The Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) reported that leased industrial land totalled 46.67 ha, while factory space rentals reached 102,604 sq.m during the period.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) made up 452.86 million USD of the total, with 19 newly-licensed projects valued at 101.66 million USD and 43 existing projects increasing capital by 351.20 million USD in total.

Domestic investment surpassed 8.3 trillion VND (around 319.28 million USD), including 19 new projects worth more than 3.8 trillion VND and 15 capital expansion projects adding over 4.4 trillion VND.

According to HEPZA head Bui Minh Tri, as of late March 2026, the city’s industrial parks and export processing zones hosted 5,374 valid investment projects with combined registered capital of 78.74 billion USD. These included 3,209 foreign-invested projects worth 57.57 billion USD and 2,165 domestic projects with total registered capital exceeding 389.3 trillion VND.

Of the total, 4,820 projects are currently operating, comprising 3,006 FDI projects valued at 52.68 billion USD and 1,814 domestic projects with registered capital of more than 284.6 trillion VND. Meanwhile, 151 projects are under construction, 312 are undergoing investment procedures, and 91 projects have temporarily halted operations.

Tri noted that recent developments in the Middle East have affected production activities across the city’s industrial parks and export processing zones, particularly in terms of market demand, raw material supply, and logistics. Industries most exposed include chemicals and petrol products, electronics, textiles and garments, seafood processing, and sectors heavily reliant on trade with Middle Eastern and European Union (EU) markets.

In the second quarter of 2026, HEPZA will focus on implementing the National Assembly's Resolution No. 260/2025/QH15 on the establishment of a free trade zone. The authority will also continue pilot transformation plans for five industrial parks and export processing zones, namely Tan Thuan, Tan Binh, Cat Lai, Hiep Phuoc, and Binh Chieu; complete ecological industrial park certification procedures for Phu My 3 Industrial Park, and accelerate appraisal and investment attraction for Tan Phu Trung AI Data Centre project while finalising investment registration procedures./. VNA