel discussions, Mr Matthew Stephenson, CEO of the WFZO, raised the prospect of developing a benchmarking toolkit and scorecard to assess and compare the quality of economic zones, industrial parks, and innovation hubs.

Mr Stephenson pointed out that instead of evaluating an economic zone primarily by its physical size, occupancy rate, or total registered capital, the new toolkit will offer a more comprehensive criteria matrix. This system will reflect the intrinsic, substantive competitiveness of each hub.

Implementing such an index would help identify top-performing zones, pinpoint gaps between domestic hubs and cutting-edge global models, and equip local authorities with the data needed to improve policies, infrastructure, and investor services.

This initiative is slated to become a tangible collaborative project between VCCI and the WFZO in the near future, marking a transition from mere knowledge-sharing to a systematic, practical evaluation mechanism.

Mr Stephenson added that the organisation is currently developing a benchmarking tool to assess premier economic zones, with technology and capital earmarked as critical drivers of competitiveness in this new era.

Seamless Integration into ASEAN and Beyond

Southeast Asia is rapidly becoming a magnet for international capital as global corporations restructure their supply chains and scout for new manufacturing, logistics, and technology hubs. In this context, closer collaboration and knowledge exchange between the region's economic zones could pave the way for a highly integrated investment landscape.

The VCCI Vice President emphasized that with its footprint spanning over 140 countries, the WFZO can seamlessly connect ASEAN’s economic zones with the global community. This will open up fresh avenues for policy dialogue, investment attraction, and alignment with international standards.

Notably, Vietnam’s upcoming role as host of APEC 2027 will unlock a vital platform to champion initiatives tied to investment, trade, innovation, and business connectivity. High-profile forums like the APEC CEO Summit will offer a prime stage to showcase Vietnam's economic zones and investment climate to the global business elite.

Furthermore, Mr Vinh remarked that given the expanding role of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in reshaping global manufacturing, the WFZO's focus on technology in its upcoming international agenda provides fertile ground for both sides to embed this theme into their joint framework.

Future-Proofing Vietnam's Economic Engines

For Vietnam, partnering with the WFZO is about more than just expanding its international network; it is central to the mission of upgrading the quality of inward investment.

In this new chapter, the competitive advantage of industrial parks and SEZs will increasingly hinge on their ability to offer synchronized infrastructure, professional services, a highly skilled workforce, stable green energy, robust digital infrastructure, and a predictable policy environment.

Both sides agreed to maintain dialogue to formalise these collaborative opportunities. Immediate priorities include finalizing the evaluation toolkit, sharing global breakthroughs, and integrating Vietnam's economic zones into the WFZO's global network.

What began as a meeting between the representative body of Vietnam's business community and a global economic zone network could unlock a far broader trajectory. The VCCI-WFZO partnership is set to not only funnel more capital into these hubs but also to fundamentally upgrade the quality of the very environments expected to drive Vietnam's next wave of economic growth.